This is the inaugural relaunch of a grand tradition, the wonderful and eclectic “Of Wings & Things” column created in 1972 by aviation historian and renaissance man Peter M. Bowers. For more than three decades, Pete blended a series of photographs with his encyclopedic knowledge of aviation to create an interesting story in each column. […]
Opinion
Cool story, Bro
By JEB BURNSIDE. Any time two or more pilots get together, no matter the reason, the conversation eventually turns to flying. Even if one of them just got married, they’ll at least ask each other how their flight in went, and where they’re headed next. In fact, the only real exception to this rule is […]
6 suggestions for finding more power
Who wouldn’t like to get a little more power from their engine? A recent Ask Paul (aka Mr. Lycoming) column was a response to a reader wanting to know how he could coax a “tad more power” from a “150-hp, narrow-deck O-320”. In addition to Paul’s thoughts, a good many readers weighed on the topic on […]
Low power ADS-B for drone integration
“1.2 million drones were sold in the United States in 2016,” notes uAvionix’s Christian Ramsey. That’s a lot of drones. And the prevailing response from the full-scale aviation world seems to still be AHHHHHHH. Or words to that effect. Here’s the thing though. Not all of those drones will be airborne at the same time. […]
A woman’s place is…
Thanks to a stroke of good luck and a bit of favorable geographic proximity, I got to spend some time at the Women in Aviation Conference held in Orlando, Florida, last week. If you missed it, let me tell you, you really did miss something. This is no idle gathering of vacationers disguised as convention […]
General Aviation wins a convert
The situation came to my attention thanks to a post on social media. A woman I went to high school with reached out looking for comfort. My former classmate’s post began, “Due to complicated weather conditions yesterday, flights to the northeast were all cancelled.” That happens, unfortunately, Inclement weather can cause delays and even cancellations […]
Perfect or Better?
Which should we strive for? Perfection or Better Performance? The question was the result of reading Matt Zuccaro’s recent column, “Zero Accidents: Yes, We Can.” Matt is the president of the Helicopter Association International. He’s also not afraid to say what’s on his mind. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Matt’s opening paragraph: “Call […]
Local procedures
I remember flying into an unfamiliar airport once and the pilots on frequency chiding me for not knowing the name of their airfield. Didn’t make sense to me. I made each callout using the FAA-charted name. When I wondered aloud what the deal was, the FBO manager told me: “That’s not our local procedure.” Ignorance […]
What’s the difference between an O-320-E2-D and G?
Q: Paul, can you tell me, please, what the difference would be between the Lycoming O-320-E2-D and the O-320-E2-G? David Smith A: Dave, there really isn’t much of a difference between the Lycoming O-320-E2D and the O-320-E2G. According to the Lycoming Certificated Engine listing (SSP-110-1), the O-320-E2G is the same as the O-320-E2D except the […]