AOPA's monthly magazine offers aviation articles on technique, aircraft, avionics, advocacy efforts, and more for veteran pilots and aviation enthusiasts alike.
Susan and Dan Hedenberg start their days like most couples who live on a rural farm—sunrise coffee, let the dogs out, feed the oldest horse in the world (more on that later).
For most of us, traditional weather forecast products serve well when it comes to short-term planning. We know what to check for a flight today or tomorrow, and most of the information is in one place—on the Aviation Weather Center website.
Driving anywhere at 4:30 a.m. is a surreal experience. It’s still dark; the roads are quiet; and everything seems deserted. You get the sense that all you survey is temporarily yours, until sunlight floods the scene and regular folks venture out.
The March crash of a Beechcraft Bonanza A36 in Pembroke Pines, Florida, resurfaced debate about the “turnback,” an engine-out course reversal shortly after takeoff to land in the opposite direction on the departing runway.
Until September 13, 2018, conventional wisdom insisted almost dogmatically that a pilot experiencing an engine failure in a single-engine airplane shortly after takeoff should always land straight ahead; he should never turn around to return to the airport.
I recently saw a social media post in which an airman complained about how difficult it was to get a special medical authorization in 2007 (yes, 13.5 years ago), which he subsequently never renewed.
While there was much different about the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo this year, the one constant was the usual springtime weather potpourri that occurs in the East and Southeast, no matter which week the Lakeland, Florida, event occurs.
Peter Heller initially came to the attention of the aviation community in 2012 when he published The Dog Stars, a dystopian novel featuring a pilot and a Cessna 182.
Aviation enthusiasts from all over the country gathered in Lakeland, Florida, April 13 through 18 at the Lakeland Linder International Airport to celebrate their shared passion for flight in true Florida fashion.
It was a missionI had witnessed many times in the Angel Flight West system. Kathy was going to Seattle, where their 14-year-old daughter, Lexi, was undergoing treatment for leukemia, and Brian was returning home to Republic, Washington, to tend to the family’s guest ranch.
What do a1,250-foot grass aerodrome; Robin Hood; Mayflower Pilgrims; the Domesday Book; 617 “Dambusters” Royal Air Force Squadron; the first jet engine; Sir Isaac Newton; two British prime ministers; 13,000-year-old Neolithic cave art; various lords, ladies, and kings; and a Ryder Cup golf course have in common? And all within a 30-mile radius?
Based on some recent news, some players in the eVTOL movement appear to be gaining more momentum, even if flight testing and certification methods have yet to bear fruit.
Girls in Flight Training (GIFT) Academy, an innovative camp for women that helps them overcome obstacles in training, will hold an event in Wisconsin in June.
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds have redesigned their airshow demonstrations to present a shorter, tighter, more intense show that “tells a story,” team members said.
I’d left the hospital helipad at 11 p.m. on a balmy November night to rescue a heart attack patient. Local emergency medical technicians (EMTs) had called for our Airbus Helicopters H125 to meet them at the patient’s farmhouse, 25 miles away.
This 1944 Grumman Widgeon is a serial fuel leaker, and multiple attempts to plug constant drips of avgas from the wings have been unsuccessful. In a last-ditch effort to avoid removing and reskinning both wings, the owner hired a mobile team from SEAL Aviation in Florida to repair them in place.
Time between overhauls (TBO) is a strange concept. The FAA requires aircraft engine manufacturers to publish TBOs for their engines, but doesn’t require aircraft owners to abide by them.
Timing is everything—and that’s especially true for formation flyovers. A few seconds too soon, or too late, and the flyover misses the moment and loses its chance to be an emotional highpoint for a ceremony or large event.
