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Even the most ordinary things in aviation sound fancy, mostly because they get fancy-sounding acronyms. What sounds classier than a gas station and a corner mini-mart? In aviation, that would be an FBO. FBO stands for fixed-based operator and is a business found at an airport. The most common services offered by FBOs are fuel,

Now a dying technology, ADF-based navigation was once the foundation of the airspace system. VORs eventually replaced it and, more recently, it has been made nearly obsolete by GPS satellite navigation. ADF stands for automatic direction finder. Based on simple AM-radio ground stations called NDBs (non-directional beacons), an ADF is an aircraft instrument with a

After 9/11, there was one significant change in aviation that all pilots became very familiar with. It’s changed the way they prepare for flights and made situational awareness even more critical than it always has been. Let’s talk about what role TFRs play in this. A TFR is a temporary flight restriction. TFRs are issued

One of the greatest technological marvels in aviation is used every day, all around the world. It allows aircraft to descend from a safe altitude and navigate directly to the threshold of a runway safely, without any outside visual reference at all. It’s called the Instrument Landing System, or ILS. The ILS, or instrument landing system,

Some terms in aviation stick around awhile. In some circumstances, the term outlives the technology! DME is the perfect example of something that made sense a few decades ago but is quickly becoming oddly outdated. DME stands for distance measuring equipment. At one point, this was a stand-alone radio that read out your distance to

Aviation is full of jargon and technical terminology. For new pilots, it can be a bit daunting to understand. Nowhere is this more true or more evident than when talking with air traffic control. You may have heard the term “squawk” before somewhere. But what does it mean? “Squawk” is the term used to describe any

Learning to fly in instrument conditions is almost as challenging as learning all of the rules and regulations that go with it. In many ways, getting an instrument rating is similar to earning your private pilot certificate. There is a slew of new terms and phraseology to master and new mechanics of operating an aircraft

If you’re an airplane or history buff, you definitely owe it to yourself to visit a good aviation museum in the state of Washington. Not only are these facilities great places to learn, but they provide a lot of hands-on fun and activities that will make each visit a little different. They provide hundreds of

Aviation and space museums offer a lot more than just aircraft exhibits. Most of them are dedicated to a specific war or branch of the military, so they are not only places to go to learn, but they are a lot of fun as well. If you have any type of interest in space or

If you’re fascinated with airplanes and the military, a good aviation museum is a great way to spend the day. Filled with real airplanes and hundreds of artifacts to suit everyone’s fancy, these facilities truly offer something for everyone. The state of Illinois has a total of 17 of these museums, so you’ll never run