In the greater scheme of life and history, twenty years is an insignificant blip. But for a web site, two decades takes you back to the very beginning of the World Wide Web. Let’s reminisce…. Read more →
Category: Technology
ADS-B: Now or Later?
Whether you’re flying a Cherokee or a Challenger, the ADS-B equipment mandate is looming larger with every passing month. The question aircraft owners are starting to ask is: should I bite the bullet now, or wait until closer to 2020? I make the case for waiting. Read more →
Drones? Meh.
Drones are the big thing in aviation right now, the growth sector of our industry if ever there was one. But despite the many practical uses for these miniature aircraft, I find it difficult to get excited about them. Am I the only one who feels that way? Read more →
The Hacked Airplane
For better or worse, the relentless march of technology means we’re more connected than ever, in more places than ever. For the most part that’s good. We benefit from improving communication, situational awareness, and reduced pilot workload in the cockpit. But there’s a dark side to digital connectivity, and in an era of internet-connected refrigerators, toilets, and a/c systems, I predict it’s only a matter of time before we start to see it in our airborne lives. Read more →
A Starship in the Wild
When I was a kid in the 1980s, Beech represented some of the most exciting and cutting-edge stuff in the world of flying. For example, the much anticipated — and highly unsuccessful — Starship. We came across one recently in the mountains of Colorado, and to my eyes it still looks as sweet as the day I first saw a picture of one on the pages of Flying magazine. Read more →
Stick & Rudder Skills Are Important
A highly experienced airline captain and ERAU aviation professor has opined that automation management skills should be receiving more focus than basic stick-and-rudder aptitude. Wanna guess what I think of that idea? Read more →
Getting Better: Simulators for General Aviation
Most of the big technological advances in flying have been in the instrument panel. But now they’re starting to make serious strides in the area of flight simulation, and GA stands to reap a huge benefit. Read more →
Speed-to-Fly
Speed-to-fly is a concept traditionally limited to the glider pilots. But the physics apply to all aircraft, and with the advent of computer technology in the cockpit, it’s possible to augment the traditional “best glide” speed and truly maximize our engine-out performance. Read more →
Gulfstream G650 Accident Report
The Gulfstream G650 accident report has been published by the NTSB. While they strongly point the finger at Gulfstream, after reading the full accident docket, the takeaway for me is that given the kind of testing required by the FAA, it’s a wonder accidents don’t happen more often. Read more →
AOPA Summit
I recently spent three days as an exhibitor at the AOPA Summit convention in Palm Springs, and the perspective was a bit different from the other side of the booth. Read more →