Search Results for: Cessna 172

Aircraft Analysis

Engine-Related

They say flying is hours and hours of boredom punctuated by a few fleeting moments of occasional terror. For the pilot flying a single, maybe it starts as a vibration you’re pretty sure you’ve never felt before, or as a slight pulse of the engine, a muffled thump, popping or a stumble. Maybe your airspeed has dropped off, and the gauges aren’t indicating what they should, or where you left them. The good news is engines rarely stop completely without warning. The bad news? Odds are, if it gets this far into the process of trying to get your attention about a fuel-related issue, things are poised to get more interesting rapidly.

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News

NTSB: Controller at Fault for Takeoff Near Collision

The near miss between the 172 and an Embraer Regional Jet at Gulfport-Biloxi (Mississippi) Airport last year was caused by the controller handling the flights, according to the NTSB. The two airplanes were both cleared to take off, the 172 on Runway 18 and moments later the ERJ on intersecting Runway 14. The airplanes missed […]

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Pilot Proficiency

Airline Pilot Fantasy

Carol and I met Nick after accidentally parking our Cherokee Six in his spot. The spot was reserved for Key West Seaplane’s amphibian Cessna 206. It was Christmas Day. Because the FBO was closed, the ramp had become a semichaotic aluminum mess. After we adjusted a few airplane positions, Nick and I exchanged business cards […]

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News

LA Flight School Owner Arrested on Visa Fraud Charges

Federal immigration officials on Wednesday arrested a Southern California woman accused of helping foreign nationals fraudulently apply for student visas to attend her Los Angeles-area flight school. Karena Chuang, 28, of Lake Elsinore, California, was charged with allegedly orchestrating a scheme that allowed citizens from Egypt, Sri Lanka and Taiwan to enter the U.S. for […]

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Pilot Proficiency

Going Direct: Stepping Up

(October 2011) Those of us who have been around airplanes for any length of time understand the concept of stepping up, whereby a nonpilot becomes a pilot, learns to fly in a certain brand of airplane and then remains loyal to that brand while gaining experience and moving up through the model lineup to bigger, […]

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Pilot Proficiency

Technicalities: Something for Nothing

(June 2011) In the February issue, Robert Goyer reported on a project to convert Cessna Skyhawks to electric power. Many Skyhawks are used as trainers, and training flights seldom last more than 90 minutes; so batteries, though notoriously lacking in stamina, might be an adequate power source for this application. Parenthetically, Robert mentioned that wingtip […]

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I.L.A.F.F.T

I Learned About Flying From That: A Memorable Day

__My wife’s sister invited my wife and I to spend Memorial Day weekend with her and her husband in Cape May, New Jersey. An early summer visit to the Jersey shore sounded like fun, plus I could fly us there in our Cessna Skyhawk. Our plan was to fly out on Saturday, spend a couple […]

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Unicom

Physics 101

In Aprils “Using Ground Effect,” I think the author made an inaccurate and misleading statement concerning the aerodynamics of ground effect. The article wrongly asserts Newtons equal and opposite force has different effects when operating close to the ground as opposed to at altitude. He states, “At altitude, of course, theres no reaction between this downward forced air and the wing because theres nothing against which it can react.” If this were true, an airplane wing would not be able to fly when at altitude and only achieve lift when close to the ground.

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Aircraft

Aftermath: Delayed Reaction

(March 2010) — The girlfriend of a student pilot, eager to see how his flying skills were coming along — he had recently soloed — arranged to accompany him and his instructor on a flight. They took off in a 172 on a beautiful June evening. She was sitting behind her boyfriend, who was in […]

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Pilot in aircraft
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