I have been reading the various threads about spins, forced landings, etc and talking with CFIs. The road to a PPL is preset in requirements by FAA. I see that most people are happy to do nothing more than that. Outside of the cost factors, I find this much more than curious considering...

Maybe I'm misreading this, but it looks to me like Oregon requires any general aviation pilot who flies into or through Oregon must then register with the Oregon Department of Aviation within 60 days. Unless they have some other meaning for "operating"? Likewise, in all the material I've ever...

I'm deligthted to see I'm managing to get some arguments and discussion going. And if you notice, No Profanity? I challenge my students to learn to taxi without brakes. and I come down hard if they beat up the airplane with unecessary braking instead of staying ahead of the airplane. (sometimes...

Is it safe/advisable to board a small single- or twin-engined aircraft while the prop(s) and engine(s) are turning? I'm just wondering if this is feasible if you just have someone getting on or getting off (with the pilot being in the aircraft the whole time). On a related note, how long can you...

For those who think ethanol is a fuel that can't be made to work in aircraft, I present the following: http://makeashorterlink.com/?E6EB52F8D and http://makeashorterlink.com/?N40C13F8D These folks, photographed by me at OSH '06, are burning ethanol in

The more of these Cirrus accidents I read about, the more I'm convinced that Cirrus has a serious marketing/training problem: http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/business/10853388.htm I'm not convinced there is anything wrong with the aircraft per se. What seems to be happening is...

I used to subscribe to IFR until I realized that they offered a much better rate to new subscribers than to existing ones. After realizing this, my four year old decided to subscribe :-). Today he recieved a solicitation from another aviation magazine. Obviously they sold his (and my) name...

The recent discussion of the merits of various electric cars. I'd summarize the current state of the art as one of interesting technologial developments, but an unsolved basic problem: How to store an adequate amount of the source of motive power in a manageable package. Batteries aren't there...

OK, if i call up approach when airborne and ask for VFR flight following, they'll want to know where I'm going. If i'm following a semi-complex route, on V airways and going from this VOR to that, perhaps turning at an intersection to a different V airway, do they really want to know that? Or...

Under what conditions, if any, would you explicitly tell ATC that you are rolling, that is, actually rolling on the runway for take-off? I hear this used occasionally, but I don't know if there are any formal circumstances that merit it, or if it is just at pilot discretion, or what. It is...

Looks like airplane treadmill problem, regularly a spark for flame wars on R.A.P., has made it into the mainstream. http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/ Let the arguing begin! - Ray

Warning: adult content. Prudes and john ashcrofts of this group do not read further. My buddies and I cannot exactly be described as strip-club frequenters, but we do enjoy an occasional trip to these, shall we say, places of female form worship. One rather annoying problem to us purist...

A neighbor, who is UAL (ret) asked me to circulate this one. They make some pretty good points, as the UAL people currently stand to get reamed pretty badly. ***************** Due to the bankruptcies of Delta and Northwest there is a very strong call in Washington for immediate pension relief.*...

Building it in China, OH JOY! I would think this would be a negative. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Cessna_Skycatcher_MadeInChina_196672-1.html Cessna has chosen the Chinese-government owned Shenyang Aircraft Corp. to build the Model 162 Skycatcher. Earlier this week, Cessna announced it...

Just received the following from the FAA Designee Notification system. Checked out the AIM on the FAA web site and the wording is included. Kris -------------------------------------------------------- The inane practice of using the phrase “any traffic please advise” has become so wide spread...

My AOPA membership comes up for yearly renewal at the end of September. Today, I got a membership renewal request via email from the organization. Here is my response: Dear AOPA, The question arises. Why should an FAA enroute air traffic controller who

I don't have my ticket yet -- and I'm really committed because I want to buy my own plane to train and fly -- and I want to take advantage of the tax write-off about to expire at year end. I've been at this since August. But, hell, they're not making it easy. All I've asked of Cirrus, Piper and...

I haven't seen any stats on this, but it seems to me that, just maybe, there could be a much higher rate of crashes when there are ladies in the cockpit. Maybe this is not the case, and I'm sure the more PC gents here will be quick to jump on me for even suggesting it, but during the past, I have...

The Mooney 201 has a ram air port, a half a foot under the prop spinner. The POH tells us it can be opened at altitude for a very modest increase in MP and we find maybe a half inch increase in pressure. The idea of the thing is, if the port is looking right at the air being thrust toward it by the...

The other day, I had an air traffic situation I wanted to bounce off of the group. Those of you who don't know me, I'm a Center controller down here in Atlanta. Here's the deal. I was working a Center departure sector mixing Atlanta terminal departures of every ilk and kin with enroute...