I have a few questions about being a pilot (especially in Canada). I'm thinking about making flying a career (but I don't even have my PPL right now, so it'll be a few years). First off, what are your recommendations or experiences for flight training? I was thinking of after getting my PPL, of...

Something I always wanted to do is learn to pilot an aircraft. And one day own one. I have even started flying model aircraft just to control the flying itch. That's not working anymore. So I've been talking to the local flying schools and have learned this is not a cheep hobby. I have the...

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Seen in Avweb's AvFlash: CRASH STATISTICS, FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS According to the AP's research, pilots older than 50 were involved in 55.8 percent of accidents over a five-year period even though they constitute only 36.8 percent of certificated pilots. And, apparently, the older a pilot...

I was reading an article complaining about Comcast service, linked from Slashdot. The lady who was complaining in her blog revealed how much she pays for TV... once you subtract her internet service, it's over $1500 a year. $1500 a year for *TV*! No wonder no one can afford GA any more. That's...

The day started off quite normally. I had a day off, the sun was shining, and the Auster was just waiting to be flown. The airfield the plane lives at is rather sleepy on a weekday owing to be a farm airfield with only a few aircraft - so I was quite surprised to see quite a lot of activity. There...

When I heard the sad news about the plane crash in New York on this morning's BBC Radio 4 'Today' programme, I immediately predicted what Skylune's action would be and almost predicted with 100% accuracy what the subject line of his new thread would be, and what the message contents would be. At...

On my fuel stop on the way to PJY, I spotted this Beech 1900: http://www.alioth.net/pics/Pinckneyville-2006/Pinckneyville-2006-Pages/Image2.html It has a 'United States of America' logo (a bit like the B747 that gets used for Air Force One) but it has *no* N number indicating it's not a civilian...

Well, I made it to the Pincnkeyville rec.aviation.* get-together this year. Once again, Mary's cooking was excellent, lasagne to die for, lashings of good BBQ etc. I think the weather gods must have blinked too - we actually had great weather all weekend, and the flight up from Houston was probably...

At some airfields, you get tiedowns in the grass that consist of some kind of weight (such as a concrete block or tire filled with concrete) and a tiedown. Perhaps they aren't much use -- a plane apparently can still fly with one attached to the tail. In this month's 'Pilot' magazine (British)...

OK, I've never seen this before. Take a look at the synoptic chart I've saved at http://www.alioth.net/tmp/fronts.gif There is a cold front, just south west of Ireland. The 'sharks teeth' are outlines, rather than filled in. The other week I saw a warm front drawn like this. What's the difference...

Things that make you go 'hmm'. The accepted wisdom is that aviation engines are tough, because they can be run at full rated power for hours on end, and auto engines are fragile, and must not be thrashed or they won't last very long. It was even mentioned in a thread in the last couple of weeks -...

It's good to see that despite all the naysayers, NASA still does incredibly cool things. I watched the X-43A successfully launch on NASA tv over the Internet, and it turns out that they got Mach 7 out of an aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine. Good to see new research like this into...

Finally, we got a break in the weather this weekend (it's been lousy here for a while, no flying...) At our glider club, we can either use the tow plane or the winch to get the gliders in the air. Not many power pilots have come across the idea of flinging an aircraft airborne on the best part of...

In today's AvFlash: "1) We can see through clouds, and 2) we can see where we are. With these two problems solved, what is the difference between VFR and IFR?" Discuss. Personally, I find that instrument flying (i.e. flying on the gauges themselves) didn't take too long to learn to do well. What...

With the recent thread on the unfortunate man who ran out of fuel and ditched in Lake Michigan, I've looked for the CAA's ditching advice online. It can be found he http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?categoryid=33&pagetype=65&applicationid=11&mode=detail&id=1175 Contains lots of good...

A couple of points with regard to running out of fuel: 1. I think many pilots forget about the time factor (i.e. keeping track of it) once they are a few months out of student training. 2. I think teaching that the fuel gauges are useless (which is very common) is teaching a dangerous myth. With...

You might want to write to Rick Santorum and tell him why this is such a bad idea: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/epaper/2005/04/21/m1a_wx_0421.html Essentially, Accuweather has paid Sen. Rick Santorum to put this bill through the Senate, to force the NWS/NOAA to take a great...

In article , Paul G wrote: Let's keep out of the debate over aspartame's safety. This is an exercise in getting some primary source evidence. I just want to find out if SWA does indeed have such a policy. Are there any crew out there who can...

In article , Anthony wrote: Now for a Brit joke. Why do Brits drink warm beer? Lucas refrigerators. Seriously, it's because the beer actually tastes of something (all you get with ice cold lager is the taste of the CO2 and alcohol and not much else)....