News, views and chat from the world of General Aviation
Episodes
Dumb Stuff That Pilots (Sometimes) Do - The FLYER Show - 29th October 2026
29 Oct 2026 · 1 h 04
It’s true, some pilots just don’t know how to start, taxi, park, use the fuel pump, and get in and out of the hangar without winding up other pilots. Here’s FLYER’s guide to good ground etiquette. In the News Tom Hamilton’s new aircraft, the Reach Aviation AC-6 Electric aircraft lands on a…
Where are Britain’s worst airspace hotspots? - The FLYER Show - 22nd October 2026
22 Oct 2026 · 56 min
There are more than 1,100 airspace infringement each year in the UK which sounds a lot. But many are in the same places known officially as Airspace Hotspots, or as we prefer, Traps. What are these Traps? Why do they catch pilots out? What can be done to solve the issue? Is it the fault of the…
Learning to fly : Where is best in the World? - The FLYER Show - 15th October 2026
15 Oct 2026 · 42 min
Is the UK the best place in the world to learn to fly? This week, we compare the sub-ICAO pilot licences across the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, looking at flight training hours, medical requirements, aircraft privileges, passenger limits, night flying and instrument flying.…
Your Own Aeroplane for the Price of a New Car - The FLYER Show - 8 October 2026
12 Oct 2026 · 46 min
What do you choose? A new car or an aeroplane? Yes, after last week’s show where we talked about expensive new high-performance microlights, we go to the other end of the price spectrum. You can buy a whole aeroplane, airworthy and flying, for less than £30,000. We identify a range of possible…
Fancy a 200mph microlight? - The FLYER Show - 1st October 2026
1 Oct 2026 · 55 min
Thanks to the latest Rotax 916iS engine with its 160hp max power, there’s a flock of superfast microlights becoming available - and the latest, the JMB VL3, has just been approved for the UK. As well as the power (cue: MORE POWER!), this new breed of 600kg microlights are also well-equipped, look…
Does GA Have an Organised Crime Problem? - The FLYER Show - 24th September 2026
24 Sept 2026 · 44 min
Does general aviation have an organised crime problem? A report from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) looks at the use of general aviation for smuggling drugs, weapons and people, and makes recommendations for tackling it. We discuss the report, the problems it identifies, and what some…
CAA updates Instructor hour - The FLYER Show - 17th September 2026
17 Sept 2026 · 42 min
New guidance from the CAA sets out what instructors should cover during the one-hour refresher flight for SEP revalidation by experience. They make it clear that the hour is more than simply going flying with an instructor. For instance, they want pilots to improve they can navigate by dead…
It’s not all doom and gloom at UK airfields - The FLYER Show - 10th September 2026
10 Sept 2026 · 1 h 02
Airfield, airport and air strips: They’re the life-blood of General Aviation. We take a look at what’s going well, what’s not and what’s in between. It’s a subject we’ll return to in future shows. Be assured: painful though it is to lose an airfield, there are also lots of good things happening.…
Don’t let that LAPL expire - The FLYER Show - 3rd September 2026
3 Sept 2026 · 47 min
The Light Aircraft Pilot’s Licence (LAPL) has been a popular choice for many pilots but as the CAA has sought to streamline licensing (for all the right reasons), so the LAPL has been replaced by the National Private Pilot’s Licence (NPPL). Existing holders carry on though but with one big change…
Tecnam takes aim at Cirrus and Diamond - The FLYER Show - 30th July 2026
30 Jul 2026 · 52 min
We had so much material from this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (OK, ‘Oshkosh’ for short) that we decided to cover the left-out bits in the show. There’s some really good stuff here, honest: - ICON A5 + Safety Sense - Tecnam Rivale - Vashon Ranger Grand Teton - Jabiru Twin - Cirrus TRAC10 -…
What’s new at Oshkosh 2026? - The FLYER Show - 16th July 2026
16 Jul 2026 · 1 h 01
EAA Airventure Oshkosh starts next week and there’s lots to see. The FLYER works through the highlights that we know about: aircraft launches, product updates, new propulsion units - combustion and electric - visiting aircraft and much more! Plus there’s ton of news: Mandatory electronic…
Big GA News from Garmin, CubCrafters, Cirrus & Dynon - The FLYER Show - 9th July 2026
9 Jul 2026 · 1 h 00
Blimey, this has to be one of the biggest news weeks we’ve ever seen (and Dave’s on holiday!) Big news from Garmin with a new integrated and configurable avionics ecosystem. Cub Crafters has added a turbine to its Carbon Cub, Cirrus has launched an all new training aircraft, the TRAC10 and Dynon…
CAA answers our cardio questions - The Flyer Show 2 July 2026
2 Jul 2026 · 46 min
Perfect aeroplanes for summer evenings - The FLYER Show - 25th June 2026
25 Jun 2026 · 34 min
It ain’t half hot, Mum! With weather like this week’s, what we need is a nice, simple aircraft for a cool bimble in the evening air. The team chose three aircraft that are perfect for an enjoyable, stress-free flight but the kicker is: they have to be on sale now, either from the classified ads or…
80 fabulous years of the deHavilland Chipmunk - The FLYER Show - 18th June 2026
18 Jun 2026 · 44 min
“Why do people get all misty-eyed about an old oily piston single with only two seats?” But this isn’t any old piston single, this is the de Havilland Chipmunk! Yes, on this week’s show we talk to Ben Griffiths, journalist, pilot and author of a book celebrating 80 years since the Chippie’s first…
GA and Drones plus dumb CAA advice - The FLYER Show - 11th June 2026
11 Jun 2026 · 39 min
We call it YADS (Yet Another Drone Story), but last week the CAA launched YAC (Yet Another Consultation), publishing three hefty documents capable of curing insomnia even after five double espressos. Despite the eye-wateringly dull and confusing content they offer a fascinating glimpse into how…
Replica Warbirds - The FLYER Show - 4th June 2026
4 Jun 2026 · 47 min
Few of us can afford a genuine warbird but there’s a world of replica aircraft out there, many built from kits, some from plans and others – the really dedicated – from studying museum pieces and or photos. Some are full-scale, others scaled down. Many use modern components such as engines…
Transatlantic flight, done! - The FLYER Show - 28th May 2026
28 May 2026 · 49 min
For some, including Ian, it’s a bucket list item. For others, ferry pilots, it’s a job. Whatever, it’s not a flight to be taken lightly because of weather, distance, weather, over water, weather, over ice, weather, fuel availability, weather… and did we mention, weather? We examine the…
AFFORDABLE WARBIRDS - The FLYER Show - 21st May 2026
21 May 2026 · 1 h 01
So what’s a warbird? Any aircraft with a military purpose at some point in its life, is what we’ve gone for. But not the £MultiMillion exotica like Spitfires and Hurricanes, but something an ordinary pilot could own outright or have a share. So what have we chosen? Ian has plumped for the…
Special Top Gun Edition - The FLYER Show - 14th May 2026
14 May 2026 · 51 min
The world’s greatest ever movie, Top Gun, was first shown in May 1986 so it’s now 40 years old and still as appealing as ever! We celebrate the date with our favourite scenes and lines, plus reveal some of the back stories which are just as bad-ass. In The News Doncaster Sheffield Airport inches…