Propellers often are not well understood by general aviation pilots. Their purpose-transferring the engines horsepower into thrust by moving a large volume of air to the rear-usually is obvious. How this feat is accomplished may not be. Looking at a propeller blade cross-section will reveal it is actually an airfoil, one moving at a right angle to the airplanes desired motion.
My mother, who fortified herself for any aerial voyage with either Miltown or Chivas Regal, would later revisit with perverse relish each “air pocket” the plane had encountered. I’m not sure what she believed an air pocket consisted of, but I suppose it was something like the “region of low pressure causing an aircraft to […]
First my condolences and prayers go out to the entire Halladay family; his was a tragic loss.I commend Mr. Wright on his emphasizing risk management awareness, not only regarding the A5 but similar general aviation safety issues. Unlike many light sport aircraft that I am familiar with, the A5s inherent engineering design and safety features are second to none.
A northeast wind is picking up. Two red-tailed hawks are circling above this ridge, rising higher and higher, sliding fast when they turn southward but seeming to hover in place when they face north. Each surge and billow lifts them higher. They must soar for pleasure; they’re so far up now, no likely prey would […]
A startup endeavor backed by Google cofounder Larry Page has tested an electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing drone in New Zealand. The company, Silicon Valley based Kitty Hawk, revealed released a video of the prototype in flight. The Cora autonomous craft is targeted at the nascent airborne taxi market that some experts predict could explode […]
There are and have been many exceptional pilots in the world. And a majority of those are unsung heroes. One who deserves more celebrity than he received while still on this earth is Albert “Jay” Shower Jr. who passed away over the weekend. Shower’s aviation career spanned over 70 years. He flew as a Navy […]
In May 2016, I met a woman named Susan Mozena. When she learned that I fly, she told me her father, Charles d’Olive, had been an ace with five victories in World War I. My first thought was that my friend Javier Arango would have gotten a kick out of my having had a close […]
Most pilots look forward to the challenge involved in qualifying to fly a new make or model aircraft. They anticipate the ritual involved in the checkout and are understandably proud when they receive a signoff from a flight instructor. That ritual may involve one flight and three touch-and-goes, or multiple flights and several instrument approaches, among other operations. Regardless, managing the risks of introducing yourself to a new aircraft is at the core of this…
A plea deal has brought a swift conclusion to the legal case against Theodore R. Wright III and three of his accomplices, who were charged in July with a massive insurance fraud scheme involving airplanes, a $100,000 sports car and a luxury boat. The highest profile crime involved the 2012 ditching of a Beech Baron […]
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