Survival equipment is vital to anyone flying over water. Whether in a great ocean or large lake, a person – or even several people – in the water can be nearly impossible for searchers to find. The longer a survivor spends in water, even relatively warm water, the less his chances of survival. Being found […]
Sweets from the Smithsonian
Part of the fun of visiting an aviation museum is bringing home a keepsake – or two. At the Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C., an M&M candy dispenser is the big item this year, according to spokesman Mike Marcus. “We partnered with Mars Candy and have a limited edition collectors M&M dispenser,” he […]
Sticker shock at the avgas pump? Power Flow Systems may have a solution
Experiencing sticker shock at the avgas pump these days? Beyond cruising at reduced power settings to conserve fuel, what else can be done? Perhaps Power Flow Systems (PFS) of Daytona Beach, Fla. has the answer, providing more speed for the same fuel consumption or the same speed you now enjoy at a reduced burn. No […]
The wonders of modern science
Until recent times, pilots often wondered – and discussed at length – how flies land on ceilings. Do they do a half-roll first? A reversed split-s? Half of an inside loop? A few years ago, high-speed cameras finally taught us how the maneuver is done: Flies approach the ceiling in a shallow climb, contact it […]
Lycoming recalls more crankshafts
Lycoming is recalling 391 crankshafts which, it suspects, may suffer from the same metallurgical problem that affected hundreds of others the company has already replaced. “It’s not a new problem,” said Ian Walsh, Lycoming’s general manager. “It’s the same type of problem – subsurface defects – that we had before.” All of the suspect shafts […]
Eclipse vs. Mustang
As certification draws ever nearer for the first Very Light Jets, an unofficial race between the Eclipse 500 and Cessna Mustang is being watched closely by VLJ enthusiasts. Eclipse, first in the field and creator of the VLJ concept, has suffered several certification setbacks over the years, the most recent delay caused by a key […]
‘Wings Field Autobiography’
Charlie Spence, who covers the Washington, D.C. scene for General Aviation News, grew up in a close relationship to Wings Field, as did this reviewer. Wings Field, a short distance from Philadelphia at Ambler, Pa., is where the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) got its start in 1939 and where many a Philadelphia-area pilot […]
New books about the great American warplanes is well worth the price
There are a lot of books about military airplanes on the market, but somehow that market never becomes saturated. There always are those among us who never get enough. One of the newest, “Combat: The Great American Warplanes” by Jim Wilson, is more than a picture book, delving into such historic questions as why the […]
The meter’s running
There’s a lot of talk about the future of air taxi operations. But the future is now at the Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU) in Greenville, S.C. That’s where Smart Air Travel Solutions, or SATSair, is headquartered. Operated by Rhino Aviation, a 20-year-old charter business, the air taxi operation has taken off since its inception in […]