High-wing vs. low-wing aircraft: Who wins in this debate?
Questions from the Cockpit
Questions from the Cockpit: Strength is relative
Staci, a student pilot in Arizona, asks: Why are airplanes less strong when it comes to negative Gs than positive Gs? Our “normal” trainers are said to be OK to 3.8 positive but only 1.52 negative. Even aerobatic airplanes, while stronger on both sides of the scale, are still weaker in the negative G area. It would seem to me you’d just build an airplane to be the same strength all the way around. I’m hoping you can tell me why there is a difference in strength between positive and negative.
Questions from the Cockpit: Reno reboot
Question from pretty much every pilot I know, in pretty much every state: What did you think of the National Championship Air Races in its new location?
Questions from the Cockpit: Night and day
Mack, a student pilot in Florida, writes: I just learned that there are three different definitions of night in the regulations! What’s the deal with all these overlapping definitions? Is the FAA just trying to make it harder on students than it needs to be?
Questions From The Cockpit: The top 10 causes of GA accidents
The list of the top 10 causes of GA accidents is shocking in that all of the items are basic pilot skills. Shouldn’t anyone with a pilot certificate have a handle on all of these?
Questions from the Cockpit: Ercoupe claustrophobia
My friend Tom called the other night and startled me with a question: “Hey, have you ever heard of anyone having an attack of claustrophobia in an Ercoupe?”
Questions from the Cockpit: When ATC goes dark
David, an airplane owner in Iowa, writes: Given the recent reported radio outage at Newark, I’m sure we could all use a refresher and perspective on lost comms. It’s one thing to have an on-board failure, but seems much different if ATC goes down, especially in busy airspace. It would be great to hear and learn about scenarios that appear more likely than we thought.
Questions from the Cockpit: O2 4 U
Sam, a private pilot in Montana, writes: How do I know how long a supplemental oxygen bottle will last in flight? Or, more correctly, how do I know it has enough for my flight before I takeoff?
Questions from the Cockpit: Got you covered — maybe
James, a private pilot and airplane owner in South Carolina, writes: What happens if someone wrecks your plane while they are considering buying it?