Are you interested in aviation, or do you know someone who is? Perhaps you just want to know more.
Flight Planning, WX, Charts, & NOTAMs/TFRs
CSRA DUATS (Direct User Access Terminal Service)
FAA - Surface Weather Observation Stations ASOS/AWOS
CalTrans | Aviation Weather Information
FAA | Aeronautical Information Services - AJV-5
Instrument Flight Procedures Info. Gateway
FAA | Equip ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) By January 1, 2020, you must be equipped with ADS-B Out to fly in most controlled airspace. Federal Regulations 14 CFR 91.225 and 14 CFR 91.227 contain the details.
Back to Basics - Towered Airport Operations (LGB, I think this was produced in the late 90's.)
Pilot Medical Certification Questions and Answers
Medical Certification of Small Aircraft Pilots (BasicMed)
On July 15, 2016, Congress passed legislation to extend the FAA's funding. This legislation, FAA Extension, Safety, Security Act of 2016 (FESSA) includes relief from holding an FAA medical certificate for certain pilots. Learn more about BasicMed.
MedXPress — Moved Away From Paper
MedXPress, the electronic system used to apply for an FAA medical certificate or medical clearance, has been updated. You can access the enhanced MedXPress and its updated User Guide.
Additional Organizations
National Air Transportation Association
National Business Aviation Association
The Learn to Fly Blog - ASA (Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.)
National Geographic - Living in the Age of Airplanes
SCAUWG - Southern California Airspace Users Working Group
TacAero | Tailwheel Flight School
Civil aviation users should contact the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for GPS user support within the United States. For aviation GPS support outside the United States, please contact NAVCEN. The following links lead to pages on the FAA website.
Check the operational status of the GPS Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)
Look up Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) about known GPS service disruptions
Give 'em an inch, and they take a mile!
In aviation we use nautical miles to measure distances versus the statute mile used when you drive on the highway. A nautical mile is equal to length of one minute of latitude. To convert statue miles to nautical miles, divide statue miles by 1.15078.
1 [statue] mile = 0.868976 nautical mile
The need for speed!
The most commonly used measure of speed in aviation is the Knot, which is simply the speed at which one nautical mile per hour is covered. Knots are not only used to express the speed of aircraft, but also wind. And then there Mach numbers, which we start thinking of when we think of "fast movers", particularly fighter jets! A Mach number is a ratio of the speed of the aircraft to the speed of sound.
* speed of the space shuttle during launch