Search Results for: Lear 45

[IMGCAP(1)]Check the ads for used airplanes and its pretty clear that most buyers are looking for a 1970s era airplane with low airframe and engine time. The Holy Grail, it seems, is a mid- to late-70s model with under 2,000 hours.

Although the buyers intent is usually to find an airplane that has been well cared for, there are some cases where low time means neglected. Furthermore, many owners rely on operating hours when scheduling maintenance, not accepting the fact that many parts also need attention after the passage of time, even if the airplane has been on the ground.

The buyer of a 1975 Cessna 177RG thought hed found a good deal when he bought the airplane Dec. 30, 1999….

The following briefs were selected from the 119 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in September 2001. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed.

Sept. 01, Carson City, Nev.
Piper Dakota
At 19:53 Pacific time, a Piper PA-28-235 lost power while on approach to Carson Airport and crashed into the back yard of a residence. The pilot, the passenger and a resident of the property who was standing in the yard were seriously injured. The pilot told an FAA inspector he switched fuel tanks as he approached the airport and the engine lost power as he turned on base leg. Attem…

The following briefs were selected from the 136 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in March 2002. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed.

March 01, Austin, Texas
Beech Bonanza
At 1641 central time, a Beech A36 crashed during a missed approach at Austin Bergstrom International Airport, killing the pilot and passenger. The pilot was cleared for the ILS Runway 17L approach and maintained the localizer and glidepath until near the approach end of the runway. At that point, the pilot declared a missed approach and the tower issued missed approach instructions. The ai…

I just read Ken Ibolds article, Pick Your Potion [Training, April]. I started flying in 1986 and can appreciate a lot of the arguments made by people regarding CFIs. However, Ive been a CFI for seven months now and can appreciate what its like on the other side of the fence also.

I now realize how hard, tiring, stressful and sometimes tedious it can be instructing. I work part time at the local airport and can attest to the low pay received. As Mr. Ibold pointed out, its only received when instructing – not for paperwork or waiting for the student to do their pre-flight inspection.

When asked how much I get paid to instruct, Im embarrassed to say. Still, there is no excuse for…

The circling approach should be the easiest maneuver in an instrument-rated pilots repertoire of skills.

Its really just an IFR descent to get beneath the clouds and then a visual approach to the landing runway – in essence a VFR pattern, but at roughly half the usual pattern altitude. Yet NTSB data shows that circling approaches account for about 30 accidents per year, most of them fatal. Since 1983 there have been 577 accidents due to circling instrument approaches. A review of the record shows that three major causes stand out: circling below minimums, steep turns to stay within the runway environment, and beginning the final descent before acquiring the proper glide path.

Recal…

The next generation of training devices look and feel more like real simulators. Thats a big improvement, but theyre still not perfect.

Buzzing and hot-dogging are the leading spin scenarios, often by highly qualified pilots who ought to know better.

The following briefs were selected from the 99 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in February 2002. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed.

Feb. 03, Joshua Tree, Calif.
Beech Baron
At 0953 Pacific time, a Beech 95-B55 was damaged in an off-airport landing following a loss of power while on approach to Joshua Tree Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot, with about 600 hours in the airplane, said the airplane had come out of its annual inspection just over four flight hours earlier. The engines lost power in the traffic pattern. Both auxiliar…

[IMGCAP(1)]One of the most basic tenets in aviation is that an airplane ought to take off and land into the wind. Yet each year the accident statistics show that some pilots refuse to follow this basic rule. And each year the tailwind factor results in bent aluminum, injured passengers, or worse.

Right off well acknowledge that there are occasions when a downwind departure is necessary. For example it is quite common due to ATC traffic flow and airport congestion at large terminals such as JFK, LaGuardia, Teterboro or Washingtons Reagan National. Then there are airports such as Aspen, Colo., with a mandatory downhill departure on runway 33 – often with tailwinds – due to surrounding t…

A pilot we know usually starts (and often completes) his preflight in the car on the way to the airport. He calls Flight Service from the cell phone. He pulls the airplane out of the T-hangar, makes sure its got both wings and still has a propeller, and away he goes.

Most pilots are a bit more diligent, calling Flight Service before leaving home or the office and conducting a more thorough walk-around before parking the car in the hangar and heading out. Some are downright anal-retentive about it, plotting the weather for days before a flight and conducting a 100-hour inspection before lighting the fire.

Over the recent Thanksgiving holiday, I was reminded of how many different faces…