General

Many people have heard of the NTSB, but few realize the importance of this government organization. So what is the NTSB, what do they do, and how do they do it? The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is the US government body in charge of investigating not only airplane crashes, but accidents in other transportation sectors […]

Safety Management Systems (SMS) have been adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as the gold standard in effectively managing risk.  The need for aviation companies to have a Safety Management System became apparent as safety cultures have shifted away from reactive risk management towards proactive and predictive risk […]

Few things capture the imagination of aviation lovers quite like aerobatic teams. The United States has the Blue Angels, and the United Kingdom has the Red Arrows, but where did this British band of aerobatic daredevils come from? From Henry V’s legendary longbow men to Robin Hood to the Powell/Pressberger “Archers” filmmaking duo, archery symbolism […]

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Who knows! Identifying planes from the ground can be very tricky when so many of them look so similar. So how do airplane spotters do it with such confidence and accuracy? Read on to find out how you can crack the code too. In pre-internet times, the […]

Miles per hour. It seems like a simple concept, right? Well, think again. The next time you talk to a pilot, ask them how many MPH they’re flying. They’re probably going to have to think for a minute.  There are different measurement standards in use in the world. Most people know the metric system, while […]

While almost every American has heard of the Blue Angels, the Thunderbirds are less known. In fact, people of certain ages are more likely to recognize the animated series “Thunderbirds” or “Thunderbirds Are Go.” Here’s everything you should know about the Air Force’s top pilots. As with the Blue Angels, the Thunderbirds are an air […]

The Tuskegee Airmen were black military pilots who excelled in successful combat and bomber escort missions. They fought two wars: a war against discrimination at home and a war against Germany abroad. They were victorious in both. They earned dozens of Distinguished Flying Crosses, paved the way for full integration in the US military, and […]

You may have heard the term “general aviation.” It sounds boring, doesn’t it? It’s a shame, because general aviation is one of the coolest, most varied, and exciting types of flying.  What is General Aviation? TLDR – General aviation, or GA, is a term that encompasses all types of aviation besides military and commercial airlines. […]

The Blue Angels are one of the oldest aerobatic flight teams in the world, performing flight demonstrations for fans throughout most of the year. While most people recognize the distinct navy blue and yellow Hornets flown by the Blue Angels, they may not know much else about these experienced pilots. So, why do thousands of […]

Many farms around the world depend on agricultural airplanes to help them yield a profitable harvest. But with a minimum of 60 accidents recorded a year, is it safe to fly a crop duster and what are the most common causes of accidents? Is Crop Dusting Dangerous? Yes. Despite technological advances and the aviation industry […]