The FAA recently presented Douglas Decker of Pawleys Island, S.C., with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award in recognition of 50 years of safe flying and his contribution to aviation safety. In addition to the plaque, Decker’s name will be added to the FAA’s Roll of Honor in Washington, D.C. The award was presented at the South Carolina […]
New California Power Systems catalog now available
The new catalog from California Power Systems is now available. California Power Systems offers Rotax engines, parts, and other Ultralight and Light-Sport products to aviators around the world. It also maintains a maintenance shop at Corona Airport (AJO) and a Rotax engine training facility nearby at Chino Airport (CNO) in California.
Inadequate preflight plus diverted attention equals bad combination
Prior to the flight, the pilot removed an insulating blanket and heat source from the Piper PA-16 and conducted his preflight inspection. Following a normal engine run up, he initiated takeoff from the airport, where he thought the airplane seemed sluggish and that the rate of climb didn’t feel normal. He determined that the engine […]
Picture of the day: Just another day at the airport…
Hal Shevers, founder of Sporty’s, sent along this photo of Paul Puehler, a retired Delta Air Lines avionics professional and instructor for University of Cincinnati – Clermont Aviation Technology program, who is instructing students on jet engine operations. The engine is a JT8D-15 from a Boeing 727-200 and was awarded to Sporty’s Academy through a […]
Tip: Add a post-flight check
Jim Stack of Kirkland, Wash. send in this tip: “I have only been flying for 23 years. I only had two hours under my belt when I purchased my Cessna 175 with an O-360. From that time on, I started doing a complete post-flight check just like my preflight check before I close the hangar doors.” “It […]
Ask Paul: Wide vs. narrow deck engines
Q: Big picture question here: For a 250 or 260 hp Lycoming O (or IO)-540, is there any significant reason to favor a wide or a narrow deck engine? In particular, I’m looking at buying a core for a project and there seem to be more narrow deck cores available (presumably because their host aircraft are […]
FAA updates DC-area unmanned aircraft procedures
The FAA has updated its conditions for flying unmanned aircraft in the area between 15 and 30 miles from Washington, D.C., to clarify differences for various types of unmanned aircraft, also known as remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). The operating procedures will allow model aircraft, commercial and public users to operate in the outer ring of […]
EPS diesel engine logs 100+ hours
NEW RICHMOND, Wis. — Engineered Propulsion Systems reports it is making steady progress in its push toward FAA certification. The company, which completed ground and flight tests on two concept engines last spring, has incorporated a number of refinements in the first pre-production engine, which recently passed the 100-hour mark in ground tests. During the first […]
Certified: Raisbeck swept blade propellers for King Air 350s
Raisbeck Engineering has received FAA certification of its 4-Blade Swept Propellers for the King Air 350 family. The first deliveries are going to Raisbeck dealer Stevens Aviation in Dayton, Ohio, for an Indianapolis-based 350. The second is headed to Elliott Aviation in Des Moines, Iowa, also for a 350. Both aircrafts’ OEM propellers were up for overhaul. The […]