WASHINGTON, D.C. — That loud explosion you heard earlier this month from here wasn’t a terrorist attack — it was reaction to the Fiscal Year 2006 budget submitted to Congress by President Bush. Howls from general aviation interests were loud, but only a small blip in the sound level generated by the politicians and lobbyists […]
Opinion
Be careful what you say
Ever said something that you wished you hadn’t? Have there been times when a comment you made seemed perfectly good at the moment you said it but, on reflection, you realized it came out the wrong way? Are you one of those people who has ever made a sarcastic comment that, when taken out of […]
It’s enough to make you sick
A fairly common occurrence with pilots is air sickness — the nausea or vomiting associated with flying, especially when flying aerobatics. I have been doing flight physicals and have been around aviation for the last 40 years and I have found that nausea in most airmen can be dealt with in one way or another. […]
That’s space biz
Regarding the “Design flaw led to Genesis crash” article on page 13 of the Dec. 24, 2004 issue: I appreciate the interest shown by GAN in the cause of the Genesis crash. It was definitely a great disappointment to a lot of people, including the general aviation people that were going to make the midair […]
Making time in a Citabria
I enjoyed “The Aviator.” It was a great aviation adventure. High-end special effects. Great acting. Big names. Big budget. Then I turned around and watched “Time Chasers,” a 1994 film about a Citabria that has been turned into a time machine. “The Aviator,” it was not. I knew what I was getting into because I […]
Supply and demand drives engine choice
QUESTION: Paul, I have a Lycoming 0-235C1B installed in a Piper Colt. What are your feelings about an STC to install either an 0-290 or 0-320 engine in this aircraft? The 0-235 needs a top-end now, so I’m considering selling the engine as a core and installing one of the other engines. Mark Casillas Memphis, […]
Mixture lever positioning after idle cutoff
QUESTION: I operate a IO-540C4-B5 in an experimental. I am wondering about the correct position of the mixture lever after idle cutoff has been selected. Should I leave the lever in that position, or should I advance it (after the ignition is switched off) to full rich? Is there any benefit to the internals of […]
Lasers: A serious issues that’s nothing new
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The news of pointing lasers at aircraft in recent weeks has focused primarily on scheduled airline incidents, but with general aviation aircraft outnumbering commercial planes more than 25 to 1, the danger to individual flights is obvious. Laser pointing at aircraft is not new. It began about 1990 in the Los Angeles […]
The power of three
By PETER M. BOWERS. Without exception, all of the floats seen on licensed civil seaplanes today are of the twin-float type. The single-float type popular with the U.S. Navy when it still had seaplanes, with small floats under the wingtips as on flying boats, has never been approved for civil operation. There is another configuration […]