By now, we all have seen the proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or drones. They are everywhere. Anybody with a few bucks can go on-line and buy a very nice remote flying machine with a camera. Unfortunately, anything much bigger than a stocking-stuffer can do...

    After 9/11, there was a push to immediately do something, anything, that would prevent a repeat of the hijacker's actions. One of the very first things that was done was the grounding of all general aviation airplanes. Then, you could fly GA but only with a...

You would think that having more than one pilot in an airplane would automatically make it twice as safe, but you would be wrong. In fact, the NTSB has files of airplane accidents where the presence of more than one pilot actually contributed to the accident. What's...

Flying To Nowhere Part 4 Author's note: I have decided to make a random flight with no goals except to fly. This is the final part of my adventure. I departed Camden on Runway 6 and made a turn due east towards Fairfield County Airport, southwest of Winnsboro. In just...

  Less than 1/2 of 1% of the U.S. population holds a pilot certificate of any kind. Active pilots represent an even smaller percentage of the general population. And despite the general tone of our cartoon, that number includes women pilots as well. There are...

Author's note: I have decided to make a random flight with no goals except to fly. This is Part 3 of my adventure. The flight from Manning was short and quick, just a bit more than 25 miles as the Piper flies, over a landscape of trees, roads, and small towns. Sumter...

Author's note: I have decided to make a random flight with no goals except to fly. This is Part 2 of my adventure. My airplane leapt off the runway and why not? With just me and partial fuel, on a crisp morning with temperatures in the low 40s, it was a perfect...

Flying To Nowhere, Part 1 It was a chance conversation that steered me into the skies this cool and sunny January morning. A friend of mine was telling me about the airplane he and his father owned. “We had bought the airplane so the two of us could share flying” he...

Have you ever wondered exactly what your instructor is waiting for before he lets you solo?According to the FAA, you must be able to: Make competent go/no-go decisions for every flight. Determine the location of all other traffic while in the pattern. Establish and...

First we had 20 hours, then 10, then back to 20, then 10 again, and finally back to 20. Confused? Yes, us too. So what’s going on in the FAA? Actually, it's kind of interesting. Charleston Flight School had a Letter of Authorization (LOA) that allowed us to use the...

We have become so accustomed to modern avionics that we almost forget how wondrous GPS actually is, and perhaps even take it for granted. Talk to an old timer and he may tell you how impressed he was with LORAN when it came out. Of course the older guys will regale...

In this part of the country, the early months of the year usually bring some unsettled weather.  Cold temperatures with lots of high winds can make a dent in our flying plans and this year has been no different. January is usually still pretty good and even early...

It seems that the FAA is suddenly making a lot of changes. Starting April 1, 2016, the AME no longer issues your Student license with your medical. You will now be required to submit an application which can only be accepted by certain people designated by the FAA....

Any air traveler is familiar with the flight attendant's safety briefing before every flight. Most of us read through it because we've heard it so many times before, and you are probably aware that the briefing is an FAA requirement. But did you know that as PIC, you...