Search Results for: bellanca

The tiny, private dirt strip, 1,800 feet long, was way out in the boondocks. Oriented north to south, it was parallel to an ­unpaved county road and screened by a line of trees. By the other side of the strip to the east was a small crescent-shaped lake. Pine woods surrounded both, cleared for a few […]

The engines powering the vast majority of personal airplanes are air-cooled. This means they dont have a radiator and a liquid-based system like most automobiles we might drive to the airport. Yes, piston powerplants like those in the Rotax line, as well as many diesel engines designed for aircraft, are liquid cooled. But these more modern designs are in a distinct minority. In fact, besides the metallurgy, the basic configuration of aircraft piston engines has changed little since before World War II: Flat, horizontally opposed or radial designs from that era predominate.

The National Transportation Safety Board archives reveal some serious considerations for general aviation pilots who venture out into ANY unfamiliar condition. Lets examine a couple of noteworthy accidents using some of the highest caliber weather products available to meteorologists. Using these tools, well try to figure out where things went wrong. Unfortunately, todays tools and the expertise behind them werent available to the pilots involved in the accidents. But we can use this knowledge to find lessons that can be learned for pilots who might someday find themselves immersed in similar predicaments.

At about 1225 Central time, the gyrocopter was destroyed when it collided with power lines while maneuvering. The solo private pilot sustained serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed.The gyrocopter had impacted 30-foot-high power lines, breaking two of them. The pilot’s headgear showed thermal damage to the faceshield and soot was evident inside of the shield and around the face relief of the helmet, consistent with electrical arcing. The engine appeared to be mostly intact and fuel was present.

It’s not often that a grounded airplane design returns to the skies, but such will be the case for a Windecker Eagle currently in restoration. The airplane was designed in the 1960s. It was the first composite airplane to achieve certification and one of the first, if not the first, airplanes certified under Part 23 […]

I was westbound on a sunny day just south of Duluth, Minn., when the following conversation regarding situational awareness occurred:Delta 2234: Minneapolis Center, Delta Twenty-two Thirty-four. What is the large lake in front of me?Minneapolis Center: Uh, which one? Minnesota license plates do say, Land of 10,000 Lakes. Delta 2234: The one at my 12 oclock.Center (annoyed or flabbergasted, Im not sure): Uh, Lake Superior!Delta 2234: Oh, Wow!There was a brief period of radio silence likely due to Center employees rolling on the floor laughing and crying at the same time.

Crew observed right main landing gear unsafe indication on extension at destination. Emergency gear extension procedures did not result in safe indication. After landing, right main gear collapsed as aircraft came to a stop. Significant damage was discovered to the right main gear actuator support structure.

At about 2055 Eastern time, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power while in cruise flight. The pilot subsequently made an off-airport forced landing to a pasture and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward portion of the fuselage, both wings and the rudder. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

One of the most dramatic demonstrations of the ways in which airplanes handle differently as speed drops came several years ago at the hands of a Bellanca Super Decathlon. I was getting some dual, but was having trouble adjusting to its lack of wing flaps. Normally, when I want to slow down, I throw out the landing gear and then the flaps. Since none of that was working with the Super-D, my landing approaches were all over the place as I wrestled with how it managed energy.

March 1, 2014, Marlboro, Mass. Piper PA-11S Cub SpecialAccording to the pilot, he was regaining his 90-day passenger-carrying privileges; his most recent flight was about five months earlier. He had performed one landing successfully. On the second landing, the airplane touched down on all three wheels and was decelerating. The airplane subsequently veered to the left, […]