Search Results for: air store

The crack of thunder was ear splitting and air clearing; you could smell the electricity. Though the rain had diminished from its torrential pace, there was little doubt that this thunderstorm was directly above us. Not one second of interval between flash of lightning and thwack of thunder was detectable. How pleased I was that […]

The most frequent complaint I hear from pilots transitioning into turbine airplanes, particularly jets, is that the simulator doesn’t fly like the airplane. All say they can fly the real airplane just fine, but the simulator just isn’t the same. Welcome to the world of jet pilots. It is true that a simulator, no matter […]

When a vintage P-51C Mustang crashed in May 2004, supporters immediately launched emergency fundraising for the “Red Tail Project” in a max effort dedicated to getting the World War II fighter back into the sky. The Mustang had been painted in the colors of the Tuskegee Airmen, complete with their signature blood-red tail section, and […]

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the Country Inn and Suites, 6 p.m., July 27th. In the hotel pool, a lone six-year-old blonde boy cavorts under the watchful eye of his father. The dad and I get to talking. He’s Greg Brandes, here with his son, John. This is Greg’s 35th consecutive Oshkosh; he’s been bringing John […]

Every once in a while life intrudes on this love affair I have with airplanes, and I feel like that bewildered soldier at Little Big Horn: “Mr. Custer, what are we doing here?” How often did I gaze out the window of some FAA office (when they were still on airports), angry, frustrated or scared […]

Last August I was flying home from Quebec City, passing through the tops of some clouds at 8,000 feet when some sparkling crystals on my OAT probe caught my eye. That’s the first place I look when I suspect ice; but on this summer day it caught me a bit by surprise. The tops of […]

Hangar wits at a loss for an original joke sometimes fall back on the time-tested quip that a liquid-cooled airplane makes as much sense as an air-cooled submarine. When several of them (wits, not submarines) are present, the observation that the problem with electric airplanes is that the extension cord gets twisted cannot be far […]

Overnight or weekend flights probably require only light packing, but a week-long vacation jaunt — or longer — can tax many airplanes’ baggage capacity. Especially if all or most of the seats are full. As an alternative, consider shipping most of your luggage ahead to your destination, saving a small bag for essentials you might […]

Aircraft tires often don’t get the attention they deserve. They can be tough to inspect during preflight, especially if well concealed by wheelpants. Because they hold relatively low volumes of air compared with automotive tires, they are more prone to changes in pressure brought on by temperature changes in the ambient air. That’s less of […]

When we landed after our first trip from New Jersey to visit family in Kentucky, the first thing my wife, Leslie, did was hitch a ride to the local dollar store. She spent close to $50 on an arsenal of airplane-friendly toys to ensure our then-four-year-old twin boys would be well occupied on the trip […]