While spring has yet to officially arrive, the worst of winter is likely over.  Recent warming trends have all but discredited that prophetic groundhog in Pennsylvania and his fortune-teller prediction for a longer winter season.  Warmer temperatures have also granted us at least a few flyable days over the past two weeks and eager pilots in our area have flocked to the skies.  And large numbers of rusty fliers and eager students taking to the air all at once can lead to over

This year’s winter weather in Ohio stinks.  As I write this, I’m staring out of the window at sunny skies, but mounds of snow here and there and a US flag that barely manages to cling to the pole it’s hoisted on between 20-knot wind gusts.  Mother nature hasn’t provided many flyable days since last Halloween – cold, high winds, and snow have dominated our forecasts.  Last week Ohio was rocked by a snowstorm that dumped between ten and fourteen inches of snow, depending on whe

One hazy afternoon several years back, this student pilot departed my home airfield for some solo practice ahead of my private pilot check-ride.  The reported visibility was six statute miles at the time of my departure, but knowing that value to be well within Visual Flight Rules (VFR) limits, I took off and headed south toward our local “play area.”[ 1 ]  The visibility aloft confirmed what the reported value had been on the field.  While I could easily see the ground, the

In parts one and two of this three-part series, I identified and discussed measures that Certificated Flight Instructors (CFIs) and their students might take to help alleviate the “DPE shortage.”  CFIs must exercise greater diligence in teaching to the Airmen Certification Standards (ACS) and including the required endorsements in student logbooks ahead of check-rides.  Students can slow down their decision-making process – taking the time to ensure the instructor or school t

Last summer, a homeward bound flight route took me directly through a Military Operations Area (MOA).  This MOA was active at the time of my transit, but Air Traffic Control (ATC) granted me flight following  for the duration of this leg of my trip.  A few miles to the west of the MOA and prior to entry ATC advised me of, “…military aircraft performing maneuvers at 2,000 feet AGL and below, ten-o’clock, eight miles.”  Because my current altitude was 3,000 feet Above Ground Le

In part one  of this three-part series, I identified and discussed the most proactive measures Certificated Flight Instructors (CFIs) might implement to alleviate the “DPE shortage” within the general aviation industry.  Chief among these were knowledge of the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) – and ensuring students met them – and writing the “properly-worded” endorsements in student logs as spelt out in Advisory Circular (AC)   61-65K .[ 1 ] ,[ 2 ] Designated Pilot Exam

On 10 December, 2025, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Hommendy held a press conference in which she blasted the House of Representatives proposed amendment to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  She opened the press conference by asserting: “I want to be clear…it does not in any way enhance safety.  It reverses safety changes made after the midair collision, after issuance of our urgent safety recommendations, after

Navigating my journey from student to Private Pilot took nearly two years.  The process that began with a discovery flight one cold December day in Ohio in 2018 didn’t conclude until September of 2020 and 350 miles away in Illinois.  That might seem unnecessarily time-consuming – particular to any former Part 141 students who might read this.  But for someone with no inclination toward the airlines, the slower tempo of Part 61 flight training appealed to my work schedule and

There are few topics that will conjure more animosity between students, Certificated Flight Instructors (CFIs), and Designated Pilot Examiners (DPEs) than the purported “DPE shortage.”  While this topic is not new, the last eighteen months saw the aviation community abuzz with related conversation to a level not before witnessed.  Simply uttering this two-word phrase in the wrong place might earn you a look askance or an irritated sigh.  Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

Earlier this summer, my wife and I ventured to a new airfield to practice soft field landings.  Like many airfields, it’s in Class G airspace where radios are not required. [1]   Neither does this field have a weather reporting system like an Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) or Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS).  Planning for our arrival meant tuning in another airport’s AWOS several miles away, comparing that data to the most recent report on Foreflight,

My wife and I regularly tune into several aviation VLOGs that we find fun and informative.  This past weekend, she and I discovered a new episode of one of our favorites and sat down to watch it over dinner.  Several minutes in, the VLOG host made a comment that made my wife and I look at each other in surprise.  The host claimed that “flying at night in a single-engine airplane” wasn’t safe.  Then a conversation ensued about why the FAA would include night flying as part of

During the summer of 2023 I was still an instrument student in training.  At that time, my home airfield did not host any CFII’s and so I was commuting my aircraft a few times each week to and from my instructor’s teaching location.  On one particular afternoon – after concluding my debrief with my instructor – I climbed back into my plane for the twenty-five-minute trip home.  About fifteen minutes into the flight, I saw a glint of light at my eleven O’clock position.  I kne