Category: Miscellaneous – Page 21
On the Road Again
Summer is officially over: it’s time for Connor to go back to school. I hate September even more now than I did when I was a kid! We’ll be heading off in the Saratoga on Sunday morning, taking off from Málaga (IFR as it’s the weekend) and flying 3.5 hours to in France. Just a…
Read more… 4 Sep 09
Twittering
I keep meaning to tell you guys that I am on Twitter. If you are already signed up for Twitter then you can follow me simply by clicking on the “follow” button on my Twitter page. Or you can just visit akaSylvia on Twitter and see my updates there (no need to sign up for…
Read more… 28 Aug 09
In the News
I don’t have a new opinion piece for you today but I did put together a selection of aviation news from the past week. Unfortunately, plane crashes have dominated the headlines. Aviation Headlines Cessna takes off without pilot – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) A light aircraft has taken off at Coober Pedy in outback…
Read more… 7 Aug 09
Destination: Glenforsa
It took a couple of visits before I felt confident landing at Glenforsa airfield. It’s a grass runway with no margin for error: hills on one side and the Sound of Mull on the other. Having said that, there has never been a serious injury at Glenforsa although the Glenforsa Airfield History includes some incredible…
Read more… 17 Jul 09
Sylvia’s Mother Said
This three-part story was originally published in the November 2007 issue of Piper Flyer magazine. Part One: If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Your Mother Come back on the 26th of June for Part Three. When my mother announced she’d be in Europe for a few weeks, I asked for her itinerary so that we…
Read more… 19 Jun 09
Destination: Mannheim
This weekend we’ll be flying to Mannheim City Airport. We’ve been there a number of times before, it’s a lovely destination. The runway is long, the staff are professional but friendly and usually the weather is good. The fact that the airfield is two tram stops away from my Uncle’s house on the Neckar is…
Read more… 29 May 09
Accident Analysis
Social Media Influencers Weigh Down Aircraft
The fatal crash at Scottsdale Arizona took place directly after take-off. The passengers were a self-proclaimed crowd of social media influencers. The jet-setting influencer who had organised the flight, had…
Fatal SR22 Stall on Final at Barwick LaFayette
On the 20th of March, 2025, a Cirrus SR22 crashed in LaFayette, Georgia during an instructional flight, killing both the pilot and the flight instructor. It was a good flying…
Demystifying
Someone has to write the TAF
It turns out that there a person sitting there deciding what the weather is going to do. Which seems obvious, except that I had somehow never asked msyelf who “someone”…
The Pilots, the Probes, and the AF447 Verdict
On the 21st of May 2026, the Paris Court of Appeal convicted Airbus and Air France of involuntary manslaughter for their roles in the crash of Air France flight 447,…
History
The CIA's Shark Screen
Today we have a guest post from the CIA! In their archives, researching something completely different, I found the answer to a question I never thought to ask. I immediately…
The First Jet to Land on an Aircraft Carrier (Deliberately)
“The Vampire was the first jet to land on a moving aircraft carrier deliberately.” This quote from Airshow Luke, our MC at the Legacy of Liberty airshow, made me almost…
Fun Stuff
Petrified, Petrified, Petrified
There’s been some interesting reporting in the UK media about a “near disaster” over Canary Wharf involving the captain having to intervene (the horror!) after air data systems failed on…
Aviation Stories You Might Have Missed
I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season. This week, I’ve put together a compilation of interesting items in the press that you might have missed while enjoying…
