This question was initially sent to our fuels and oil expert Ben Visser, who passed it on to our engines expert Paul McBride for further comment. Q: Our flight school has a Cessna 172N with an O-320 H2AD. The engine was rebuilt 120 hours ago after cam/lifter failure. The engine uses one half quart of […]
Opinion
‘He died doing what he loved’
Guest Editorial By THOMAS P. TURNER The pilot of a twin-engine airplane sped through a narrow mountain pass. Low clouds obscured the ridges and peaks; pine trees blurred past just a few hundred feet below, materializing from the mist, flashing dark green beneath the sleek airplane, and zooming into the cloak of mist behind with […]
You can’t do that…and other myths
I recently wrote a post where I suggested it might be possible to earn a private pilot certificate for as little as $5,000. I made that suggestion for the simple reason that it’s true. It’s an option that is available to anyone who is willing to thrown off the yoke of 20th Century flight training convention […]
Best AirVenture ever?
Was 2013 the best EAA AirVenture Oshkosh ever? In one way obvious to every attendee, this year’s event was superlative: Wisconsin’s weather was nearly perfect. Each day of the event was blessed with mild temperatures, mostly clear skies, and a comforting breeze. EAA officials surely thanked their lucky stars, having endured last year’s blistering heat […]
The extra-Solar Impulse stunt
Let’s get the obvious out of the way right from the start. The Solar Impulse is gangly, goofy-looking, slow, fragile, and can’t possibly carry the entire family in luxurious comfort to Aunt Sally’s house for the holidays. That pretty much covers what it’s not, a topic which seems to have gotten a fair amount of […]
GA in the military
There are warbirds at every airshow. Oshkosh, of course, is a feast. But what always grabs me are the veteran GA aircraft adapted for military use. They say to me that “our airplanes” are not toys, but capable, useful flying machines. Some military pilots believed differently, but I’m sticking to my story! In World War […]
DIY fuel trailers
GAfuels blogger Dean Billing is nearing completion of his RANS S-7S, which will be powered by a mogas-burning Jabiru engine. With the fuel not being available at his airport in central Oregon, he decided to construct a fuel trailer to haul it from his supplier to his hangar. Dean, a retired computer scientist and talented […]
Small airplane revitalization act passes Senate committee
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Commerce Committee’s voice vote passage Tuesday, July 30, of the Small Airplane Revitalization Act moved the bill closer to passage by the full Congress, requiring the FAA to put into effect changes to Part 23 that would make available less expensive and more practical products for general aviation airplanes. The […]
FAA makes certification rule change proposals public
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FAA has released to the public the 335-page report of the Aviation Rule Making Committee set up to recommend broad changes in the certification of general aviation aircraft in an effort to increase the safety of GA and reduce the costs of producing planes and parts. After years of striving to […]