Q: I recently installed a new three-blade propeller in my Comanche 250 with an O-540 engine. After the first flight I noticed a vibration when I decrease the rpm to 2400 or below, so I had the prop dynamically balanced. This did not change anything. The engine still vibrated. I contacted McCauley and they had […]
Opinion
Mentoring: Sharing the magic
By BRENT OWENS. Flying is such an amazing experience, I can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t think it’s cool on some level. Because of this mindset I have a real passion for seeing our industry flourish — most of us do. It’s partially selfish, because if people aren’t interested in flying we shrink as a community. […]
Clearing obstacles
Making great progress isn’t worth much if you don’t know where that progress will lead. There’s an old joke about travel that ends with the subject proclaiming, “I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m making good time.” It’s funny because the listener knows innately that traveling quickly in an unknown direction is pointless. For […]
NextGen over budget and behind schedule
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pilots and aircraft owners at all levels of aviation are reluctant to invest in the necessary new equipment for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). One reason is that the FAA has not clearly defined what benefits will be achieved and when. A recent report from Calvin Scovel III, Inspector General […]
Link: A Skosh of Paranoia
A fatal stall/spin accident, reconstructed by AOPA, led to a discussion between friends and was capped off by an interested blog post titled, “A Skosh of Paranoia” by Ron Rapp at the House of Rapp blog. As is often said, a good pilot is always learning. Do yourself a favor and wander over to Ron’s site for a read.
How fracking helps General Aviation
Airportpros just published an article describing boom times at airports near shale oil fields such as the Bakken play in North Dakota. From the article:
Over regulation, slow response time and inconsistencies hurt GA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Numerous government regulations, slow response times for decisions, and frequent inconsistencies by the FAA are harming small general aviation businesses. That’s the message the House Small Business Committee heard last week from a number of witnesses who own their own businesses, as well as officials from the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) […]
A distraction for the species
A debate of epic proportions took place last week. Streamed live via the Internet, the audience was massive and motivated. Each debater was bolstered by their respective armies of supporters and intellectual warriors. The concepts being addressed were critical to all humanity — or so the hype would have us believe. Evolution or creationism, which […]
Keeping the skies safe as UAV testing begins
By DAVE HOOK. I’m not against UAVs. What I am against is fencing off parts of the sky from the flyers who were here first in the interest of UAV testing. I’m also not for rolling the dice with the lives of fellow aviators and their passengers. A central challenge for integrating UAVs into the […]