For American general aviation pilots, Mexico is just on the other side of the Rio Grande, a body of water that is smaller and far less intimidating than many would believe. South America is a picturesque island-hopping adventure away. Canada lies right there above Detroit, waiting to welcome us. Our travel options are many. But those options come with strings. Be aware of them before you go. Always.
Opinion
Ask Paul: Can you tell me my engine’s horsepower?
I recently bought a project Stinson Station Wagon 108-3 that is equipped with an O-435 Lycoming engine. Is there a way to determine if the engine is the O-435 190-hp or the O-435 225-hp?
Proposed changes to LSA delayed
While FAA officials did give an update on Mosaic at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022, they also let it be known that the new rule is not ready. That’s because officials have made a big change to the original update.
A small midwestern city that doubles in size once a year
Oshkosh is not significantly different than other cities of similar size. It isn’t blessed with a frosting of magic dust that brings wealth and prosperity. What it does have is AirVenture, and that’s neither accidental nor unappreciated.
Does my engine need an adjustable air shutter?
Question for Paul McBride, the General Aviation News engines expert: Does anyone make an adjustable air shutter for the Lycoming 360 engine? When I blocked mine off and flew to Florida and back I ran a 200° oil temperature.
Questions from the Cockpit: Low passes, low blows
I, like many of you, know perfectly well what a low approach is. What I didn’t know is that there are apparently quite a few people who don’t know what a low approach is. That affects my safety.
How often should you change your airplane’s oil?
The mechanic listed an oil change as part of the inspection, even though the aircraft had been flown just 12 hours in the last 12 months. The owner insisted it did not need an oil change since the manufacturer recommends an oil change only every 50 hours. He completely disregarded the other part of the manufacturer’s recommendation: “Every 50 hours or four months, whichever occurs first.”
The ultimate investment
Rather than putting tens of thousands of dollars into a sports car to assuage our fear of aging, why not learn to fly? Rather than taking on six figure debt to upscale into a bigger, more expensive house in an effort to impress the Joneses, wouldn’t we be better off to invest just a small fraction of that amount in ourselves?
Quieter than a dishwasher
I’ll even hazard a guess that quieter aircraft would tamp down the pressure to close or restrict operations at the nation’s airports. It might even lower the heat on “getting the lead out” of avgas.