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
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?
Questions from the Cockpit: Recycle, replace, or retrofit?
Tom, an airplane owner in Georgia, writes: How do you re-web an airplane seatbelt?
Questions from the Cockpit: Freezing follies
I knew that, with heat, humidity “makes it worse.” A dry 95℉ in the Western deserts feels altogether different than a humid 95℉ in the South. But I didn’t make the mental connection that the same phenomenon might exist at the other end of the thermometer.
Questions from the Cockpit: Paperwork
Matt, a student pilot in Florida, writes: I’m studying lift as part of my pilot training. I can get my head around Bernoulli and Newton, and how that works with the airfoil, but none of my instructors can explain how a simple paper airplane — having no airfoil — generates lift to fly.”
Questions from the Cockpit: Re-branding induced drag
Joseph, a student pilot in Georgia, writes: I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around induced drag. Can you help me out?
Questions from the Cockpit: A Christmas quandary
Nancy, a student pilot in Florida, writes: Over airport pancakes and discussion of holiday plans, Ol’ Saint Nick’s airport came up, and my friends and I began to banter about the location of the North Pole Airport and what its GPS location would be. I thought it should be 0° North latitude, by 0° longitude…but then I realized that I don’t know if zero longitude is west or east. To top off all that confusion, Google says the North Pole is at 90° north, 135° west! What gives?