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Published: 16 August 2025

By Paul Wiley   The FAA definition of Loss of Control - Inflight (LOC-I) is the “unintended departure from controlled flight”.  LOC-I accidents are by far the most common category of accident as shown in the chart below from the US NTSB.  LOC-I accidents account for almost half of all fatal General Aviation (GA) accidents. It has often been said that

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Published: 15 August 2025

  By Howard Deevers   After reading quite a few accident reports, I noticed that there were many that happened during a “go around.” I know that you remember your basic training about go arounds, and you will have to demonstrate one on a checkride. So, why do we have so many accidents during a go-around that is a maneuver that should prevent accidents? Reading

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Published: 16 July 2025

By Paul Wiley   This article describes an overview and some highlights after reading “Mike Busch on Engines” a book about piston engine design, operation, condition monitoring, maintenance and troubleshooting for General Aviation (GA) aircraft.  I heartly recommend that you purchase this book and read it cover to cover.  It is an excellent addition to any

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Published: 15 July 2025

  By Howard Deevers   A long time ago (over 20 years) and far, far away (near Chicago, IL) I was in the FBO flight planning room at Dupage  (KUP), planning a flight back to Pittsburgh.  A corporate pilot was also doing some flight planning in the same room.  We visited briefly.  He was flying a Cessna Citation, and I was flying a Piper Archer

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Published: 14 July 2025

  As you know, the Scholarship program is an important part of APA’s mission and it’s always exciting to get updates from our scholarship recipients on their progress toward their career goals. I recently received some updates from some of our 2024 recipients that I’d like to share with you.    Shanley Olson Shanley was recipient of the SkyQueenKing

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Published: 15 June 2025

  By Howard Deevers   It is totally amazing how many things we can do with our cellphones and other devices with an app. Of course, you need to have that app installed in your device and know how to use it. Everything from grocery shopping to paying your bills has an app. ForeFlight is on my iPads, but not on my cell phone. Just recently ForeFlight sent a message

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Published: 15 May 2025

  By Howard Deevers   Can you fly an airplane with no radio, no lights, no ADS-B, into Class B airspace? A former student called to ask that question. He was looking to buy a Champ that never had an electrical system and wanted to know if he could fly into Chandler from Ryan airport. The quick and modern day answer is no. While Chandler is not IN Class B

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Published: 14 May 2025

  In this month’s Scholarship Corner, we will continue to introduce our 2024 scholarship recipients. We had the pleasure of meeting with some of our recent scholarship recipients recently to get an update on their journey towards their aviation careers. I am happy to report that they are working hard and making great progress. It’s always encouraging to see how the APA

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Published: 16 April 2025

By Paul Wiley   This article is intended for pilots flying under both Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).  It is intended to provide and to summarize some best practices for flying within Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) airspace as recommended by air traffic controllers I have spoken with (from Phoenix and SoCal approach

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Published: 15 April 2025

  By Howard Deevers   In 1960 there was a Movie called THE CROWDED SKY, packed with well-known actors of that time. The film had very few flying scenes, and it was mostly a “soap opera” about the characters the actors portrayed. Being interested in aviation, though, I did see the film. Even though I had no ratings or training at the time, I knew enough to