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In in-flight fire is most pilots greatest fear, surpassing even a mid-air collision. Although relatively rare, the unique combination of combustible materials and ignition sources available in the typical personal airplane means an in-flight fire must be dealt with quickly and decisively. Doing so usually means disabling systems to deprive the fire of its fuel or ignition sources and employing a fire extinguisher to smother it. A quick landing, even if off-airport, may be necessary. There are lots of extinguishers on the market, products both designed for aviation use and those marketed as “all-purpose” units. How do they differ? And-most important-how do they work on the materials found in a typical aircraft fire? To find out, we gathered up current examples of aviation-specific and all-purpose extinguishers, lit a few fires and evaluated the results. All the extinguishers we tested thwarted our efforts at arson. But we were surprised at how quickly we used up extinguishing agent. and the premium we had to pay for an extinguisher designed for the cockpit. We also discovered, however, that there are real differences between household, automotive and aviation-grade extinguishers. Three things must exist for any fire to start: An ignition source, fuel (for the fire, not 100LL) and oxygen. These three items make the “fire triangle.” Remove any one of them and the fire either doesnt start or is extinguished. Our cockpits feature an abundance of materials capable of sustaining a fire. Carpeting, insulation, upholstery and paper charts are present in almost every airplane.

Part of every piston-pilots preflight ritual is sumping the fuel tanks to check for water. Given that a modern Cessna has 13 of these fuel drains, wouldnt it be better just to keep the water out? Thats what Stay-Sealed attempts with a fuel cap to put in place over your existing fuel cap. The company offers covers that fit most single-engine Cessnas and Pipers. The covers arent interchangeable, so order the right type for your airplane. The cap is applied by pressing down and physically locking over the existing fuel cap. You need to pull up on the ring at the center to make sure its really in place. It shouldnt pop off. The company claims it will stay on in an 80 mph wind. It comes off with a slight pop when you pull from the corner with no scuffing to the paint. We tested the Stay-Sealed cover on two high-wing Cessnas by smearing a paste that changes color in the presence of water just inside the filler neck, closing the cap and then drenching the wing until there was standing water. We tried it with an unprotected fuel cap, a canvas aircraft cover and the Stay Sealed cover. (A big thanks to the folks at Cumberland and York Aviation in Biddeford, Maine, for their help with this.)

Sizzle sells. If that sizzle is an all-composite fixed-gear single with a modern panel thats faster than most retractables, it sells well. Just ask Cirrus. That sizzle is the premise behind the Columbia (ne Lancair) 300/350, normally aspirated versions of the companys subsequent flagship, the turbocharged Columbia 400. The 300/350s slippery airframe and the large-displacement Continental up front combined for 185 KTAS at 10,500 feet MSL when we first flew an early 300 10 years ago. A lot has happened since then. Speed was important when the Lancair/Columbia first hit the market, but the airplanes greatest initial appeal probably had more to do with not being made of metal or wearing a Beechcraft, Cessna, Mooney or Piper label. It was one of the new-generation singles, spawned by NASAs AGATE (advanced general aviation transport experiments) program and promised growing small aircraft use in inter-city transportation. The concept also brought forth the Cirrus SR20 and SR22, which proved more popular. The good news is a 300 or 350 will still outrun an SR22 by 10 knots or so, and theyre still rare enough to attract a crowd on many ramps. The bad news is-although both the Columbia 300 and SR22 have identical empty and maximum gross takeoff weights, according to the Aircraft Bluebook Price Digest-the 300 gives up 150 pounds in full-fuel payload to the SR22, because its tanks are larger. Its a little more sensitive in loading, too, and lacks the Cirrus airframe parachute system. More on weight and balance issues in a moment. And, of course, Columbia is no more, having been acquired by Cessna during Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

Its accepted wisdom that your engine will last longer if you change the oil frequently. If thats true-and were as guilty as anyone for supporting whatever mythology applies-isn’t changing it more frequently even better? And what the heck does “frequently” really mean?Engine manufacturers have their own recommendations, which are sometimes hard to find and even harder to follow. But as far as we can tell, these are determined less by actual research-based findings than they are textbook recommendations from engineering manuals. So for this report, we set out to find out what the piston-engine aviation oil professionals who manufacture and sell the oil and the people who analyze the dirty stuff have to say. What do they recommend for the typical aircraft owner?

