While Rotax dominates the LSA engine market, other contenders, such as Jabiru, are making their mark.
Opinion
Pick your prognosticator
Unlike the news reports and financial predictions on television, the weather reports and forecasts actually matter on a day to day basis. Hourly, even. The fronts, the troughs, the ridges, the high and low pressure systems and, of course, those occasional tropical problems all catch the attention of pilots and dispatchers. As they should.
Mind the learning line
You won’t be check ride ready after reading this book, but it may just jog your memory on a topic you’ve not thought of in many years or it may provide the exact jumping off point to go deep on something of interest.
Human Factors: The second decision
It’s very easy, after making one bad decision, to make another. And following two bad decisions, not only is your reservoir of luck running low, your options have just been significantly narrowed as well. At three bad decisions, you might as well just call the NTSB yourself to save a bystander the trouble.
Life goes on
Each one of us has the opportunity to set out on our own adventure. Whether we win or lose in the long run is anyone’s guess. Whether anyone remembers us or what we accomplish is beside the point. Try. Push on to the next big thing. Your next big thing. Even if nobody else cares.
SPAD for two
While the French SPAD single-seat fighters were ace-makers, disappointing performance and maneuverability in the two-seat derivatives failed to justify their use as a fighter. Instead, the two-seat versions earned a niche in the war as bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.
What are the advantages to a high compression conversion of my aircraft’s engine?
Reader Jeffrey A. Hughes asks our engines expert: What is the advantage to doing a high compression conversion to a Lycoming O-320 (from 150 hp to 160 hp)? I suppose the obvious answer is 10 more horsepower, but my natural inclination, given the name “high compression,” would be improved fuel economy. Are there other advantages?
Questions from the Cockpit: Right vs. Left
Galen, one of our pilot readers, writes: Hello, I have always wondered why the left magneto is to the right on the keyswitch, and the right magneto is to the left.
Qualified or competent?
You might have checked all the boxes and met the technical standard for the completion of the training for your pilot certificate or additional rating. But are you competent? Do you have the confidence to perform under pressure? The difference between being qualified and being competent can be very small, but it is a critical distinction.