Informing, Educating & Entertaining Pilots about All Things Aviation
Aviation
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General Aviation User Fees
Apparently someone has to pay for President Obama to fly in that government Boeing 747, and he needs to reduce the budget deficit so he is coming after all of us “fat cats”. Oh, you didn’t know that you are a “fat cat”? Well, you own or rent airplanes and fly around the skies in [...]
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The Art of Flight – Ultimate Red Bull
What pilot amongst us doesn’t think about extreme sports, particularly as it relates to flying airplanes and helicopters. One of the most interesting fleets in the world is the fleet of Red Bull aircraft, and they have teamed up to help create a move called “The Art Of Flight”. This movie is all about extreme [...]
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Flying
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Why Are Student Pilot Success Rates So Abysmal?
Over the weekend the Sport Aviation Expo took place in Sebring, Florida providing for some interesting news for those of us interested in flying and aviation. These events are usually well attended by representatives from the FAA, and this one was no exception. As always there is news to be had, and one of the [...]
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Why Polarized Sunglasses Don’t Work for Pilots Flying Glass Cockpit Aircraft
One of the more important tools a pilot has available today are a good pair of sunglasses. It has been well documented that long exposure to strong ultraviolet light can cause damage to your eyes like cataracts, macular degeneration, pingueculae and pterygia and photokeratitis that can cause temporary vision loss. A number of years ago [...]
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Aircraft
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How to Properly Fly a C130J Hercules Transport Aircraft
When it comes to flying airplanes, the most exciting part is putting the aircraft through its paces. This is true whether or note its a Piper Cub or a C130J Hercules transport. Well, each year at the Paris Air Show a lot of business is done, and the US Government is there selling all of [...]
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Human Powered Helicopter Prize
One of the great things about aviation has been the interest in aviation by the public at large, and as a result the encouragement of advances in aviation through providing contests and prizes for innovation and accomplishment in aviation. We all remember the $ 10M X Prize for spaceflight, so it is not surprising that [...]
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Pilots
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Where Have All the Pilots Gone? Is There Really a Pilot Shortage?
Ever since I got serious about flying and got my Commercial Pilot’s license with Instrument Rating I have heard the lament that there is a “pilot shortage” coming. Many years have passed since that time as I continued to build experience, acquire an ATP pilot certificate and several type ratings. Let me tell you a [...]
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The Wedell Story – From Barnstorming to Setting Records
Born in the year 1900, three years before the Wright brothers had launched the Wright Flyer; James Robert Wedell was to grow into a worthy contemporary. Starting with resources that can only be called below zero or negative, this man one day owned the largest number of individual flying records and was a partner in [...]
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Other Recent Articles
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Are EMS Helicopters Safe?
Recently there was an EMS helicopter accident involving the Mayo Clinic where there was an early morning flight to procure an organ for transplant to save a patients life. 3 people died in the crash including a cardiovascular surgeon, a procurement technician and a pilot. Fire destroyed almost 90% of the helicopter which means the [...]
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How Good Are Your Aviation Headsets?
We have all heard about noise cancelling aviation headsets known as ANR headsets and passive aviation headsets known as PNR headsets. One way or another the goal is to cancel out or block noise inside the cockpit so that pilots can communicate safely and clearly with ground controls as they conduct their flights. In the [...]
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Air Race and Air Show Safety
On September 16th 2011 a disaster occurred at the Reno Air Races involving the pilot of a highly modified P-51 Mustang aircraft and the crowd of spectators. In addition to the pilot 10 others died along with dozens more injured. The question becomes as to whether or not air races and air shows should be [...]
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How Do You Know if Your Aviator Sunglasses Are Blocking UV Rays?
I learned to fly while I was in the USAF, not as a military pilot, but rather taking flying lessons at a nearby airport while I was receiving training from the Air Force in Texas. After I left the Air Force I attended Michigan State University where I continued to acquire advanced pilot ratings while [...]
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