On a cold night in early spring, I took off from Lunken Airport in 72B, my beloved (I think) Cessna 180. I came back to climb power at 500 feet agl and the engine began running rough, missing and losing power — which sort of caught my attention. So, I pulled on the carburetor heat and, since the engine was making power, turned back toward the airport. But then it smoothed out, which was odd because I’d checked the heat just before takeoff; the air was very dry, and this airplane rarely gets carb ice, even in “juicy” conditions. But from then on, it happened on every flight, regardless of temperature and weather, always “fixable” by applying carb heat. The EGT in the number 2 cylinder was running a lot higher than the others, and I was pretty sure it was a manifold leak and the mixture was running too lean.
Unusual Attitudes: Nicknames, Deserved or Not!
Key Takeaways:
- The article opens with the author's frustrating and expensive experience trying to diagnose and fix a persistent engine problem with his Cessna 180.
- While grounded due to repairs, the author discovers and explores the extensive and often humorous culture of nicknames that pilots assign to various aircraft types.
- It presents a wide array of these informal names, highlighting their clever, sometimes crude, and often descriptive nature across general aviation, military, and commercial aircraft, such as "Doctor Killers" for Bonanzas, "Boom Carpet" for sonic boom areas, and "Tupper-jet" for the Boeing 787.
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