AOPA Pilot Magazine

It's always fun to meet celebrities but you can't help but wonder: Is he going to be cool or is he going to be a jerk? Well, I am happy to tell you that the guy who rules any HGTV viewer's heart is very, very cool. And an accomplished, wonderful-to-fly-with pilot.

I’d been tracking the Staggerwing on FlightAware, yet when the cream-colored Beech Model D17S appeared overhead at Winter Haven Regional Airport, its shift from a green blip on an iPhone screen to magnificent, full-throated presence felt surprising.

A pilot’s life is full of adventure, and you need the gear to get you where you want to go. Here are some of our picks for what you need out there. —AOPA editors

By Jim Coon

Modernization is the focus in Washington, D.C., these days and this includes not only our nation’s air traffic control system, but the FAA’s medical system as well. Both are in need of an overhaul, and it is not just going to take significant resources, but leadership, accountability, and determination.

By Mike Ginter

The weather was perfect as we departed Naval Air Station Key West in a flight of four North American T–2C Buckeye jet trainers. The flight instructor in the lead aircraft led the rest of us on a westerly heading, 60 miles west of the Keys, toward our destination—the USS Lexington (AVT-16), a World War II-era aircraft carrier the U.S. Navy used exclusively for carrier qualifying student naval aviators.

By Jason Pape

One spring not too long ago, I had some work that I needed to get done on my airplane. I own a Cessna 172 that I keep at Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK) in Maryland. For several years, I have been taking my airplane to Hagerstown, Maryland, which is about a 20-minute flight from FDK, for annual inspections and most major work. I had some mounting pressure to get the work done as soon as possible. The pressure included a pending checkride and shortly after, a long trip from Maryland to West Texas, where the airplane would be left for nearly a year so my son could build flight hours.

By JP Dice

With a background in meteorology, my former students and other pilots sometimes lean on me for help in decision making when it comes to weather. It is never an annoyance. In fact, I encourage them to reach out with a phone call or text to start a discussion. We are now in the midst of convective season when afternoon thunderstorms and even severe weather will be the norm across many parts of the United States. This kind of weather at the least can be aggravating and at the most can be deadly.

By Paul Hargitt

The Ford Tri-Motor, commonly known as the “Tin Goose,” is an iconic aircraft in aviation’s history.