Search Results for: Cessna 172

When buying your first airplane, it’s time to ‘think outside the box.’

Adjusting to the demands of summertime flying.

October 1, 2022, Hermantown, Minn. Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP At 2317 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain after an apparent loss of control in instrument conditions. The instrument-rated commercial pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries. An IFR flight plan had been filed. As the flight taxied for takeoff, […]

Owning an aircraft is an empowering experience. Winged assets in your hip pocket can open up all kinds of opportunities and adventures free of many concerns associated with traditional clubs and aircraft rental operations. It’s also an awesome responsibility, often isn’t kind to your wallet and can bring many new and unanticipated challenges. For one […]

Have you ever been so cold your fingers got numb? Ever freeze your feet numb? This is the beginning of frostbite, in case you didn’t know. Which I totally didn’t, the first time my feet went numb while ice skating outdoors in Minnesota. It was -30 degrees F and I was playing hockey with the […]

If the airplane is safe and mechanically sound, a Stinson that’s a bit shabby opens it up to buyers of modest means.

Airborne communications failures can be uncomfortable at best. It’s eerie hearing the radios go quiet when they should be bustling with transmissions, and you can’t tell anyone about your plight. It gets even worse when it’s a sign of something more serious, like an electrical system failure. It’s here where you must let good judgment […]

Yes, we’d done as we were told. The hushed voice on the phone had promised a copy the 2019 Golden File from the Official Office of Plane Safety (OOPS)—the nearly magical file that contained that august organization’s conclusions as to which nonfatal aircraft accidents were the result of the most boneheaded moves by people who […]

While our personal airplanes may suffer failures, they are rarely as bad as we might imagine.

A celebration of basic flight