QUESTION: I’m thinking of purchasing a C150 with an 0-320 engine, serial number 4800-027. It may be a D2J. Do you have any knowledge of the history of this engine and its serviceability? Or, could you direct me to another source of information? Arthur Dodd Jacksonville, Fla. ANSWER: From the engine serial number you provided, […]
Opinion
Must-see TV
When Discovery Wings went off the air earlier this year, many pilots went into mourning. Well, that can end now, because the Outdoor Channel just debuted a new show called “Wings to Adventure” that’s perfect programming for pilots. The show is the brainchild of Tom Gresham, a pilot, writer, producer and television personality who has […]
Training better, happier pilots
I read with great pleasure Joel Elman’s article in the May issue titled “With a grimace or a smile.” I just have to tell you that it was a great article and many CFIs — new and old — should take your advice to heart.I am a CFI and I work in Aiken, S.C., at […]
Lucky — Nope, make that blessed
I’m not one to whine. Well maybe I am, but this year has been challenging for us, to say the least. Several of our family members have decided that the Pearly Gates hold more appeal than this rat race on Earth. They packed up and left in about two week intervals, so I can honestly […]
To save the South
Rollin Olson’s sad comments in his Letter to the Editor in the April issue are further evidence of how maligned the South of yesterday and today remains (A good idea). No, the South is not “all about slavery,” as even the most superficial knowledge of U.S. history tells us. I am not referring to revisionist […]
A big deal
Any time history is changed, lost or forgotten, I believe it is a big deal. Would Mr. Olson also have us forget World War II or Vietnam? The Civil War was not about slavery Mr. Olson. True it was one of the major issues, but the war was really about individual freedom to choose as […]
What causes engines to develop less-than-rated power?
QUESTION: I just read your article on the history of the 0-320-H2AD engine (What engines should I avoid, Dec. 24, 2004, issue). I have had three Skyhawks with the later engine (two 1977s and one 1979) and have had no problems with TBO — all went well past 2,000 hours. My question is about power. […]
What’s a billion here or there?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — If you live the average life span, from the moment you are born until your death your heart will beat a little more than 2 billion times. Many years ago when I worked for a newspaper, I drew a caricature of one of the columnists. He liked it and used it to […]
Teaching the next generation
Recently I witnessed an exchange between father and teenage daughter. The daughter, a student in the inaugural class of Seattle’s Aviation High School, was begging her father to let her start her flight training now. She is 14. “No, not until you’re older,” he said. “I don’t want to spend all that money and have […]