I’ve always thought the term “breaking in a new engine” was a strange expression. What are you breaking? Why not call it wear-in? Well, we can’t change tradition. The main part of break-in is to wear in the cylinder walls to provide a better sealing surface for the piston rings. When a new cylinder is ready […]
Harvey’s impact on GA
Devastation from Hurricane Harvey is still being assessed, with the aftermath of the storm still wreaking havoc in Texas. The National Business Aviation Association has put together a web page detailing the latest on the storm and its impact on the area, including airports and aviation. Airport Information There are multiple airport closures in the […]
CAP ramps up in Harvey’s aftermath
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Texas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol began preparations Aug. 28, 2017, to provide aerial and ground support for the state of Texas and the Federal Emergency Management Agency as severe weather continued from Hurricane Harvey. Harvey slammed the coast of Texas as a Category 4 hurricane Friday night, Aug. 25, leaving […]
What’s it like to be a test pilot?
Redmond, Oregon – Dave Morss is a test pilot. He made the first flight in the Stratos 714 prototype last November, but that was not a new experience. He has made the first flights in 43 prototype aircraft. Morss has logged more than 4,000 hours in jets and has flown north of 27,000 hours total […]
Video: Hartzell expert on preflight checks
The newest video in Hartzell Propeller’s series of how-to videos for pilots and mechanics covers the evaluation of structural composite propeller blades, with Hartzell expert Kevin Ryan describing the ins and outs of composite prop pre-flight checks for pilots. “Pre-flight checks for structural composite propellers are very similar to metal props with some subtle differences,” said Hartzell […]
New Folio Bag harkens back to days of the DC-3
Flight Outfitters has introduced its Folio Bag, which “looks like it just left the flight deck of a DC-3,” according to company officials. The bag is “very practical,” officials add, noting it stores a “surprising amount of gear without looking bulky or weighing you down.” It has separate pockets for your tablet and laptop, plus a […]
Plane strikes wire, ends up in river
The pilot reported that during a low level flight, the Aviat A-1C-200 struck a wire over a river near Irwin, Idaho. The landing gear contacted the wire, the wire stretched like a “bungee cord,” and then the wire broke. The airplane pulled to the right with the wire still attached. The pilot landed in the river, […]
High flying at Oshkosh
Photographer Lisa Bentson captured all of these planes in flight at AirVenture 2017, ranging from the Blue Angels to ultralights and everything in between:
Air Racing from the Cockpit: Downtime
Dispatch from my living room couch: I impatiently email my mechanic: “Is the engine back on the airplane yet or is it still on the crane?” The reply doesn’t come until the next day: “It is still on the crane as we mount sensors and things on the firewall.” Clearly, I won’t be flying — much […]