Search Results for: Lear 45

One clear, smooth night about 35 years ago, I was flying a load of passengers over Virginias Blue Ridge Mountains enroute from Dayton, Ohio, Washington, D.C. Suddenly, the Convair started losing altitude – big time. The airspeed dropped 60 knots in what seemed like just a couple of seconds.

I jammed the throttles as far forward as I could get them, heard the throaty roar of the two Pratt & Whitney engines as they ramped up to full power – but absolutely nothing happened.

I didnt know it at the time, but the combination of winds and jagged terrain below were teaching me my first lesson about mountain flying.

Just as suddenly as it began, the airplane stopped descending and righted…

At the end of an excellent article on engine-out procedures and preparation for landing [Reality Check, April], Wally Miller states: … fly the airplane … trim for best guide speed and do not give up an inch of altitude.

I am somewhat perplexed by that statement. if you lose and engine, I always felt that you should pitch the plane up to the best glidespeed, thereby gaining altitude.

I fly a Mooney 201 which cruises at 145 to 150 KIAS. My best glide speed is 85 KIAS. If I lost an engine, I would pull the nose up and immediately trim the plane for 85 KIAS. During the pitch up and trim, I would gain several hundred of feet of altitude, which could buy me a better landing spot. I…

The following briefs were selected from the 98 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in January 2000. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed. Click here to view “Accident Totals, January.”

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Jan. 2, Telluride, Colo.
Cessna Golden Eagle
At approximately 09:50 MST, a Cessna 421B crashed while maneuvering near Telluride. IMC prevailed but the pilot was not instrument rated and had not filed a flight plan. The flight had departed Montrose, Colo., approximately 30 minutes before the accident, en route to El Paso, Texas….

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. Click here to view “Airworthiness Directives.”

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American General AA-5A Cheetah
Poor Engine Performance
The aircraft owner reported the engine performance deteriorated during flight.A mechanic discovered the carburetor bowl was not attached tightly to the throttle body. Even though the locking-tab washers under the attachment screws were properly installed, the screws were loose. The gasket may have shrunk or the attachment screws were not properly tightened during installation, allowing excessive air to be dr…

Confront a pilot with a statement like, You pilots are a smug bunch and you probably wont get much argument. Truth is, ego is part of the game.

As the pages in the logbook accumulate, the feelings of been there, done that grow too. Not quickly, perhaps, but insidiously. The eye of experience heralds the look of confidence.

While experience sometimes leads to complacency, most pilots take their responsibility seriously – even enjoy it and the ongoing training and quest for proficiency that comes with the pilot certificate. Conscientiousness may be admirable, but sadly it sometimes is not enough. Mistakes do happen, and sometimes they happen at the worst possible time.

The owner…

Very seldom does instrument training adequately prepare a pilot for flying in actual weather. While an instrument rating gives you the ability to fly in the clouds, the wisdom of knowing what to avoid is more difficult to earn. One weather situation that seldom comes up during training but that greatly increases the risk for the pilot is heavy rain.

The biggest risks of flying in heavy rain are the associated windshears, downdrafts and visual illusions. The problem can be particularly difficult during approach, where you have limited ability to divert unless you abandon the approach entirely.

Heavy rain showers, especially close to decision height, can be very distracting and furthe…

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. Click here to view “Airworthiness Directives.”

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The FAA has approved Exxon Aviation Oil Elite 20W-50 for use in Lycoming O-320-H and O-360-E series engines as fulfilling the requirements of AD 80-04-03R2 – making it the third oil approved as an alternative method of compliance.

The AD was aimed at preventing excessive wear and oil contamination due to spalling of the hydraulic lifters. It requires operators to add a Lycoming-approved oil additive at each 50-hour oil change. In 1987, the FAA determined that Aeroshell Oil W…

The new private pilot was on fourth flight with passengers in a Cessna 172. In his first landing attempt he was long and went around. During the process the airplane was observed performing strangely.

On the second attempt the pilot again landed long and again attempted to go-around. He added full power but did not retract the flaps from fully extended, whereupon the aircraft pitched up, stalled and crashed.

The two long landings were bad enough, implying both inadequate training and substandard proficiency, but the problem had even deeper roots. The NTSB investigator found only two entries in the pilots logbook regarding go-around training. Both were pre-solo. The pilot also had n…

Aviation, its been said, is intolerant of carelessness or neglect. Most pilots are concerned about their safety, at least to some extent, and pay more than lip service to keeping their skills sharp and their airplane worthy.

As human beings, however, its impossible to know everything about the airplane, the pilot, the trip and the weather. Trust is an inherent part of flying. You trust your mechanic to have competently maintained the airplane. You trust the briefer to provide you with a reasonably accurate picture of the weather en route. You trust controllers to sequence you safely and FAA technicians to properly maintain nav aids.

While many people think of flying as you against…

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. Click here to view “Airworthiness Directives.”

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As the result of a fatal stall/spin accident in Canada, the FAA is issuing Airworthiness Alert 2720 for Cessna 150/152s manufactured after 1966. In July 1998, a Cessna 152 with a student and flight instructor failed to recover from an intentional spin. A 150/152 should recover from a spin by simply releasing the flight controls.

Examination of the wreckage showed the rudder jammed past its normal travel limit.

A 50-hour inspection was completed the day before the acciden…