The newest public-use airfield in the country also happens to be the most remote, offering “a unique opportunity to experience the solitude and beauty of the high desert wilderness,” the Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation announced May 28.
Aviation has the ability to take us to places we’ve never been before; this especially rings true for newly minted pilots. With each new adventure comes an ever-changing landscape, each with unique quirks and challenges that push us out of our comfort zone, little by little making us better pilots.
It’s easy to see from the discussion last month why high altitudes pose a unique physiologic stress to our systems. In ancient times, Chinese travelers thought that crossing the “Great Headache Mountain” caused high-altitude symptoms.
I was sitting in the doctor’s lounge the other day chatting with a fellow surgeon, pilot, AOPA member, and all-around good guy about one of our favorite topics—flying (surprised?).
On August 24, 2014, a heartbreaking accident occurred in the mountains of Alaska. Although during the daytime with VFR conditions prevailing, the pilot of a Ryan Navion impacted mountainous terrain with three passengers on board. Miraculously, all four occupants survived the initial impact.
The first fully sunny day in more than a month invited a long afternoon spent flying at the base of the largest glaciers in the Alps, capped by landing at a high-altitude airport wedged in the Obergoms of Switzerland, a landing option available only in the summer.
In an “unprecedented effort” by local helicopter pilots in California, according to pilot and Lake Arrowhead resident Susan Newman Harrison, relief came to the snow-trapped villages of the San Bernardino Mountains via general aviation.
Larch trees typically reach their peak of color for only one weekend in late October, when a long weekend of flying from the highest airport in Switzerland revealed stunning scenery.
Spring winds are often the final fight between winter and the coming summer weather pattern, and they can present a direct or near-direct crosswind component for flight operations at many airports. For student and low-time pilots this is the time of year to think about crosswind planning and technique.
In a new collaboration from airshow pilot and flight school owner Patty Wagstaff and Sporty’s Pilot Shop, tailwheel students have been treated with another valuable resource—a two-hour tailwheel training course taught by Wagstaff herself.
On July 3, two pilots joined forces to fly a Beechcraft Bonanza G36 from California to their home state of New York. One of them had purchased the airplane and was flying it home.
The elevations of about 50 mountain passes have been added to Alaska visual navigation charts as a working group led by AOPA moves forward on a project to enhance information critical to the safety of flight through mountainous regions.
Wildfires have burned more than 2.3 million acres in more than 15 states across the country as of August 9, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Oregon has 16 large active fires burning more than 580,000 acres, and one official is encouraging pilots who fly in the state to report any fires they see from the air.
Jason Miller is one busy flight instructor. The creator of The Finer Points, Miller instructs locally, runs mountain flying clinics, and produces instructional material for students all around the world on his website and through his podcast, videos, and courses.
Pilots flying over and between the peaks of the Colorado Rockies have new insight on current conditions, thanks to 52 weather cameras now active at 13 automated weather stations.
When a Cessna 172 pilot flying in deteriorating conditions observed that the forecasted mountain obscuration was concealing the entire ridgeline ahead, it was a prudent call to land back where the flight began and take another look at the weather.
American Legend Aircraft Co. announced a more powerful and more capable three-seat backcountry version of the Legend Cub called the "Mother Of All Cubs," or MOAC, that is rooted in the Piper Super Cub—a fully cowled refinement of the open-cylinder Piper J–3 Cub originally introduced in the late 1930s as a simple and slow tandem taildragger trainer.
More pilots are relying on apps rather than a call to flight service when gathering their initial preflight weather information—but nothing beats a human voice on the line for checking remote-area conditions or getting a last-minute update, according to AOPA’s 2020 Weather Survey.
Galen Lee Hanselman, 72, known to the aviation community as an expert in backcountry flying and author of a series of backcountry guidebooks, died May 6 in Twin Falls, Idaho. He had been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease, in 2018, and early this year was diagnosed with liver cancer.
The FAA is charting Alaska mountain passes near Juneau and adding depictions to Alaska sectional charts to promote better safety among pilots traversing the rugged terrain.
A new NTSB report says the FAA has failed to fully implement safety programs in Alaska and should set up a working group with the state’s aviation stakeholders to move things along.
Investigators probing the January 26 helicopter crash that killed basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others said there is no evidence that terrain awareness technology was available to the pilot as he attempted to negotiate rising terrain in poor visibility.
I know it’s a stretch to refer to a 1,700-foot-high hill as a mountain, but two pilots with thousands of hours in the air experienced the worst single jolt of turbulence of their flying lives passing a petite peak on a super-smooth night.
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Get instant access to Flight Training's special issue titled You Can Fly: Your Path to Become a Pilot. This beginning pilots' resource guide explains what you can expect from your introductory flight through initial training—and how to turn your dream of flying into reality. Simply enter your name and email address.