General Aviation News

Pilot Perspectives: Rich Stowell

by Leave a Comment

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…]

What is fueling high engine temps?

by 3 Comments

Q: I bought a 1972 Cessna 177B with an O-360 a few months ago. It had 900 hours on the engine. My first 20 hours I would use 23 squared and pull the mixture back to 10 gph or less, then watch the cylinder head temperatures, monitoring to keep the hottest (#2) around 385°.

When the ambient temps started rising, I noticed #2 and #4 were spiking into the 420° CHT level on climb out. When I level off and set to 23 squared, I can only keep #2 below 400° by going full rich (12.5 gph) and occasionally opening the cowl flaps.

If I use 10 gph, #2 will stay around 415°. #4 will run in the 380s, and #1 and #3 will run in the 350s. [Read more…]

A best guess does not equal a good plan

by 3 Comments

Hurricane Irma came to visit the other day. Unbidden and unwelcome, she stomped up from the south through 200 miles of the sandbar I call home, came right up to our door, knocked with great vigor, and moved on to north.

As of this writing I have no electricity, no Internet connection, very spotty cell phone coverage, a boil water notice, and a mandatory curfew.

This week is far from normal. But that’s not what we pilot types should be thinking about right now. A better use of our time and intellect would be to take a look at the various plots projected for Hurricane Irma and then contrast those projections with the path the storm actually took. [Read more…]

‘Cobras come calling

by 3 Comments

It was rare — almost like lottery-winning rare — as three World War II Bell P-63 Kingcobras and one predecessor P-39 Airacobra landed at Wittman Field in late July for EAA AirVenture 2017 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

These aluminum ‘Cobras have become more furtive than their reptilian namesakes. To see one at an air show is a treat. To see four is, well, it’s Oshkosh.

The warbird ramp where the four ‘Cobras parked was awash in questions from visitors. So here’s a recap of the Oshkosh ‘Cobra convention, beginning with a brief background history on the P-39 and P-63. [Read more…]

Correcting for the fallacy of infallibility

by 2 Comments

Each of us who takes a command position, regardless of the endeavor, must strike a balance between knowing and believing. One represents a conclusion. The other is little more than a hope.

In any situation where management of people or ideas is required, there is a gray area that exists in the gap between those two concepts.

These are the rocky shoals where salvation can occur, or errors can be made. This is where either clarity or calamity are born. We strive for one even as we hope to avoid the other.

Yet we don’t always come down on the sunny side of difficult situations. For as sharp as we may be, we are not omniscient. We are mere humans. Infallibility is beyond our reach. [Read more…]

Atol triphibian for sky, sea, or snow

by 4 Comments

To many observers, the development of Light-Sport Aircraft seaplanes is fast-paced, inventive, and intriguing. You may have read about entries from the USA, Europe, or New Zealand. How about Finland?

“Finland has 188,000 lakes,” said Anssi Rekula, cofounder and sales director for Atol Avion, producer of the Atol LSA seaplane. “We know the joys of water flying, as well as the demands. Many of Finland’s lakes are remote and require range and reliability to access, so we designed the Atol 650 for this environment.” [Read more…]