To celebrate the 80th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s New York-to-Paris flight, the Lindbergh Foundation and Chandelle Winery of Sonoma, Calif., are offering a special limited edition labeled wine: The 19th Hour, The Spirit of St Louis. The original artwork for the new label, created by aviation artist Keith Ferris, and badged with a special 80th […]
Increased security in the works: Expect stricterr egulations later this year
WASHINGTON, D.C. — After security measures were established for commercial aviation, general aviation has been waiting for the other shoe to drop to see what might be planned for personal and business flights. It’s dropping. The Department of Homeland Security is now talking with various aviation groups and elected officials to test the waters about […]
What’s the best oil for my engine? Our oil expert weighs in on this reader’s question
I have a Lycoming AEIO-360 in my Pitts S1S. I have been running AeroShell 100W Plus for years. Some buddies I fly with have been using an Amsoil oil (I’m not sure the number). What is the best oil and weight to run in this engine? Thanks. CHUCK ROBERTS via email Chuck, yours is one […]
The positives of unleaded gas
In my last column, Unleaded avgas: You’d have to be insane to try to develop it (June 22 issue), I discussed the downside to the proposed lead phase out for aircraft piston engine fuels. But, like most things in life, there’s also a positive side to the issue. In my last column, Unleaded avgas: You’d […]
June 2005 Accident Reports
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain. Contributing to the accident were the high, rising terrain and fatigue.
The promise of things to come… Engine makers report progress and innovation
In his delightful, often bitingly witty novel, “Tom Sawyer,” Mark Twain used the term “news of no news” to describe the kind of reporting that says, in effect, there’s nothing new to tell you but I’m compelled to tell you something. Although little of real substance has turned up among engine manufacturers so far this […]
Air Force pilots return to their training grounds: Texas Fly-In hosts a mini-reunion
Thousands of U.S. Air Force pilots earned their wings at Hondo Field in Texas when it was a major training base in the 1940s and 1950s. Any graduate of the rigorous program will tell you that the year spent learning to fly “the Air Force way” was a special time in their lives. Paul Kalisch […]
The fight of thier lives… Is DUAT an endangered species?
Every day, pilots — lots of pilots — go online to check weather and file flight plans through the two FAA-approved DUAT providers. In fact, in one month alone, CSC DUAT provides 2.5 million weather briefings. “We run giant numbers,” says Leon Thomas, DUAT program manager at Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC). And those numbers have gone […]
Talk about your early birds! Woodpecker Tiger Moth arrives months, yes months, before the big show
When you fly a light vintage airplane, you have to factor in lots of extra time when you want to be some place. For Sun ‘n Fun fly-in attendees Tom Dietrich and Steve Gray of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, that extra time meant leaving home several months in advance. You read that right: Months. “We tried […]