There are some things that look harmless from the ground but can become extremely dangerous when viewed from the cockpit of an aircraft. A laser pointer is one of them. For someone standing on the ground, pointing a laser at an aircraft flying overhead may appear to be a harmless prank, an experiment, a way of attracting attention or simply an act of curiosity. But inside the cockpit, particularly during takeoff, approach or landing, that apparently tiny beam can suddenly become a serious aviation-safety threat. The latest figures released by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) show that the problem is declining, but it remains far too common. On September 17, 2026, the FAA reported that pilots had reported 4,470 laser strikes in the United States during 2026, representing a 24 percent decrease from the same period the previous year. This is the third consecutive year in which reported laser strikes have declined. However, the FAA says the numbers remain too high...
For a student pilot, few moments are as important—and as intimidating—as the checkride. After months of flying, studying regulations, learning aircraft systems, practising maneuvers and spending considerable money on flight training, the student eventually has to sit across from a Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) and demonstrate that he or she is ready to exercise the privileges of a pilot certificate or rating. The checkride is not simply a test of whether a pilot can remember facts. The examiner wants to know whether the candidate understands what they are doing, why they are doing it and how they would apply that knowledge in a real-world situation. That is where Check-Ride.ai is attempting to bring artificial intelligence into flight training. The platform describes itself as a voice-native AI DPE designed to simulate the oral portion of a checkride. It allows pilots to practise answering questions verbally, rather than simply reading questions and typing responses. It can eva...