Giving Cirrus and Diamond their due, “crashworthy” doesn’t immediately leap to mind when thinking about little airplanes. The vast majority of the fleet is old school, with little flail space, single diagonal seatbelts and many aircraft with non-energy-absorbing seats. Most of us just grit our teeth and fly on. Improved seatbelts are a plus as […]
In response to the “After the Dust Settles: Protecting Yourself” article (November 2021 Aviation Consumer) on dealing with a post-crash aftermath, including subsequent regulatory realities, we got a letter from (and had a subsequent meeting with) Tom Haueter, who offered a behind-the-scenes look at accident—and in particular, incident—investigations and what it means to general aviation […]
Over the past year or so we’ve been getting plenty of reports from pilots slapped by the sobering reality that the current insurance market has sunset their flying career. The trend is pretty clear: These are pilots north of 70 years old—many flying twins, turbines and even small tailwheel airplanes—who on paper have spotless flying […]
On Dec. 20, 2021, the NTSB issued Aviation Investigative Report AIR-22-01 urging the FAA to require carbon monoxide detectors in piston-engine, enclosed-cockpit aircraft and asking pilot industry groups to encourage their members to install CO detectors with active aural or visual alerting and proactively ensure thorough exhaust inspections. The full text of the AIR may […]
Last December, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) created a stir by publishing a recommendation calling for the FAA to require that all enclosed-cabin piston-engine aircraft be equipped with a low-level carbon monoxide (CO) detector and that aviation alphabet organizations inform their members about the dangers of CO poisoning, encourage them to install CO detectors […]
That’s the least of the chores at hand. A woman who lives in Wethersfield, Connecticut, said she was nearly mowed down by a low-flying airplane when she was walking her dog. It was flying so low, she claimed, the pair had to duck. And so goes one piece of the buffoonery that doesn’t help the […]
Tailwheel airplanes inspire passion at a level probably unmatched in any other segment of the flying community. It’s reflected in the abundance of associated cliches, including “You aren’t a real pilot unless you fly tailwheel.” The airplanes can be incredibly fun and challenging to um, well—land. The dirty secret about tailwheel pilots is that while […]
Here’s an unfortunate scenario. You’re sliding down a visual approach at dusk with the speed nailed, the wind calm and bright LEDs lighting up the pavement. You settle into the flare and hit hard enough to bounce back in the air where the oscillations begin. Despite your thousands of flight hours, your insurer isn’t impressed […]
REDBIRD SIM FIELD REPORT I thought you would like a field report on my recent purchase of a Redbird TD2 flight simulator. I fly a G36 Bonanza with Garmin G1000 NXi integrated avionics. The total cost of the setup delivered to me in Orientat, North Carolina, was $15,635. I bought the expanded screens, table and […]
An amusing and depressing part of the job here at the magazine is scouring the accident reports for the safety data we assemble in the Used Aircraft Guide. If we didn’t laugh, we’d cry. There is some horrific and fascinating stuff, all of it making me wish I had gone to work for the NTSB. […]
Just over a year ago, the NTSB introduced a new accident database search engine called CAROL (Case Analysis and Reporting Online). For anyone seeking an aircraft accident report for an accident that occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2008, CAROL became the required search engine. The user-friendly search engine that I’d used with great success […]
More than a supplier of equipment for aviators, Sporty’s (www.sportys.com) has long had a significant presence in the flight training world, including its own flight school, Sporty’s Academy. Last October, Sporty’s announced an across the board upgrade for its more than 20 aviation courses. We’ve used its courses to upgrade our skills as we’ll as […]
