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Aerorush
,
WA
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Stick and Cursor Flying
from Aerorush
wrote 2 years 2 weeks ago
A number of years ago I was talking to an airline pilot who recently transitioned from a steam gauge DC-9 to a glass 737. He said that although he was proficient and comfortable in the glass cockpit, he preferred the analog and missed it dearly. I also remember an article in Flying magazine written by a captain performing the final flight in his airlines DC-9. It was a great article describing the emotional bond between pilots and their aircraft. This gentleman had thousands of hours in the type and the reader could clearly feel his sadness as he walked away.
There is just something about an analog cockpit that lends itself to the warm fuzzy feeling of days gone by, and although the new glass from Garmin, Avidyne, Aspen and others are excellent products, they don’t evoke the same feelings as the “old school” panels do. Tom Wright is correct, although the analog system was inefficient compared to the current crop of FMS based navigators, it wasn’t nearly as prone to make you wonder “How in the world do I do that?”
Philip Wilson
-Aerorush.com
The $1 an Hour Airplane Ride
from Aerorush
wrote 1 year 46 weeks ago
For a number of years I’ve been involved in flight simulation, albeit Microsoft’s various versions of Flight Simulator and not full motion equipment like the FMX. I’m also a staff reviewer for Avsim.com and have the opportunity to review most flight simulation products on the market. With real flight time on my logbook ranging from Cessna 152’s to Citations, reviewing virtual products can be done knowing both the limitations of the program and what each aircraft should feel like.
Although no simulator, especially a desktop one, can adequately recreate the feeling of flight, let me assure you some of the commercial products available for Microsoft’s Flight Simulator X (FSX) are surprisingly complex with flight dynamics and systems accurately modeled.
Recently Cessna partnered with Flight1 software to develop a virtual version of their wonderful Citation Mustang for FSX and a local flight school that owns a real Mustang uses the FSX version as a training tool. In addition, the latest ground texture, scenery and weather enhancements available for FSX are making the environment in which the student flies highly believable.
An Australian company, Orbx, has a long history if creating high quality scenery packages for FSX. Their airport sceneries are accurate down to the placement of the garbage cans. I’m currently photographing rural Washington State airports (1000+ images per airport) in order to have each upcoming airport scenery package accurate and realistic. They’re even modeling any derelict aircraft on the ramp with true to life registration numbers, flat tires and aircraft condition.
One final thought; there will soon come a time when this level of realism is commonplace in all levels of commercial flight simulators, and I believe the flight schools will see a growing number of students more knowledgeable in aviation fundamentals than at any time in history.
-Aerorush.com
The Day I Slalomed Through the 737s
from Aerorush
wrote 2 years 3 weeks ago
Many years ago I was flying our T-210 into Klamath Falls, OR (LMT). Kingsley field is a commercial/military airport and I was on long final to RWY14. I could see two F-15 Eagles holding short and I wondered how much fuel they were dumping out the tailpipes as I crept my way to the ground.
For a minute I thought about offering to break off my approach in order to give the Eagle drivers time to get airborne, but as I was already established on a solid approach, I landed and cleared the active at the first possible intersection.
Aviation is my passion and even when encountering the less than polite controllers, or rude and obnoxious pilots, I love every minute in the air and couldn’t imagine a day without touching some aspect of our industry. In my experience, “airplane people” are an amazing group, and the truly outstanding people far outweigh the few bad apples.
Stories like yours are a testament to those great ATC types who go out of their way to make our lives easier.
For the record, I’ve never flown in the Northeast, where the outlook on controllers may be a little different. Then again, they are under a significantly higher workload than anywhere else in the country.
Philip Wilson
-Aerorush.com
The Economic Life of Airplanes
from Aerorush
wrote 2 years 3 weeks ago
This issue is highly debated worldwide, and the pros and cons of HBC’s decision to charge for service are varied and numerous.
As a young man I worked for an aircraft salvage company, and as Mr. Ruddell states, that avenue is a viable option for many. The customer service provided by the leading salvage companies is excellent and an economical solution for legacy aircraft owners.
There are a lot of aircraft owners who will not, under any circumstance, use parts from “salvaged” aircraft. I can truly understand this reasoning and the various causes for that thought process. Although I’m not sure if current regulations allow this; the company I worked for (many years ago) had hulls from fatal accidents and memories of sifting through cabins of those aircraft are permanently etched in my soul. That experience will definitely change the way you approach flying. For me, I could never use a part of an aircraft where someone lost their life.
It is my understanding it costs HBC exponentially more to provide the services then they were making on the sale of the parts. From what I’ve read, the employee hours dedicated to researching part numbers on aircraft they haven’t manufactured in over 30 years is astronomical. On the other side of that same coin, the price for “factory” parts is so high; the profit margin is surly enough to cover that same labor cost.
At the end of the day, unless you are a “bean counter” at HBC and know the actual Profit & Loss on the service charge versus part cost, all we have is speculation and sadness it has come to this.
Across the country government agencies and corporations of every size are creating new and innovative ways to tax consumers. It will come as no surprise if several other leading aircraft manufacturers follow HBC’s lead.
In Washington State, legislation recently enacted charges web based business an additional tax based on the amount of data transferred by subscribers watching streaming video on the website. Fortunately ours is a free aviation site, but other sites are feeling the additional pinch when it’s the last thing we need right now.
I would like to point out HBC could have charged much more for their services, and depending on the economy, wouldn’t rule that out.
Philip Wilson
-Aerorush.com
