GA pilots should stop treating Loss of Control In-Flight (LOC-I) as an unavoidable statistic, say officials with the Upset Prevention and Recovery Training Association International. To help achieve that, the association is holding a free safety summit to lay out its plan to save lives by eliminating the LOC-I threat.
Opinion
Ask Paul: The fall-out from not doing due diligence
Question for Paul McBride, the General Aviation News engines expert: I purchased a 1971 PA-32 Cherokee 260 about 18 months ago. I did not do my due diligence in a pre-buy and did not consider the effects on an airplane engine with only 300 hours since rebuilt in 2012 that spent a lot of time in a hangar in New Jersey.
Papers please
Having our paperwork in order is important. Sadly, the vast majority of general aviation pilots have developed the unfortunate habit of ignoring that requirement.
Human Factors: A case of mistaken identity
What lessons can we learn from a pilot who crashes while landing at the wrong airport?
It was an honor
14W popped into my head when I heard Textron Aviation, today’s owner of the venerable Beechcraft line, announced it will end production for both the Bonanza and Baron lines once current orders are fulfilled.
Waco UPF-7s dusted too
When insect pests threatened Oregon forests as early as 1945, another duster type, the Waco UPF-7, made the scene. If we think of the UPF-7 today as a vintage sport and training biplane dating back to 1937, its use as an agricultural aircraft comes as a surprise to many.
Blake Scholl has ideas
“You should put the terminals underground. Airside is above ground. Terminals are below ground,” says Blake Scholl. “Imagine a design with two runways. There’s an arrival runway, departure runway. Traffic flows from arrival runway to departure runway. You don’t need tugs. You can delete a whole bunch of airport infrastructure.”
Fear of flying: Rational, irrational, or strategic?
It could be argued that it is a sign of having a functional intellect to feel apprehensive about getting airborne. Humans evolved as land animals. We’re most comfortable on a solid surface at ground level. We seek peace and quiet, especially as we age. Aviation is antithetical to our basic human nature.
Questions from the Cockpit: Strength is relative
Staci, a student pilot in Arizona, asks: Why are airplanes less strong when it comes to negative Gs than positive Gs? Our “normal” trainers are said to be OK to 3.8 positive but only 1.52 negative. Even aerobatic airplanes, while stronger on both sides of the scale, are still weaker in the negative G area. It would seem to me you’d just build an airplane to be the same strength all the way around. I’m hoping you can tell me why there is a difference in strength between positive and negative.