The Pilot’s Collection
Unique articles for pilots and aviation enthusiasts.
What controversy? 5 debates new pilots don’t understand
What controversy? 5 debates new pilots don’t understand
Pilots love a good debate. This may be the only thing that isn’t controversial in aviation. Enthusiasm for debates doesn’t necessarily make…
Surviving a mid-air
Surviving a mid-air
I’m writing this story four days prior to the one-year anniversary of my midair collision on December 27, 2014.
Stop the drone panic — pilots should take their own advice
Stop the drone panic — pilots should take their own advice
For an industry that’s usually obsessed with “risk management,” aviation sure isn’t using much of it when it comes to drones. The constant…
Letter to myself as a young student pilot — lessons learned after 20 years of flying
Letter to myself as a young student pilot — lessons learned after 20 years of flying
I’m certainly not the world’s most experienced pilot and I’m not facing a terminal illness, so it may seem an odd time for reflections…
10 tips for prospective businessmen (or businesswomen) pilots
10 tips for prospective businessmen (or businesswomen) pilots
Would you like to be a businessman pilot? Would you like to fly your own airplane for work and family travel? If so, you are like me from a…
Electric airplanes — is the tipping point upon us?
Electric airplanes — is the tipping point upon us?
Just like a Chicago Cubs appearance in the World Series, predictions about the coming electric aircraft boom seem to pop up every year…
The three keys to flying safely
The three keys to flying safely
This story has its roots in many conversations between my father, Leighton Collins, and his great friend Wolfgang Langewiesche. Both had…
Is “hard IFR” a myth? 5 things to keep it from being that way
Is “hard IFR” a myth? 5 things to keep it from being that way
To begin, I never knew what people really meant when they talked about flying “hard” IFR. The implication is that there is also “easy” IFR…
Why do pilots hate recurrent training?
Why do pilots hate recurrent training?
There are only two things pilots like more than flying: eating and talking. So it was no surprise when I recently found myself eating lunch…
What it takes to be one sharp pilot, part 3: coordination
What it takes to be one sharp pilot, part 3: coordination
Before you accuse me of throwing gasoline on a fire, I’ll say up front that is exactly what I am doing.
Learning to fly — is it worth it?
Learning to fly — is it worth it?
Boeing has forecast a need for 88,000 new commercial pilots in North America over the next two decades. The U.S. pilot population and…
Fatal Cirrus crashes are way down — thank the parachute
Fatal Cirrus crashes are way down — thank the parachute
Everything is on video these days. Everything. The latest evidence? Two airplane crashes made headlines in recent weeks — one a general…
What it takes to be one sharp pilot, part two: intelligence
What it takes to be one sharp pilot, part two: intelligence
When contemplating a smoking hole made by an airplane, “That was a dumb mistake” is a frequent pronouncement. I think that is misleading…
Coming down with the aviation bug: why me?
Coming down with the aviation bug: why me?
It is a calm, sunny Sunday afternoon, and I am at 1500 feet AGL in the old Chief, cruising south to the Shelbyville, Indiana airport, to…
Aviation’s doomsday preppers
Aviation’s doomsday preppers
Roughly 20% of Americans think the world will end in their lifetime. That seems awfully pessimistic, but these doomsday preppers have…
What it takes to be one sharp pilot — start with awareness
What it takes to be one sharp pilot — start with awareness
The Internet as full of stories that say they are going to give you a list of things about whatever. A lot of the time, though, the actual…