Search Results for: Cessna 172

I remember, back when I lived in Kentucky, watching news coverage one evening of a midair collision that had occurred that day. The TV news reporter was giving his report on the accident while standing in front of a tied-down Piper Archer at the local airport. The Archer had foam-backed, silver, reflective sunshades in all […]

The control yoke was binding when turned left approximately 45 degrees. Upon inspecting the aileron control system, a screw was found lodged in a pulley groove and the cable (p/n 106-524044-19) was damaged. The aircraft had flown 2.0 hours since its last annual inspection. The screw appeared to be a floor panel screw.

Centurion, the German company controlling the former Thielert diesel aircraft engine design, announced it has received a supplemental type certificate for its Centurion 2.0s on the Cessna 172F. The 2.0s is an upgraded version of the original 2.0 — the new version has 20 more horsepower. Issued on May 21, the approval was granted by […]

On a cool, pastel-gray morning that was typical for the city of Syracuse, New York, a wide-eyed 6-year-old boy clambered up the stairs that led to the entry door of a Lockheed Electra. With Mom at his side, the boy was given a tour of the cockpit by the crew. At the completion of the […]

Whether you prefer to call it a “near-miss” or a “near-collision,” no Cessna 172 pilot wants to see a Boeing 737-700 passing 200 feet below. On April 19, a Southwest Airlines flight was landing on Runway 8 at Burbank (Calif.) Bob Hope Airport as a pilot in a Skyhawk was performing touch-and-goes on Runway 15. […]

When we talk about flight training safety, we usually refer to the steps an instructor can take to ensure a lesson is not marred by an incident or accident. However, there are also operational considerations that can contribute to flight training safety. I recently had a chance to talk with Dana Siewert, the director of […]

Everybody talks about crosswind practice, but few pilots do anything about it. Crosswinds are the number one factor in weather-related accidents, and even far more in-motion aviation insurance claims. The answer to handling crosswinds is usually to…practice crosswinds. Theres no question that practice makes one (at least closer to) perfect. And, as is the case with most other maneuvers we attempt when flying aircraft, landing in crosswinds requires the artful combination of a number of individual skills. As with so many elements of learning to fly and maintaining proficiency, there are several of ways to develop and improve your crosswind skills. You dont necessarily have to practice them in an actual crosswind, but you do need to be ready to combine them on the day when things are strong and gusty, and not aligned with the runway. Here are five exercises you and your CFI can use to develop better crosswind landing skills.

Transport Canada (TC) in late 2009 issued a Service Difficulty Alert detailing failure of a parked aircrafts control yoke that broke during high-wind conditions. A complete fracture occurred between the yoke pivot area and the elevator attachment point due to severe internal corrosion. A 2001 Cessna service bulletin provides instructions for creating an inspection hole, recommending annual inspection and corrosion treatment.

Our crew began to assemble in the lobby of the Barcelona hotel. Outside on the street, pilots and flight attendants from the arriving flight collected their bags from behind the jitney bus that had driven them from the airport. They shuffled into the hotel. One of the arriving flight attendants murmured something about the electronic […]

In my 45-year flying career I have been fortunate to experience many of the different ways to earn money as a pilot. Occasionally I am asked what the best flying job is. I have to answer, “That depends. … It depends on the kind of person you are, what kind of flying you like to […]