Amanda, a private pilot in Minnesota, writes: I was reading about the early aviation engines, and with the rotary engine, the entire engine spun. How on earth did that work with getting spark to the cylinders? Obviously cables were out…
About William E. Dubois
Questions From The Cockpit: Why Are They Called Wig-Wag Lights?
Curtis, a student pilot in Arizona, writes: On a training flight yesterday I saw an airplane coming in to land that had landing lights on the wings that were alternately flashing off and on. My CFI said that it was a “wig-wag” system. Such a funny name. I’m wondering where it came from.
Questions from the Cockpit: Decoding Cessna Performance Charts for Grass Runway Landings
Justin, a student pilot in Florida, writes: I’ve been studying the performance charts in my Cessna 172’s POH and was surprised to see a note on the short field landing table that said to add 45% to the figures for landing on grass. Why do you need more landing distance on a soft field? Shouldn’t the surface friction slow the plane down more than on pavement?
Questions from the Cockpit: System Evolution
George, a commercial pilot in Iowa, writes: In a recent column about the history of flight training, you said that while flight training hasn’t changed much over time, systems have become more complex. Don’t we really still have the same systems? Other than instruments, aren’t airplanes pretty much the same? We have powerplant, fuel, electrical, pitot-static systems…”
Human Factors: Higher and Heavier than Calculated
What can we learn about density altitude and its affect on airplane performance from this June 2024 accident?
Questions from the Cockpit: Slow to the Party
Kimberly, the spouse of a pilot-in-training in Arizona, asks: With all the changes in aviation over the last few decades, how has the current training of pilots changed, compared to previous generations?
Human Factors: Know Thy Airplane
What can we learn from an accident that happened while taking kids up for their first flights by a pilot who didn’t have full knowledge of the airplane’s systems and a mechanic who missed a clogged fuel line?
Questions from the Cockpit: Pirates of the Sky
Adam, an airline pilot based out of Texas, writes: “I recently watched the Japanese cartoon Porco Rosso with my little nephew. Afterward he asked me if there were really seaplane pirates back in the day. I told him that I thought they were probably fictional, but that years ago one of my teachers was ‘William Fly, the Airplane Guy’ and he would know for sure – so I’m asking you!”
An Everyday “Oops” Destroys a Mooney
What can we learn from a pilot who experienced a fire from a battery in his portable ADS-B unit?