Cayla McLeod

Atlanta

Associate Editor at Plane & Pilot

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Articles

The Next Generation

4 weeks ago | planeandpilotmag.com | Cayla McLeod

Like so many pilots, I didn’t have the luxury of growing up within an aviation family. Admittedly, my parents looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I wanted to learn how to fly. “Cayla, you don’t like math or science, how are you supposed to become a pilot?”At the time, I agreed, but being the stubborn 16-year-old that I was, I wanted to take flight in a small airplane just to see what it was all about.
Splish Splash

1 month ago | planeandpilotmag.com | Cayla McLeod

There’s something about a little yellow tailwheel airplane that has always ignited my soul. After all, a Cub sitting on a hangar pad was what initially drew me to walk into the Ron Alexander Youth Aviation Program, an experience that changed the course of my life at just barely 16 years old. As I’ve progressed through this decade-long aviation journey, Cubs still catch my eye, but there’s one of a different variety that I’ve been dying to get my hands on.
It’s Just an Airplane

1 month ago | planeandpilotmag.com | Cayla McLeod

The team here at Plane & Pilot couldn’t be busier. With warm, summer flying upon us, that’s how it should be, right? In the last month, I’ve added four new airplanes to my logbook, and I don’t say that to brag. We are out flying, reviewing, and telling the stories of the airplanes that you’re interested in, whether that’s a Top Cub on floats or the economical light sport Jabiru.
Trading Red Carpets for Red Retardant

1 month ago | planeandpilotmag.com | Cayla McLeod

It was a beautiful spring evening in south Texas. As usual, I was out on my evening walk around the Gillespie County Airport (T82) after my post-work CrossFit death session. Although I’m new to the area, if I’ve learned anything about hanging around at a decently popular and unique airport like the one here in Fredericksburg, you never know what kind of airplane you might see, or who you might meet.
Take Flight in a Seaplane

1 month ago | planeandpilotmag.com | Cayla McLeod

Cayla McLeod is a private pilot with a love for all things tailwheel and grass strips. She has been actively involved in general aviation for the last decade, and can’t imagine life without flying and the people that go with it.
Take Flight with the Titan Aerobatic Team

1 month ago | planeandpilotmag.com | Cayla McLeod

During the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to fly with Titan Aerobatic Team pilots Jimmy Fordham, Bryan Regan, and Steve Gustafson. Tag along for this thrilling aerobatic flight, and experience formation flying like never before. Smoke on! Cayla McLeod is a private pilot with a love for all things tailwheel and grass strips.
Making 3 Flights in 3 Days at Sun ’n Fun

2 months ago | flyingmag.com | Cayla McLeod

If you’re familiar with the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, you’ll know that this isn’t a show where the manufacturers, exhibitors, and/or alphabet organizations tend to roll out their latest and greatest, so this article won’t be focusing on any newsworthy-specific items. However, what it will be focusing on is three vastly different flight experiences that I had the pleasure of taking part in throughout the week. A story about FLYING, if you will.
MOSAIC Progressing, 2025 Approval Likely

2 months ago | avweb.com | Cayla McLeod

By Cayla McLeodSun ‘n Fun kicked off on Tuesday, April 1 with a highly publicized MOSAIC update that did not include any big reveal—nor did it offer a hard timeframe for ratification of the proposal.
Airpark Dreams

Mar 27, 2025 | planeandpilotmag.com | Cayla McLeod

I’m lucky to have spent the last 10 years of my life engulfed in GA. But so much of the reason for that is where I’ve been able to call home. I have lived 45 minutes south of the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (KATL)—and the dozen grass and paved strips that pilots flock to when they aren’t flying for their day jobs—since I was 4 years old.
Game On!

Mar 25, 2025 | planeandpilotmag.com | Cayla McLeod

I don’t exactly fit the standard pilot profile of Game Aerospace’s GB1 GameBird…But there’s always been something about the GameBird that has piqued my interest. The sleek, sexy lines, aggressive facial-esque features, and more often than not, bright and flashy paint schemes make this aerobatic design stand out from the crowd. Never in a million years did I think I would get the chance to learn the ins and outs of this beautiful machine, until recently.