Vector Online | aviation.govt.nz

Read our special 'online' Vector stories here. Some are unique to the website, and some have featured in print issues of Vector.

Note: This archive dates back to 2015. So, the advice in some of the earlier articles may have changed.

Subscribe to Vector Online to receive an email notification each time we post a new story.

Laser strikes – report them!

A recent laser strike on an air ambulance is just one of an increasing number of these mindless attacks.

Posted in General safety;

Posted 5 days ago

Summer traffic busy spots 2024-25

This page shows major flying events, known at the time of publishing, between mid-December 2024 and March 2025.

Posted 6 days ago

'It’ll never happen here'

While it’s tempting to think that security risks are consistently low at regional aerodromes, a recent event shows this isn’t true across the board.

Posted in Aerodromes, Security;

Posted 7 days ago

Getting the best from ADS-B

By Tom Gormley, Technical Advisor with the CAA’s former ADS-B grant scheme.

Posted in Pilot performance flying practice and professionalism;

Posted 14 days ago

What the hell is ‘anxiety’?

An intense workload cost an owner-operator his medical. With a great support network, which included the CAA medical team, he got it back.

Posted in Rotary operations, Licensing and personnel;

Posted 21 days ago

Emotions are contagious. Stay calm.

When a pilot asks for help over the radio, staying calm can avert a crisis.

Posted in Pilot performance flying practice and professionalism, General safety;

Posted 22 days ago

I learned about near misses from this

Is your ADS-B switched on? How an enjoyable flight on a clear day became a terrifying near miss1.

Posted in Pilot performance flying practice and professionalism, When things go wrong;

Posted 27 days ago

Fatigue: a saboteur of good decisions

A New Zealand agricultural pilot, who struck wires, has an urgent message for other pilots about the creeping effects of fatigue.

Posted in Agricultural operations, Pilot performance flying practice and professionalism, General safety;

Posted 35 days ago

Weather tragedies affect air traffic controllers too

Dave Wiman They may seem far removed from the cockpit, but air traffic controllers (ATCs) have skin in the game.

Posted in Weather, General safety, When things go wrong;

Posted 42 days ago

Survival skills for pilots

Mark Cannell With forests covering more than a third of New Zealand, bush survival skills are a must for GA pilots and crews, says search and rescue veteran Mark Cannell.

Posted in Weather, When things go wrong, General safety;

Posted 49 days ago

1 2 3 4 5 ... 46 →