I don’t know about you, but I don’t often think about where my food comes from. Sad, really, but truthful. I suppose I don’t really think about where most of the “stuff” I consume comes from — including parts and pieces of aircraft.
For Ron Piercy, a fishing trip to southeastern Alaska five years ago turned into a supply of aircraft grade Spruce for the wing spars he sells at Rainbow Flying Service. Oh, and he can tell you exactly where the wood came from. [Read more…]
It’s rare that a week goes by that I don’t get an inquiry from someone, somewhere, about their desire to become a pilot. Or if not a pilot, to find some role in general aviation as a real participant.
Aviation is an attractive business. One might go so far as to say it’s sexy. [Read more…]
“It simply won’t work,” say too many pilots. “You cannot run a business making only 50 airplanes a year. To build good, safe airplanes, you must operate a large enterprise.”
If you are one of those naysayers, are you sure about that?
I write about the world of light aviation, a segment of recreational aircraft spanning hang gliders to Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA). In that space, we have only a few companies that make 100 aircraft a year; most are far smaller.
Are these micromanufacturers too small to build reliable aircraft or to provide a reasonable living for their employees and owners?
Based on many years of writing about these companies, I can attest they are not too small. One proof of their right size is that many of these small companies boast very low employee turnover. Another is their steady innovation. [Read more…]
Q: I read some of the material you have posted and was very impressed. I have a question about finding rust in the barrels of the cylinders.
Here is the situation: A customer is looking to buy a Piper Lance II. It was asked that we do an annual instead of a pre-buy inspection. The engine is a reman from Lycoming with 224.1 hours since November 2012.
There are a few squawks. One of them was finding rust in the barrels and they were all wet. [Read more…]
Years ago I read a passage written by Richard Bach that has stuck with me. While I can’t quote it, and frankly I can’t even remember which book it comes from, Richard left the impression that flight instruction was a noble calling.
He wrote about the satisfaction that comes from passing on to a new generation of aerial travelers the lessons we learned as we became pilots ourselves.
I read that passage as a non-pilot, professional musician, living in New York City. The avenues there are essentially deep canyons of glass and steel, not hardly conducive to the pursuit of general aviation. But that is where I caught the fever and that is where I started my aeronautical journey. And yes, I was able to earn my CFI along the way.
So far, so good.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of delving into an aspect of instruction I hadn’t considered when I first read the works and words of Richard Bach. But it’s one I’ve come to find tremendously satisfying. [Read more…]
If World War I showed the nations of the world how the airplane could vault over ground emplacements to strike at an enemy, the combatants also came to appreciate the efficacy of using aircraft as ambulances to surmount obstacles and save precious time flying away from the fray. [Read more…]
We were on an out and back — Dulles to Newark, Newark to Dulles. Our assigned aircraft had just come out of maintenance. The captain flew the Newark leg. No issues. I flew us back to Dulles. We landed uneventfully on Runway 19R. I applied the reverse thrusters, and then I applied the brakes. That’s when the plane started to pull to the left.
The captain called “off the brakes!” I did, but we continued to pull to the left.
A “brake temp” amber caution light came on and an alarm sounded. The captain risked stepping on the brakes enough to make sure we made the left-hand runway exit safely. Then he stopped us there between Runways 19L and 19R.
I called Ground Control about our situation. They rolled the trucks. The captain notified the passengers. We ran the Brake Fire Emergency Checklist. That involved shutting down both motors and the auxiliary power unit. It also meant waiting for the crash and fire rescue personnel to give us the all clear to evacuate. [Read more…]
Every pilot owes their safety and security in some part to the predictable actions of their fellow pilots in flight.
If only for reasons of self-preservation, it is entirely reasonable to conduct yourself as expected.
Certainly, the FAA would like to believe your behavior is a reflection of your respect for its authority and wisdom. And that may be the case. But living to fly another day is an exceptional incentive, too. [Read more…]
Visualize for a moment that you’re high above the ground, nose pointed skyward, throttle in one hand, control stick pulled into your lap with the other.
As the aircraft slows you peer over the engine cowl while working to maintain a steady altitude. In tandem a muted horn bleats with a blinking red light cautioning you, the pilot in command, that you are getting closer and closer to the edge of the aircraft’s flying envelope.
Just as the wings give in to the stall, you prod the airplane with full rudder and in an instant, it happens. [Read more…]
Historically, adversity brings out the best and the worst in humans. That’s certainly been true throughout America’s history.
Lately, we’ve had plenty of adversity on our plate, a sad reality that presents the opportunity for individuals to show grace and generosity — which they did. [Read more…]
