The first lesson for a private pilot begins with the preflight inspection. Checklist in hand, the fledgling pilot follows the CFI around the aircraft to learn what is normal and what is not. By the ...

The other day I was reminded, once again, of the trouble with a preflight inspection: When you find something wrong, it’s too late to do anything about it. I was doing my routine run-up. My ...

The authors of preflight checklists are addicted to the “Windshield-check” or “Radome-check” format. The standard response of “check” does little to provide specific information that pilots should ...

The FAA’s 'Safety Wire' reminds pilots and maintenance technicians that failure to properly secure aircraft components can compromise powerplant and control system operation, leading to system and ...