Search Results for: wright

With Colton Harris-Moore’s federal sentencing set to take place this Friday, federal prosecutors are drawing attention to new statements made by the 20-year-old “Barefoot Bandit,” who was arrested and sentenced by the state of Washington to 7½ years in prison for a string of crimes that involved airplane and auto theft, among other infractions. After […]

Perfect weather graced the annual Experimental Aircraft Association skiplane fly-in on Jan. 22 at Pioneer Airport — a private grass field (when it’s not covered with snow) situated adjacent to Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where AirVenture takes place every summer. With sunny skies, light winds and a few fresh inches of snow, 33 […]

Making the pilgrimage to the roots of powered flight.

Muslims have Mecca, Jews have the Western Wall and Christians have the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The aviator’s holy site is First Flight Airport (KFFA) containing the Wright Brothers Memorial. The memorial is a 60-foot granite pylon sculpture sitting on a star-shaped base at the top of a lush green hill. It’s the place […]

A closer look at the famous B-29 known as Bockscar and the story behind the aircraft.

As an arctic chill spills south from Canada to remind many of us that winter has indeed arrived, EAA is gearing up for its annual Skiplane Fly-In. Planned for Saturday, Jan. 21, at the association’s Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, more than two dozen skiplanes are expected for the event showcasing a unique segment of […]

In recent years, the general aviation community has complained our activity has grown too complicated and, as a result, applicants for the private pilot certificate now average about 70 or so hours before passing a checkride. Yes, aviation has gotten more complicated, but we should question the notion it takes that many hours in an airplane to become a competent private pilot. A corollary is that existing practices also can be improved to benefit existing pilots and enhance their recurrent training experience.

Though perhaps unintended, the results of Tom Turner’s survey of 100 CFIs concerning slips in the December 2011 issue (“Slips…Who Needs ‘Em?”) further reinforce my experience that instructors—and by extension, the pilots they train—generally lack a solid understanding of slip dynamics. For example, the listed advantages of slipping focused mostly on stock answers: losing altitude, canceling crosswind drift. One respondent commented about fire. But what about the utility of slips and slipping turns for split flaps, jammed ailerons or a jammed rudder? Or asymmetric thrust events in twins?

I frequently glance at sidebars to gauge the depth/value of an article before reading the piece itself. As a round-engine pilot, I got a chuckle out of the first item in the “Don’ts” list (“Preflight Inspections,” November 2011). “Don’t rotate a propeller. Ever.” Really? If you are talking about a round engine and you want to destroy it, that advice works. If not, you might want to check for hydraulic lock by rotating the propeller enough to make sure all cylinders go through at least one compression stroke before you attempt a start.

Sitting in the jump seat of a corporate Gulfstream G450 on approach to Morristown Municipal Airport’s Runway 5, I saw the tiny starlings a fraction of a second before the copilot called out, matter-of-factly, “Birds.” We flew through an entire flock of the little creatures and, although I was pretty sure we’d hit more than […]