Alberto Santos-Dumont, the Fourteen-Bis, and the Little Brazilian in Paris Who Flew Around the Eiffel Tower for a Bet
How Alberto Santos-Dumont made Europe's first witnessed powered flight in 1906 and shaped aviation history.
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Every article from Radio Hangar - aviation history, technology analysis, flight training, destinations, and news.
BasicMed Grows Up, the FAA Reauthorization Act Bump to Twelve Thousand Five Hundred Pounds and Seven Seats, and What the Bigger Certificate Actually Lets You Fly
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 expands BasicMed to 12,500 lbs and seven occupants - here's what pilots can actually fly now.
TowerBeryl Markham, The Messenger, and the Nineteen Thirty-Six Solo Flight the Wrong Way Across the Atlantic
How Beryl Markham became the first person to fly solo nonstop east-to-west across the Atlantic in 1936, into the wind.
TaildraggerBig Creek, Idaho, Airport Three Uniform Eight, the Backcountry Strip Deep in the Frank Church Wilderness Where Pilots Rebuilt a Burned-Down Lodge Board by Board
Big Creek (3U8) is a remote Idaho backcountry airstrip where pilots flew in materials to rebuild a historic lodge that burned in 2008.
RampBob Hoover, the Shrike Commander, and the Dead-Stick Iced Tea Routine That Turned Energy Management Into Art
How Bob Hoover flew a dead-stick Shrike Commander and poured iced tea mid-roll to teach the pilot's most vital skill: energy management.
TaildraggerCarbon Monoxide in the Cabin, the Cracked Exhaust Shroud, and the Cheap Detector the NTSB Says Belongs on Every Piston Panel
The NTSB says a cheap electronic CO detector could prevent recurring fatal poisonings from cracked exhaust shrouds in piston aircraft.
TowerClass Echo, the Faded Magenta and Fuzzy Blue Vignettes, and the Invisible Floor Where Controlled Airspace Really Begins
Understand where Class Echo airspace begins, how to read magenta and blue vignettes, and which cloud clearance rules apply on marginal days.
PatternClimb Into It, Dive Away From It - Positioning Your Flight Controls for Wind While You Taxi
Learn the 'climb into it, dive away from it' rule for positioning your flight controls for wind while taxiing on windy days.
PatternDavid Cummins Sworn In as the Eighth TSA Administrator and What a New Chief Means for General Aviation
David Cummins was sworn in as the eighth TSA Administrator - here's what a new agency chief means for general aviation pilots.
TowerDawn Aerospace and the Mark Two Aurora, the Rocket Plane That Takes Off From a Runway, Breaks the Sound Barrier, and Lands to Fly Again the Same Day
Dawn Aerospace's Mark Two Aurora took off from a runway and broke the sound barrier - a rocket plane built to fly, land, and fly again the same day.
VectorFAR Ninety-One One Fifty-One, the VFR Fuel Reserve Rule, and the Thirty and Forty-Five Minutes That Have to Still Be in the Tanks When the Wheels Touch Down
FAR 91.151 requires 30 minutes of fuel reserve by day and 45 at night still in the tanks when you land - here's how to plan it.
PatternFAR Ninety-One One Seventeen, the Aircraft Speed Limits, and Why Two Hundred Fifty Knots Below Ten Thousand Is the Rule Every Pilot Quotes and Almost Nobody Reads All the Way Through
FAR 91.117 caps you at 250 knots below 10,000 feet - but the 200-knot limits near busy airspace are the ones that actually bite light aircraft.
PatternFlak-Bait, the B Twenty-Six Marauder That Flew Two Hundred Seven Missions and the Smithsonian Restoration That Refuses to Make Her Look New
Flak-Bait flew 207 combat missions in WWII - and the Smithsonian is preserving her battle damage instead of restoring her to shine.
TaildraggerFlying The Parallel Holding Entry Without Second-Guessing Yourself
Learn how to fly the parallel holding entry with confidence - when it applies, the exact steps, and why that backwards-feeling turn keeps you protected.
TowerGarmin Smart Glide, the Red Button That Flies Your Best Glide and Points You at a Runway the Moment the Engine Quits
Garmin Smart Glide is a one-button feature that holds best glide, finds a reachable runway, and tunes your radio after engine failure.
VectorJetZero's Z-Four, the Blended-Wing-Body Demonstrator Betting That the Airliner of the Future Doesn't Have a Fuselage at All
JetZero's Z-4 blended-wing-body demonstrator promises up to 30-50% fuel savings - here's the engineering, the funding, and the real timeline.
VectorLeadville, Colorado, Lake County Airport, the Highest Public Runway in North America Where Your Airplane Climbs Two Miles Before the Wheels Ever Leave the Ground
Radio Hangar explores Leadville, Colorado, Lake County Airport, the Highest Public Runway in North America Where Your Airplane Climbs Two Miles Before the Wheels Ever Leave the Ground.
RampManeuvering During Slow Flight, the Twenty Sixteen ACS Change, and Why the Stall Horn Should Never Sing
How the 2016 ACS changed slow flight: fly just above the stall warning, not through it, and build the reflex that saves lives on final.
PatternNoel Wien, the Open-Cockpit Hisso Standard, and the Nineteen Twenty-Five First Flight From Fairbanks to Nome Across Country No Map Had Ever Drawn
In 1925, Noel Wien flew an open-cockpit Hisso Standard 500 miles from Fairbanks to Nome across Alaska no pilot had ever seen.
TaildraggerOperation Chastise, the Dambusters, and the Sixty-Foot Night Barnes Wallis's Bouncing Bomb Broke the Ruhr Dams Open
How the RAF's Dambusters used Barnes Wallis's bouncing bomb to break the Ruhr dams flying at 60 feet in the dark.
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