AVweb Insider

One of the many hazards of this job (we do it all for you, gentle readers) is reading accident investigation reports. The chief danger is the inevitable realization is that there are so many truly dumb ways to crash an airplane that it can give you pause every time you call “Prop clear” or step […]

Companies plying the aviation trade—airframers, avionics manufacturers, engine builders, pilot emporiums, headset sellers, fuel companies—are often approached to sponsor some flight or promotional event or another. “It’s for the good of the industry,” goes the reasoning.   By necessity, they turn down a lot of these, sometimes for reasons related to safety or just the […]

Curiously, as a cohort, skydivers—young ones—are environmentally woke. And since I am an internationally recognized expert on aviation of all stripes, I’m occasionally asked when I think we’ll all be jumping out of electric airplanes. My response is never. Maybe a little later, but basically never. Following this week’s surprise announcement that Textron is buying […]

My various research projects lead me on some interesting trips through photo archives and one that turns up repeatedly is also one of my favorites. It was probably shot in 1947 or 1948 and captured the flight operations team for the Bell X-1, the first aircraft to exceed Mach 1. You’ll immediately recognize Chuck Yeager […]

In this airline pilot hiring boom, we are seeing up-and-coming pilots post in online forums that they have worked hard to train and achieve all the certification and credentials to become airline pilots and are frustrated to discover that their multiple training and checkride failures are preventing them from landing at an airline. To qualify […]

In May of 2016, I covered an obscure trade show put on by the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International—AUVSI—in New Orleans. I spent the effort and money to do that because, at the time, it looked like drones were soon to become a significant part of aviation. While that’s true by degree, unmanned vehicles […]

Aviation’s Owning v. Renting debate is a rite of spring, best enjoyed while listening to Stravinsky on your Sixty-Eight Firebird’s 8-track in the FBO parking lot as you consider whether to buy a Cirrus (sweet) or rent a Cessna (dependable). Tough decision, but perhaps a sprig of fractured Hamlet will clarify the choice: “To be […]

Early in the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine, the perfect cyber-fueled urban myth appeared: The Ghost of Kyiv. By now, you’ve heard the story. A heroic and skilled Ukrainian Mig 29 pilot downed five or six Russian aircraft in a single day, including another Mig 29. I was traveling at the time the story appeared […]

Consider that moment when you’re in the swirling bisque, fingernails clutching the rim as unpleasant consequences mock your lack of exit strategy. Like my first day in the Army when a drill sergeant expressed his unvarnished displeasure with my existence, or the time I accepted a party invitation only to discover, as the deadbolt clicked […]

“At United, we’re convinced that the root of the problem is that it costs over $100,000 and takes five or more years to obtain all the training to become eligible to fly for a major airline,” said Scott Kirby, CEO at United Airlines in a recently published opinion piece titled “The truth about the pilot […]