Search Results for: Cessna 172

BendixKing announced that it is working on a supplemental type certificate for its AeroCruze 100 autopilot system for Mooney’s M20 series. The system was developed by TruTrak, which was acquired by Honeywell, BendixKing’s parent company, two years ago. BendixKing already has STCs for this autopilot system for Cessna 172, 175, 177, 180, 182 and 185 […]

Cessna 172N Skyhawk Broken Pushrod The #3 cylinder exhaust valve pushrod broke due to a valve stuck in the closed position. No marks were seen on the top of the piston through a borescope. The lifter came apart as a result of the broken pushrod but appears to have been operating properly previously. Part total […]

Every now and then, I come across an NTSB accident report that leaves me shaking my head. After absorbing the facts and the outcome, I want to reach out to grab the pilot and shake him—it’s always a “him”—into some more enlightened state of awareness regarding the possible consequences of his actions. So it is […]

I was recently listening to AOPA’s podcast There I Was… during my drive to work. For those who are not aware, it’s a podcast that invites us into the cockpit of aviators as they encounter unpredictable situations, and we learn from their experience to improve our own skills and aeronautical decision-making. After all, it is a […]

With the 2021 calendar changing from June to July, aviation’s year of economic recovery was already half over, and if the current state of the pre-owned aircraft market is any indication, that recovery is showing a healthy rate of climb as the industry and aviation community ascends out of the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. […]

Your last flight was 13 months ago, the coronavirus having curtailed your flying activities. Safely vaccinated, you’re itching to get back in the air but there are no instructors available where you normally fly at your home ‘drome. Instead, you have booked a few lessons with a new instructor quite a distance away at Van […]

Think about some of the performance numbers you use to operate your aircraft—climb or descent rates, airspeeds, and so on. In a jet, most of those numbers normally increase, significantly. In a Cessna 172, a descent rate of 3,100 fpm would be frightening to anyone on board, not to mention the nose down angle required […]

Beechcraft A36 Bonanza Damaged Camshaft Gear Teeth During climbout, pilot heard engine noise. At 6000 feet agl, engine was shut down and pilot landed at nearest airport. Engine tear down revealed approximately 12 cam gear teeth damaged on p/n 655516A. Part total time: Unknown Cessna 172M Skyhawk Premature Camshaft Wear During a 100-hour inspection, cylinder […]

April 1, 2021, Augusta, Kan. Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee 140 At about 1630 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing following an engine power loss. The two pilots aboard were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot-in-command reported that he was performing a practice VOR/DME-A instrument approach with a safety pilot. Shortly […]

While visiting France a few years ago, I found an Aero Club that would let me fly with one of their pilots. At the club I was introduced to M. Bus, a retired businessman. My French was barely better than his English, but we spoke the common language of aviation. The airplane was a Piper […]