Duncan Thomas submitted this photo and note: “Flew my 1958 straight tail from Santa Monica up through Tongass National Forest in Alaska, weathered in for three days at Eagle Cabin on the middle Situk river, onto Seward, Soldovia and Kodiak. Back via Talkeetna, Whitehorse, and Hood River. Seen here at Akshiok International Airport. 6,000 miles, a lot of weather, 7.5 gph average, a leaking nose strut. Second time doing it. Every time a joy.”
General Aviation
Misconceptions and outright lies we tell ourselves
We all have misconceptions in life. And some of us lie to ourselves rather than accept the truth for what it is. In the aviation world this same human tendency to discard accepted, proven knowledge in favor of a deeply held but poorly understood personal belief can lead to disaster.
The insurance woes of older pilots
A new survey finds that while pilots over 70 fly more hours and have more ratings than younger pilots, the insurance industry is raising their premiums — or canceling their insurance coverage — based only on age.
CubCrafters founder flies west
Both Jim Richmond and the company he founded, CubCrafters, are names that are synonymous with backcountry aviation.
Replica of Wright Brothers wind tunnel goes on display at Arizona museum
An operating replica of the Wright Brothers’ wind tunnel was Gibson Gallares’ Eagle Scout project. Now that’s it’s complete, he has donated it to Airbase Arizona Flying Museum in Mesa.
Extreme frequency congestion leads to near miss
Communication in the area was encumbered by heavy usage and several radio calls we made were blocked due to other transmissions, leading to confusion over aircraft positions at the airport we were using.
Picture of the Day: Rainbow climb out
Rob Stapleton submitted this photo and note: “Recent early fall rain storms offered this view of a Cessna 185 climbing out after departing Lake Hood Seaplane Base (PALH) in Anchorage, Alaska, headed northeast toward the Chugach mountains.”
On track: Finding the right landing gear for giant bombers
On the way to finding the best landing gear for giant bombers, some looked to using a track mechanism, similar to a tank.
Aircraft sales grow 13% so far in 2021
After a dismal 2020, aircraft deliveries are up so far in 2021, according to new figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. “The first nine months of 2021 have shown great progress and we look forward to seeing how the year closes out,” GAMA President Pete Bunce said.