“I thought your platform would help me figure out how introduce the following idea to my husband,” began the email that appeared in my email box on April 15. “I’m just beginning in my quest to find flying lessons to give to him as a gift. He’s a semi-retired software engineer (I’ve got to tell you, the […]
Opinion
Ask Paul: What’s the best way to hone the cylinders in my engine?
Q: I pulled cylinders #1 and #2 to replace the base “O” rings due to oil leaks. The engine is a Lycoming O-360 A3B6D with 650 hours and is a factory reman from 1994 due to Chevron Oil fuel contamination. I would like to know if it is acceptable to use a Flex-Hone to deglaze […]
Is this flying?
Under normal circumstances I’d be writing this column from the comfort of my home office. I probably wouldn’t be wearing closed toe shoes, or long pants, and I sure wouldn’t be wearing a sports jacket. Instead I’m putting this little missive together at Gate 42 among a mass of random people gathered at Orlando International […]
Making connections that count
Generally speaking, most people are pretty decent. Given the chance to offer help to others, they will. Or at least they’ll try. Unfortunately, we often mistake that willingness to assist for the ability to be helpful. Unfortunately, things don’t always work that way. When my middle child was about seven years old, she decided she […]
Godspeed Mary Rosenblum
On March 15 I opened my email and found the following message from Stephanie Smith: “Many years ago (2012 to be exact), my husband, Dennis, and I met you during the Minam Airlift, based in Joseph, Oregon, to deliver supplies to Minam Lodge. My husband was president of the Oregon Pilots Association at the time, […]
Photographs, but few memories
The human mind is an intriguing piece of biological equipment. It can conceive of amazing inventions. Machines, devices, and processes that have never existed come to being first in the mind of someone not significantly different from you or me. Ideas can be incredibly powerful or they can be absolutely idiotic. In the case of […]
Miss Veedol’s victory spanned the Pacific
Long before entrepreneurs launched cars into space, pilots of the 1920s and 1930s were beholden to people of wealth who could sponsor record flights or offer cash prizes for the first intrepid aviator to achieve a specific milestone flight. Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon teamed up in an effort to be the first to span […]
Ask Paul: What’s the best oil for my airplane?
Q: Paul, I fly my single engine Comanche two to three times a month during our cold winter months here in Wisconsin. During EAA chapter meetings and fly-outs, we debate what is the best engine oil to use? The most common answers are 15-50 multi viscosity oil or a straight weight like 80 or 100. […]
35 years and counting at Rans Aircraft
One of the most celebrated names in light aviation is Rans, a company name that both hinges on and reflects its designer and company boss, Randy Schlitter. Recently this now-familiar producer celebrated 35 years since the initial flight of its first single-seat aircraft. When the company first flew its S3 Coyote I three and a […]