QUESTION: Last year I bought a 1971 C172L model with a Lycoming O-320-E2D. When I bought the plane I did an annual at the same time and for the most part everything was fine. This year it was discovered that the camshaft had been damaged along with lobe wear on the No. 4 cylinder. I […]
Opinion
Think it’s just a freckle? Maybe, but it could be cancer
In the course of examining airmen for FAA medical certificates, aeromedical examiners sometimes see skin lesions of various kinds. Most are inconsequential, but we sometimes find cancerous growths. Any time the word “cancer” comes up, it is a scary situation. The cancerous lesions we see most frequently are basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. […]
Can you explain lifter bleed?
QUESTION: Can you explain the lifter bleed down check procedure in detail (or tell me where I can find it) for my IO-360-B1E on my 1967 Arrow? Wayne Whittington Blackwell, Okla. ANSWER: Wayne, I suggest you focus your attention on Lycoming Service Instruction 1011H. It will give you the general inspection requirements and checks for […]
But that’s not news
A lot of your Jan. 28 issue is devoted to getting the public to understand GA. On page 41, Charles Spence’s piece, “Activism: Where we went wrong and how to correct it,” mentions how the media panics when there is a mid-air. I always think one should make a BIG POINT to remind people that […]
Unabashed admiration needs to be tempered
Your unabashed admiration for the NRA needs to be tempered by the realization of two things about that organization: Its massive political contributions have corrupted many venal legislators in state legislatures and the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Such legislators are afraid to vote against any positions taken by NRA because they know the […]
Silver giants? Only seven Zeppelins were actually silver
By PETER M. BOWERS. Lyrical writers who comment lovingly on the glories of the era of the big rigid airships – Zeppelins, to give the name of the German originator to all of them – frequently call them “Silver Giants” or something similar. Whatever the noun, the adjective “silver” always seems to get in there. […]
GA dismisses NRA at its own peril
I have followed with interest the articles concerning the lobbying tactics of the NRA and the objections of a number of the readers (Letters to the Editor, Feb. 25). I believe the point of highlighting the NRA was to demonstrate how a grass roots organization, faced with political opposition and government controls, has developed into […]
Bridging generations in Dallas
I can now honestly say, “I was on the grassy knoll.” I visited Dealey Plaza in Dallas when I was in the Lone Star State attending the 16th annual Women in Aviation International Conference. I was not born when President Kennedy was assassinated, but I have seen the film of the motorcade and the black […]
A story worth telling
Just wanted to say thanks to Tom Norton for the nice book review you ran on “Things My Flight Instructor Never Told Me” (Need to know info, Feb. 25 issue). I see you ran my good friend Jim Gardner’s seaplane story as well (Buying an amphibian? How about some tips from someone who’s been there, […]