Search Results for: Lear 45

Hold on. I know the title is trite. Your enthusiasm for reading further may be at a low point, but hang on for a minute. I mean to persuade you that this is something other than a cliched rehash of admonishments to stabilize your approach. It is hard to believe that, after flying continuously for […]

You may think an airplane as complex as the Evolution doesn’t belong in the amateur-built world. But for a company like Redmond, Oregon-based Lancair International, which has decades of experience producing complex airplane kits, the concept makes total sense. With the Evolution, Lancair has incorporated Part 23 certification procedures into its successful kit business to […]

The following article is from the January 2005 print issue. “Nope,” I said. “No way. There’s no way that a turn downwind, or upwind, or in any other direction, is any different from a turn in still air.” “Well, sonny,” said the Old-Timer, “maybe out your way the air’s made of different stuff. But I’ve […]

The airplane was destroyed at about 1145 Eastern time upon impacting Croatan Sound during a go-around at a nearby airport. The private pilot was fatally injured and the passenger sustained minor injuries. Instrument conditions prevailed; the airplane was operating on an IFR clearance.

A time-honored pre-flight inspection ritual is sampling an aircraft’s fuel tanks. The idea, of course, is to drain a quantity from each sump, which usually mounted at a tank’s lowest point, into a clear container, then examine the fuel for contamination and quality: Is it the same stuff that’s supposed to be in the tanks? Are water or other contaminants present? Is it even fuel? In my flying career, at least, it’s rare to find a problem with a fuel sample. But I’ve been quite shocked on a few occasions to find nothing but some very nasty-looking water in a tank or two, which demanded further investigation. Yet, I’ve seen pilots walk up to an airplane for the first flight of the day, kick the tires, light the fires and launch without sumping. Truth be told, I’ve probably done it a couple of times, too. But it’s a bad idea. Here’s why, and what can happen when we fail to sump fuel tanks and ensure we have clean, correct fuel.

The Collier Trophy honors the outstanding achievement in aerospace during the previous year, and 2012, as you’ll see from these nominees, was a year of innovation for the ages. Also, a look at Collier awards for achievements that didn’t work out as planned.

At approximately 1950 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain after a loss of control during climb. The non-instrument-rated private pilot was fatally injured. Instrument conditions prevailed. At 1939, ATC cleared the pilot to take off from a nearby towered airport. Subsequently, he contacted a different ATC facility to request VFR flight-following services and was advised to squawk a beacon code of “5576” but, at 1950, before the airplane was radar identified, the pilot radioed, “I’m in trouble.”

One thing we should have learned during our primary training is to always have an “out” or backup plan for when things don’t go according to plan. On any given flight, I typically have a smart phone with various aviation apps, an iPad with even more, a mounted Garmin 396 and a handheld radio. I would say most pilots have at least one, if not several of the above. Most of the time, everything in the panel works well and I can fumble my way to the destination without too much assistance from the portable devices surrounding me.But every now and then, we need a little “help.” The need can stem from a failed vacuum/pressure system and unreliable gyros, a total or partial electrical failure or simply a single instrument giving erroneous indications. Without going into too many specifics about hardware, brands and apps, let’s step through what it takes for an appropriate portable or handheld device to be a functional backup in your time of need, something I call “gadget flight rules,” or GFR.

The moon seemed to take itself so seriously that it paid little attention to us. Though less than a quarter of its full self, it looked down with indifference at our little ship as it hurtled through the cosmos. This lack of concern was a boon, it turned out, for the low moonlight allowed the […]

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