Every other summer, I torture myself with the $1500 biennial ELT switch flip. I install the required 24-month battery, wait for the minute hand to sweep past the top of the hour and press the test switch with bated breath. The crisp woop-woop of the truly ancient EBC 121.5 MHz beacon makes the Cub legal […]
As we were reviewing the accident reports involving the Meyers 200 as part of this month’s Used Aircraft Guide, we ran across one that was depressingly familiar. The pilot landed hard, on all three wheels. He then started pulling back and shoving forward on the wheel, developing classic PIO—pilot induced oscillation—as the airplane bounded between […]
There has been another breakthrough in the world of saving lives in general aviation airplanes. AmSafe (www.amsafe.com) has gone a step beyond its custom seatbelt airbag system—individually designed and built for over 150 types of general aviation aircraft—and developed a “universal” seatbelt airbag system that can be installed on almost any seat in almost any […]
Over the last several years of observation, we’ve generally been pleased with the manner in which implementation of the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) for each certificate or rating has brought more standardization and objectivity to practical tests. We remember the bad old days of sending pilots for checkrides with Designated Pilot Examiners (DPE—individuals not employed […]
Sporty’s (www.sportys.com) recently expanded its line of interactive training materials with a Commercial Pilot Test Prep Course it offers for $149.99. Although advertised as a test prep course, it is, in our opinion, much more. It starts with the industry standard procedure for test prep courses—the student answers test questions, gets feedback as to why […]
I recently attended Lycoming’s factory engine training course and found that the curriculum isn’t limited to mechanics. As expected, the students were predominantly A&Ps but there was only one airplane owner (of a Pitts S1) who simply wanted to learn more about his engine. I think more owners should take his approach, and many don’t […]
Interestingly, the number of U.S.-registered aircraft is increasing, while the number of pilots is decreasing. (Wikipedia says there were 609,306 licensed pilots and GAMA counted 211,000 registered aircraft.) But even allowing for flying clubs, partnerships and the graying and thinning of the pilot population, this still means that there are a lot of pilots who […]
If your airplane doesn’t get an oil change between annuals—and many don’t—it’s likely that the engine cowl stays put for an entire year. Your only view of the engine room might be through the oil access door or the inlets. Although our review of the accident record doesn’t reveal engine failure as a high risk, […]
Engine failures are the stuff of nightmares. Maybe not quite so agita-inducing as your mechanic calling with a compression report, but worrisome nonetheless, even if aircraft engines are designed with reliability in mind. So are they reliable? Well, yes, if you let them be by slaking them with gas and oil, following the procedures written […]
During a good pinch hitter course, we recommend that the instructor and the student work together to develop an emergency checklist that is designed for the specific airplane the “suddenly a pilot” will be operating. In our opinion the checklist should function as a memory aid for an intelligent person who has completed a pinch […]
It’s one of the things we macho pilots don’t like to talk about—incapacitation. We grouse about taking FAA medical exams or complying with BasicMed. Hey, we’re way to cool to worry about keeling over while motoring through the skies with our loved ones aboard. The good news is that pilot incapacitation shows up as the […]
I’ll admit it. If Cirrus’ Cliff Allen wasn’t sitting shotgun and backstopping my every move on a trip in a new SR22T with Garmin’s Perspective+ G1000 avionics, I’d still be on the ground fumbling with entering the flight plan in the system’s FMS. “Mastering the Garmin Perspective avionics in later SR20/22 models won’t happen in […]
