Search Results for: Cessna 172

The old saying tells us you cant be cleared for takeoff until the gross weight of the paperwork exceeds that of the aircraft. That hasnt changed much since Flight Service received reports on Teletypes necessitating cryptic abbreviations to conserve precious bandwidth on 75-baud lines. Calling Flight Service used to be required to file a flight plan and get a weather review from a specialist with information unavailable anywhere else. Technology has changed all that.

I’ve seen enough over the past few years to reach the conclusion that self-driving cars going mainstream is now a matter of when rather than if. The advanced technology in today’s production vehicles is helping to pave the way. While I haven’t had the chance to use the autopilot feature in a Tesla electric vehicle, […]

According to the pilot, about 10 minutes into an otherwise-normal the flight, the engine began to run rough. The pilot adjusted the power controls, but the engine started to backfire and continued to lose power. He made a spiraling descent from about 1000 feet agl and maneuvered the airplane to land on a paved area of a driving track. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a fence. The pilot stated the engine continued to operate throughout the landing and landing roll until the airplane struck the fence.

The Ocean Reef Vintage Weekend, which started in 1994, attracts dozens of vintage airplanes, cars and yachts. The collection continues to grow each year. For the first few years, only a handful of airplanes flew into the airstrip at the private Key Largo, Florida, community. For the most recent event, in early December, 2016, nearly […]

Perhaps we should cut right to the life-saving takeaway: If youre engine-out in a typical single and gliding into a headwind of 15 knots or more, pitching down to at least 10 knots over published best glide speed will probably extend your glide range. This is true down to short final. Holding best glide into a headwind on short final and see you clearly wont make it? Pitch down and see if that improves things. Just remember to slow back to your normal procedures for the actual landing, using or shedding those extra knots as necessary.

In the aftermath of its investigations into recent midair collisions the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in November released guidance for pilots stressing the inherent limitations of the long-standing see-and-avoid practice and urging adoption of technological solutions. The NTSBs guidance is found in Safety Alert SA-058, Prevent Midair Collisions: Dont Depend on Vision Alone. The Safety Alert is available in the PDF file format free for the download at tinyurl.com/SAF058.

Have you encountered a situation or hazardous condition that yielded lessons on how to better manage the risks involved in flying? Do you have an experience to share with Aviation Safetys readers about an occasion that taught you something significant about ways to conduct safer flight operations? If so, we want to hear about it.

Garmin just announced G1000 NXi, a faster, modernized successor avionics suite to the G1000 integrated flight deck that made its debut in 2004. The avionics maker’s receipt of an FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) clears the way to begin installing NXi systems in the King Air 200 next month, with approval for the King Air […]

John Mugavin is made of rare stuff. This stocky, hugely talented, successful and gutsy guy is also as friendly and “old shoe” as they come. Mugavin is a familiar name around here for both the primo auto-body shop he owns and operates, and his fame as a dirt-track driver. Twenty-five years after building his first […]

Growing up, I enjoyed Vietnam War helicopter-pilot memoirs, like Robert Masons Chickenhawk. U.S. Army Air Cavalry helos were a lifeline for American troops, but clear landing zones were rare in the deep jungle. Pilots got creative when wounded soldiers and critical supplies were on the line. Mason describes literally hacking down trees with the main rotor of his UH-1 Huey to land where he needed to be.