Search Results for: general aviation inc

Theres no going back-we are in an era of high-tech avionics and cockpit automation. Even some LSAs are sporting “glass” cockpits and simple autopilots; cross-country airplanes sport panels and equipment unheard of even in high-end turbines scant years ago, and the turbines themselves are becoming more accessible to owner-pilots. Even the most capable of these airplanes, however, has its automation limitations. Proper operation and constant monitoring of automated systems remains the responsibility of well-trained and emergency-current pilots. On April 19, 2008, a Cessna Citation Mustang suffered substantial damage when its pilot ground-looped the light jet to prevent a runway overshoot at Carlsbad, Calif. According to the NTSBs preliminary report, this was an intentional act to prevent going off a cliff past the end of the runway after the pilot landed “fast” and beyond the mid-point of Carlsbads 4600-foot available landing surface. The pilots quick action may be credited with sparing injury (or worse) to the four people on board.

Long known internally-and increasingly externally-simply as ‘The Jet,’ Cirrus’ single-engine turbofan now has an official name. The Cirrus Vision SJ50 harks back to one of Alan and Dale Klapmeiers’ first products, the mid-engine, rear prop-driven ST50. First conceived as a kitplane, the ST50 never went to production, but formed a backdrop for Cirrus’s highly successful […]

Phil Boyer, the ex-television executive who has served as president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for the past 18 years, will retire at year’s end. Replacing Boyer, pending a September vote by trustees, will be Craig Fuller, described by AOPA as “an experienced Washington public affairs executive and political operative.” Fuller is also […]

From an NTSB preliminary report on an accident involving a Piper PA-46-500TP (Meridian turboprop single): “An eyewitness, a retired Navy instructor pilot, located about one half-mile northwest of the accident site, reported observing the accident airplane descending through the overcast about 1227. The airplane leveled off about 300 feet above ground level (agl) and turned […]

With all of the talk in the financial media about a housing bubble, or a credit bubble — and we all remember the tech bubble — I have been wondering if there was an airplane bubble? I suppose there is a specific definition of a financial bubble somewhere in academia, but I would define a […]

Cirrus Design Corp. and Frasca International have teamed to update one of Cirrus’ two Frasca flight training devices (FTDs) to incorporate the new Perspective avionics from Garmin. Training is now available at Cirrus’s Duluth, Minnesota, factory. Announced at the EBACE show in Switzerland, the new avionics suite includes Garmin’s synthetic vision technology and a center […]

It happens every summer. Temperatures rise and with them so does density altitude. It may seem we should simply avoid flying when the density altitude (DA) creeps up, but this would be very short-sighted-although there are some hazards warranting a delay when the air heats up (thunderstorms and desert turbulence among them), the fact is we can safely fly in most high-density-altitude conditions. Doing it, however, requires some technique and some compromise. We all learned the basics of density altitude when we first learned to fly. But what are the practical techniques necessary to maximize airplane-and pilot-performance when hot and high? And when do we need to employ them? What is high density altitude? Its really a function of the airplanes capabilities…and those of the pilot. Youll find Piper Cubs and Cessna 150s flying out of Leadville, Colo., (elevation 9927 feet msl), yet hear of DA-related accidents involving much more powerful airplanes at much lower altitudes. Air density increases to “high” levels in summers heat, even at relatively low-altitude airports. When you consider that maximum available power drops by about 10 percent for every 3000 feet of density altitude increase above sea level (in naturally aspirated engines), even flat-land flyers need to compensate for power lost due to high DA in summer.

Theres no way the FAA can come up with a regulation covering every possible scenario, which is a good thing. If they did, wed rarely be able to roll our airplanes out of their hangars except on the clearest of days when no airliners were about. So, the FARs set certain minimum standards for pilots and once we determine were in compliance, its up to us to decide if the proposed operation is safe, morally acceptable and non-fattening. Or something like that. Frequently what we want to do complies with both the FARs letter and spirit. Sometimes its borderline; certainly legal but safe only if everything goes our way and nothing on the airplane breaks. And then, there are occasions when the proposed operation is both legal but really not smart.

I didn’t sleep very well. I kept going over the DUAT weather briefing in my mind trying to make it read better than I knew it did. I was scheduled to fly the short flight over to Exxel Avionics at Hartford (Connecticut)-Brainard Airport (KHFD) to have the biennial IFR certification performed on my Cardinal. In […]

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) announced it is releasing the first of a series of web-based air crew briefing sites designed to familiarize visiting pilots with airports’ unique features. The inaugural airport for Safety 1st is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country, Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey. The result […]