When there is a problem with the transition to unleaded avgas, maybe those affected will sue the EPA or the FAA. But more realistically they will sue everyone from the airplane manufacturers to the fuel distributor, letting the courts sort it out to determine the winners and losers.
Opinion
Human Factors: Hidden wear and tear
When a pilot crashes his new plane on the same day he bought it, NTSB investigators discovered the smoking gun for the accident was a part that pilots can’t see during a preflight.
It’s about heart, not heft
People have a tendency to discourage friends and family from seeking great adventures in aviation. The belief is often expressed that we aren’t prepared, or funded, or that we’re operating machines that were never meant to fly such a distance. Poppycock, I say.
Questions from the Cockpit: When ATC goes dark
David, an airplane owner in Iowa, writes: Given the recent reported radio outage at Newark, I’m sure we could all use a refresher and perspective on lost comms. It’s one thing to have an on-board failure, but seems much different if ATC goes down, especially in busy airspace. It would be great to hear and learn about scenarios that appear more likely than we thought.
It’s all about the blades
Propellers are a mystery to most. Even to pilots they are little more than an afterthought. They seem simple enough. They are little more than a fixed form attached to a spinning shaft that produces thrust when run up to enough RPMs. How it works, why it works, and what can be done to make it work more efficiently rarely comes up in conversation.
Music or noise?
While music to my ears, the constant sound of a Cessna T206 circling overhead for nearly two hours may have rattled the nerves of some of my neighbors.
One size does not fit all
With approximately 18% of the pilot population holding a CFI ticket, it would seem obvious that scheduling a flight with a CFI would be easy. It should be a cake walk. So why isn’t it?
Never sell an asset
Can you imagine your home town looking to close one-third of the roads in your town so they can replace them with storage buildings?
Me 262 jet pointed to the future as it slipped into the past
The shark-like predator look of the Messerschmitt Me 262, coupled with its capabilities as a combat jet aircraft in World War II, ensure this warplane will be forever fascinating.