Features
Article: Screen Savers
Screen savers are a terrific invention—15-20 images of people, places and things that are dear to me rotate through mine like an automated scrapbook.
Article: The Flight Bag Is A Pilot's Best Friend
Ah, the flight bag. What, in the air-mail days, was a lowly canvas sack into which was stuffed a bedraggled map, a candy bar and a dime for a phone call if the weather got bad has become a cockpit staple.
Article: Headsets: The Critical Component
On a recent cross-country on a busy day in the skies above California, I got a firsthand look into the importance of a good headset, and how a headset that’s good in one airplane might be completely wrong in another.
Article: Aviation Handhelds
Not long ago, handheld devices for in-cockpit use broke down into neat categories: GPS moving-map units kept pilots from getting lost.
Article: Choose Your Own Adventure
So, you just hit the lottery for a half-million bucks (after tax). This sounds like a big deal, except that it’s redundant because your spouse hit it last week for 10 million.
Article: Choosing A Six-Seater
If it’s really true that buyers of four-seat airplanes often buy two seats more than they need, the same may not be true of purchasers in the six-place class. ...
Article: January/February 2011 Readback
On November 10, the FAA certified the Tecnam P2006T, a four-seat piston twin aircraft. Top Stories ...
Article: From The Editor: Light Sport To Cabin Class
There exist very few things that I would wake up at 4 a.m. for. An airplane in the lens of my camera happens to be one of them.
Article: The Evolution Of Navigation
For better or worse, I learned to fly in the days when there were still A-N ranges up and running, not many, but a few.
Article: Still Relentless
I can tell you that for one lap prior, the plane never ran so well.
Article: Beware The Downburst
Contrary to the advice that aviation usually allows you to make most mistakes only once, I’ve been fortunate in 50 years of flying to make virtually all the bad mistakes, in some cases more than once.
Article: LSA Buyer's Guide
What a great time to be a pilot! The economy gains traction, Big Tin (Cessna and Piper) flexes its muscles as more Skycatchers and PiperSports find homes across America, and new S-LSA—111 models as we go to press—continue to come on line.
Article: Four-Seater Buyer's Guide
Four-seat airplanes have always been the most popular configuration in general aviation.
Article: Where General Aviation Shines
Shortly after getting my pilot’s license in 1992, I took all of my family members up, one at a time, for an aerial tour of Jacksonville, Fla. ...
Article: The Crosswind Component
Ensuring that there’s a safety margin in everything we do is fundamental to aviation accident avoidance.
Article: Light-Sport Chronicles: The Rashomon Effect
This time of year, we winter-bound types shiver our timbers and wistfully harken back to the glory days of summer.
Article: Remarkable People
Even though it’s been a few months since coming home and unpacking, getting the Oshkosh adventure totally out of your head isn’t easy.
Article: Challenging Runways
What makes some runways more challenging than others? The length? The wind? What you had for breakfast that morning? What?
Article: 2010 Grab Bag
Get a bunch of pilots together, and the talk will eventually turn to gear. Aviators tend to be folks who embrace technology, or at least the technology that centers on aviation.
Article: December 2010 Readback
Light-sport aircraft pilots refusing to tolerate winter flying doldrums have a perfect outing: the first-ever LSA Fly-In to the Bahamas on December 10-12. Top Stories
Article: From The Editor: Homecoming
Ron Mohrhoff speaks about his Bonanza the way most people might speak about their children. “Wow!” he proudly beams on each flight. “This airplane is the best!” ...
Article: For The Birds
I’ve been an accidental student of ornithology for as long as I’ve been alive—and that’s a long time.
Article: Pilot In Command
Being a professional aerobatic and race pilot for the past several years has given me the opportunity to meet many civilian, military, helicopter, fixed-wing, professional and recreational pilots.
Article: The Last Time
Number One’s three-blade prop begins to turn-cough-turn. The engine whines, whines, then belches out clots of smoke as the big Wright Cyclone thunders to life. Joe Colmer, 93, feels the rumble through the metal seat.
Article: Advanced-Degree Autopilot
We familiarly call them “George” or “Otto.” But Avidyne’s DFC90 autopilot makes a strong case for being called “Doctor” George or “Professor” Otto.
Article: Open-Cockpit Chills
It was discovered last September that my open-cockpit biplane, a Starduster Too, needed an engine overhaul.
Article: Hazards Of Extreme Flying
Ensuring that there’s a safety margin in everything we do is fundamental to aviation accident avoidance.
Article: Light-Sport Chronicles: The Time Traveller
Writing for a major aviation publication like Plane & Pilot feels sometimes like being a time traveller.
Article: Aviation Without A Soundtrack?
The other day, I got yet another nastygram. This one from an individual who had read somewhere that my airplane has no mufflers.
Article: A New Lease On Flying
He hasn’t been out of GA for very long, but as far as the developments he’s missed, nothing comes close to the strides made in avionics over the last few years.
