Search Results for: oxygen

Sonex Aircraft has completed the initial series of flight tests of the SubSonex JSX-2 personal jet, flying the diminutive single-seater for the first time on July 10 from the company’s home base in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, ahead of its public debut later this month at AirVenture. “Its flight characteristics can be summed up in two words: […]

A fractional ownership firm out of Atlanta, which currently offers six Cirrus SR22 GTS airplanes to its owners, has announced it is opening up a second location in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The expansion will happen in August, the company said, but customers have already signed up at the new location, which will offer two Cirrus […]

We regularly see non-turbocharged piston singles cruising in the 4500-6500-foot range, even when wind and weather aren’t operational considerations. Meanwhile, a few thousand feet higher, the ride’s better—as is visibility—there’s better comm and navaid reception, and likely a lot less traffic. So, why do some pilots of personal airplanes prefer to cruise at lower-than-optimum altitudes? Why do others go as high as they reasonably can for the trip length? Is the extra time and fuel worth climbing a few more thousand feet?

One of the pleasures of this job is hearing from readers. Some write to correct my errors or to note my omissions. Some are hostile, though the population recommending my immediate consignment to the infernal fires has for some reason dwindled in recent years. Maybe they went first. Some ask questions. Some of the questions […]

A teenager who climbed into the wheel well of a Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 767 survived a flight from California to Hawaii on Sunday despite freezing temperatures and a lack of oxygen as the jetliner cruised for hours at FL380. FBI and airline officials said the 16-year-old boy was questioned after he climbed down from the […]

Imagine sliding open the door to your hangar, unplugging the power cable snaking from your airplane to a quick-charging station on the wall and taking to the sky in a sleek four-seater powered only by the smooth, quiet, nonpolluting whir of an electric motor connected to rows of lithium battery packs nestled in the wing. […]

Driving from Tampa, Florida, to KPBI for class at JetSuite’s Palm Beach base, Phil Smith and I are reunited for one last time. Indoc and sim partners for almost a month, we are both about to fly as first officers for the first time; each of us has been assigned to a “B” captain for […]

We pilots love engines and with good reason. We rely on their continued trouble-free operation to keep us flying safely. Perhaps more to the point, without engines, flight would never have gone far, and it can be argued that every noteworthy advance in aircraft performance was preceded by a noteworthy advance in power-plant design. There […]

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On Feb. 12, 2009, 50 people lost their lives as Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed while on an instrument approach into Buffalo Niagara International Airport. As is the case with many accidents, several causes contributed to the crash, including icing conditions and fatigue. However, what may have saved the lives of the people on board […]