August's Aviation Picks From FLYING Magazine, and the Gear Worth Talking About
FLYING Magazine's August 2025 picks span EFB integration, wearable health monitors, ANR headsets, and simulator tools - with critical context on using each safely.
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Cleared to Land, Cleared for the Option, Land and Hold Short: Every Landing Clearance ATC Can Issue and What Each One Actually Authorizes
Every ATC landing clearance explained - cleared to land, the option, stop-and-go, LAHSO, and low approach - and exactly what each one authorizes.
TowerDescend Via, the STAR Profile You Own the Moment You Read It Back, and the Speed Restrictions That Survive Every Amendment ATC Can Issue
A Descend Via clearance authorizes both the lateral path and full vertical profile of a STAR - including all altitude and speed restrictions - the moment you read it back.
TowerEdgewing's Turin Hub and the Multinational Engineering Effort Behind the GCAP Combat Aircraft
Edgewing has opened a new engineering hub in Turin, Italy to advance the UK-Italy-Japan Global Combat Air Programme, targeting a sixth-generation combat aircraft by 2035.
TowerShield AI's X-BAT and the $400 Million Bet on Autonomous VTOL Flight
Shield AI's X-BAT autonomous VTOL aircraft has reached flight test readiness backed by $400 million in combined Navy and private investment.
TowerThe AMT Shortage, the Aviation Technician Education Council's Workforce Gap Analysis, and the Maintenance Backlog Grounding the GA Fleet One Annual at a Time
The ATEC's 2026 workforce analysis projects a shortfall of over 40,000 certificated aviation maintenance technicians by 2030, with real consequences for GA pilots today.
TowerThe EAGLE Initiative, the GAMI G One Hundred UL Fleetwide STC, and the Unleaded Avgas Transition Racing Toward the Twenty-Thirty Deadline
The FAA's EAGLE initiative targets a complete unleaded avgas transition by 2030, with two approved replacement fuels now available at select U.S. airports.
TowerThe FAA Controller Shortage, the Training Pipeline Deficit, and What Understaffed TRACON Facilities Mean for Every Pilot Who Files IFR
The FAA has operated below its own controller staffing targets for years, producing real delays for IFR pilots - here's what's behind the shortage and how to plan around it.
TowerThe Fifteen Hundred Hour Rule, the Colgan Air Three Four Zero Seven Crash, and the Regional Pilot Pipeline That Congress Built Into a Bottleneck
The 1,500-hour rule born from the 2009 Colgan Air crash reshaped regional airline hiring and sparked a workforce debate that continues today.
TowerThe Wrong Altitude Readback, the Missed Correction, and the Near CFIT That Nobody Caught Until the Last Second
A wrong altitude readback slipped past both pilot and controller on an IFR flight, nearly ending in Controlled Flight Into Terrain - stopped only by an onboard terrain alert.
TowerAlbany in October, the Northeast Foliage Window, and the Fall Flying Hazards That Hide Behind the Colors
October flying in the Northeast rewards pilots with peak scenery but brings specific hazards - fog, TFRs, low sun angles, and drone traffic - worth briefing before you go.
TowerCentennial Airport's Eighty-Two Percent Rent Hike and What the FAA's Response Tells Every GA Pilot About Hangar Rights
Centennial Airport raised T-hangar rents 82% in a single billing cycle; the FAA declined to intervene, exposing the real limits of federal protections for GA pilots.
TowerFuel at Six-Month Highs and the Quiet Ways Pilots Are Changing How They Fly
100LL and Jet A hit six-month highs in September 2025, and an AVweb poll shows pilots are actively changing how they plan, route, and fuel their flights.
TowerThailand's Queen Suthida flies solo in the Gripen - a royal first for the Thai Air Force
Queen Suthida of Thailand completed her first solo flight in a JAS-39C Gripen on October 8, 2026, becoming the first female Gripen pilot in Thai history.
TowerThe 1911 Wright Model B replica and what the first mass-produced airplane tells us about how far we've come
An airworthy Wright Model B replica - America's first mass-produced airplane - is currently listed on Aircraft For Sale and featured by Flying Magazine as a top pick.
TowerThe Army's DCA Report, the Black Hawk at Three Hundred Feet, and the Chain of Failures That Ended Sixty-Seven Lives
The Army's investigation into the January 29, 2025 Reagan National midair collision identifies three systemic failures that every pilot operating in shared airspace should understand.
TowerThe Cessna Citation CJ One, the Takeoff Fire at Bedford Pennsylvania, and the Two Crew Members Who Walked Away
A Cessna Citation CJ1 crashed and caught fire during takeoff at Bedford County Airport in Pennsylvania; both crew members survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
TowerThe Cessna Four Twenty-One Misfueling Crash, the Rushed Preflight, and the NTSB Finding That Every Piston Pilot Needs to Hear
An NTSB investigation into a Cessna 421 crash traces dual engine failure directly to misfueling and a rushed preflight fuel check.
TowerThe Fear a Student Doesn't Know They Have, and the Instructor Who Has to Find It
An AVweb piece on unrecognized student fear reveals how anxiety hides behind apparent competence - and what instructors must look for beyond the logbook.
TowerThe KC-10 Extender, the Excess Defense Articles Notice, and the North African Transfer That Could Put a Three-Engine Tanker Back in Active Service
A U.S. contract notice seeks industry support to reactivate up to four KC-10 Extenders for foreign military sales transfer to an unnamed North African partner nation.
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