Search Results for: Citation X

The winner of the 2005 Corporate Angel Network Raffle is Greg Cook of Makanda, Illinois. We can?t imagine a better story. The proceeds from the raffle benefit Corporate Angel Network, a non-profit organization that promotes and supports the transportation of cancer patients to remote treatment centers on corporate jets. CAN-member flight departments have flown more […]

If humans had been meant to fly at night, they would have been given better internal gyros.

Turbines, Plus Cirrus
I disagree with many of the points in Are Turbines Safer? (June 2005). To start, the argument that turbines are prohibitively expensive to fabricate is no longer true. Widely available and relatively inexpensive CNC machining equipment is easily capable of the necessary precision. When/if small (200-300 hp) turbines are built in the same numbers as piston engines, the manufacturing costs will end up being very similar (greater precision, but fewer parts).

The author says replacing piston engines with turbines wouldnt help safety. The assertion is that a higher-performance engine will cause people to be in more accidents (weather, loss of control). As ad…

Fly, Forrest, Fly!
Its spring here on the east coast, time when a young mans fantasies turn to flying. Unfortunately, some of those fantasies reportedly involve flying long distances without rudimentary flight planning or keeping tabs on the airplanes position and the airspace one might encounter.

So it was on May 11, when a Cessna 150 obliviously flew into the heart of the secure airspace surrounding the nations capital. The event involved a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) Black Hawk helicopter, a CPB Cessna Citation and two U.S. Air Force F-16s and thousands of panicked government employees. Thankfully, the incursion ended without further drama at the outlying Freder…

Pilots know to avoid getting behind large, heavy ones. But the wakes of smaller airplanes can be hazardous, too.

May 3, 2005, Bismarck, N.D.
Piper PA-31T
At about 2100 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged during an emergency landing on Runway 21 at the Bismarck Municipal Airport (BIS) in Bismarck, N.D. The right main landing gear failed to extend prior to landing and the left main gear collapsed during rollout. The airplane subsequently departed the runway pavement before coming to rest. Visual conditions prevailed, and neither the Private pilot nor the passenger reported injuries. The pilot elected to divert to BIS when the landing failed to extend prior to landing at his intended destination.

May 3, 2005, Kalispell, Mont.
Cessna T210N
The airplane w…

At 0914 Pacific time, the aircraft was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain short of Runway 12R at the North Las Vegas Airport. The Airline Transport pilot experienced an incapacitation event during the flight and was the only fatality. The two passengers received minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. After takeoff, the pilot started feeling ill and became incapacitated. The passenger in the cockpits right seat took over flying the airplane and flew it to the North Las Vegas airport where it impacted terrain while on final approach to land….

January 1, 2005, Ainsworth, Neb.
Cessna 551 Citation
At around 1120 Central time, the aircraft was substantially damaged during an in-flight collision with terrain while attempting to land. Instrument conditions prevailed; the Instrument-rated Private pilot and three passengers were uninjured. Two passengers reported minor injuries. At 1113:16, the airplane was cleared for a GPS Runway 17 approach. The pilot later stated that the airplane started to accumulate ice at around 4000 feet msl during the approach. Subsequently, the airplane descended out of IMC at between 300 and 400 feet agl. The Citations cockpit windows were obscured by the accumulation of ice and the pilot e…

December 1, 2004, Lees Summit, Mo.
Piper PA-28-181
At 1200 Central time, the rental airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Lees Summit Municipal Airport (LXT). Visual conditions prevailed; there were no injuries. The local flight originated from LXT at 1030.The pilots preflight inspection included checking the fuel gauges and the fuel level in each tank, which was just under the tabs. After a touch-and-go landing at a nearby airport, he climbed and headed to the east. A few minutes later, the engine sputtered just a little. He applied carburetor heat, and the engine smoothed out. He returned to the nearby airport, landed and performed a ru…