Plane & Pilot

Plane & Pilot is edited for today's active piston-engine pilot. Each issue is packed with pilot reports, tips to help you fly better, and the information you need to get the most from your flying dollar.

Plane & Pilot • planeandpilotmag.com

Martha Lunken And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Decision To Fly Under A Bridge • The longtime Flying magazine columnist got her certificates revoked by the FAA. But was what she did particularly dangerous? And was the penalty too harsh?

Could An Earthquake Cause A Plane Crash? • The causes of most accidents and incidents are well known. Occasionally, something really extreme happens, and the outcome is a crapshoot.

A WASP Went Missing In A P-51 In 1944. Not A Trace Has Been Found. • The mystery of what happened to Gertrude Tompkins Silver is one of the most enduring missing aviator cases in American history.

NTSB Issues Final Report On 2019 Crash Of Boeing B-17 In Connecticut • The Board comes down hard on nearly every aspect of the operation.

CROSS CHECK • YOUR AVIATION CROSSWORD

Learning Situational Awareness • Knowing where your airplane is in relation to everything else is a tough skill to master, but it’s also one that can save your bacon and make flying more fun.

GEAR

ACCIDENT BRIEFS

Uphill Battle • A Chief taking off at gross weight on a short grass strip with tall trees all around. What was I thinking?

7 UGLY LIGHT PLANES THAT ONLY THEIR OWNERS FIND BEAUTIFUL • Most of these aesthetically challenged aircraft have their hidden charms. At least that’s what their fans claim.

A HIGHLY QUALIFIED SUCCESS • Our 8 Takeaways From The Most Complicated Fly-In Event Ever

Finalists & Winners • This year’s Your Flying World Photo Contest wowed us with images spanning the range of aviation from down and dirty to downright heavenly. Here are the finalists’ images, including the top three.

HOW FAST A PLANE DO YOU NEED? • We all love big numbers, but how important are high cruise speeds to your missions? As it turns out, they’re critical.

AIRWORTHINESS WHY IT’S THE BIGGEST CHECK RIDE GOTCHA • The subject of whether the airplane is good to go is complex, but if you break it down and approach it systematically, it’s something you can master.

Piper Navajo Crashes After Fuel Starvation • The chain of causal events was so long and complex that investigators struggled to sort it all out. But the fatal crash itself was far from inevitable.

Ferrying For Television • A trip across the North Atlantic in a new Piper Malibu was just the beginning of the fun.

A Funny Thing Happened On That Flight… • We fly because we love to fly, but along the way we gather no shortage of unforgettable memories, some of them sweet and some of them hilarious.

The P-80 Shooting Star • The P-80/T-33 is central to the birth of the Lockheed Skunk Works.