As Special Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSAs) begin to occupy more hangars and flight-school flight lines, attention is shifting to aftermarket avionics upgrades. Some owners take delivery with little more than a handheld transceiver, which will hardly cut it in the real world. For others, their checkbooks are simply tempted by a smorgasbord of gee-whiz gadgetry. Retrofitting LSAs is uncharted territory for most avionics shops and most of these lightweights might have unfamiliar engines and, in many cases, minimal electrical systems. LSAs are small, so available space and weight restrictions need to be considered. The rules for return-to-service following an upgrade are different for modern S-LSAs than whats required of Part 23 aircraft or even a legacy aircraft LSA. Whats fine for your SportStar might not be legal for that vintage Ercoupe. Here are a handful of avionics retrofits suitable for the average S-LSA. Also, were talking mainly VFR missions here, while occasionally toying with light IFR if the airplane even has such approval. To be clear: While these machines are considered “little airplanes” by most standards, its futile to expect a light invoice for avionics work, even if the equipment is bargain-priced.

Just when youve got a few decades of aviation experience under your slightly expanding belt, and have lost that wide-eyed rookie look … things start to look blurry and hazy. Every day. And then your doctor drops the hammer: Youve got cataracts. But the news isn’t as bad as it could have been 30 years ago. Cataracts are fixable. A cataract occurs when the normal clarity of the lens of the eye is reduced, resulting in blurred, cloudy vision. These chemical changes are frequently caused by normal aging, but can also be caused by medications, injury, diseases, or environmental factors such as UV exposure or smoking. Cataracts usually occur in people 55 and older, and usually develop in both eyes, although at different rates. They impair your visual acuity in dim light, and also create light sensitivity and glare. Vision with a cataract is similar to looking through a steamy window. In addition to cloudy vision, cataracts also cause a number of other symptoms, such as dark shadows that seem to move with the eye (similar to “floaters,” or loose cells within the fluid of the eyeball), the need to use more light to read, double vision, a loss of color vision, as we’ll as increased nearsightedness as the lens becomes denser.

Climb into your WABAC machine and set the dials for the mid-1990s. Once the whirring sounds and flashing lights stop, get out and glance around at what was then your local airport. Very different from today, huh? A lot of all-metal airplane designs, which hadnt changed much in 40 or so years, right? If youre lucky-or if you mis-set the machines controls for a couple of years later-you might see a curiosity: A T-tailed, all-composite, canopied two-seater with sailplane-like wings pulling duty as a trainer. Thats Diamond Aircrafts DA20-A1 Katana, a sleek little machine with unmistakable European roots. The early, 81-HP Rotax-powered A1 Katanas at takeoff sounded like a sport motorcycle with a stuck throttle. Transitioning students steeped in Cessnas carried way too much speed into the flare. Good times. Since then, the DA20-in its C1 version-has evolved into what some might consider a more serious contender, thanks in part to a Continental IO-240B sporting 125 HP. Today, the DA20 soldiers on, training the next crop of pilots in fleet situations and in the traditional FBO/flight school environment. Gone is the Rotax, which on hot days made climbing to altitude a time-building experience, although you can still find A1 versions powered by it. On the used market, its years of service and by-now well-known maintenance and pilot requirements make it a worthy contender among the two-seat, tricycle-gear competition for a personal airplane.

Every year about this time, we like to fill our figurative pipe with tobacco-the real one got tossed long ago-and ruminate on the products and services weve examined during the past year. As there always are in any field of comparison, during a year of testing, prodding and experimenting, we find standout products in which the manufacturer has gone the extra distance to provide exceptional quality or value. Presented here in summary, are our picks for 2008.

While transponder replacement ranks near the bottom of most owners upgrade list, eventually-and often unexpectedly-you’ll be writing a check for a few grand on a transponder upgrade. you’ll likely rely on your shops recommendation for replacement options but there are several issues and a handful of models to consider. A proactive replacement may even be warranted given the modern technology found in many new models. Heres a review of the current market offerings in ATC transponder gear and a review of the important accessories that should be addressed during installation. Ease of installation shouldnt be the primary consideration when selecting a replacement transponder. You could shop the market for a used, exact-replacement for that ancient Cessna model only to face another failure next month. When an old model fails, our advice is to bite the bullet and replace it with a new unit. This usually includes replacing the interface wiring (also 20-plus years old) and antenna system thats integral to the transponders performance.

Vern Rayburn announced at Oshkosh in 1998 that a new little airplane would change all the rules about flying and, especially, about building airplanes. The Eclipse 500 was to define a new class called the VLJ or very light jet. It was to be fuel efficient, fast and would embrace the latest technologies so it could be built inexpensively. It would also be easier and cheaper to fly than a light twin. A full decade and a billion-plus in developmental dollars later, the Eclipse 500 is trickling if not pouring off the production line in Albuquerque; about 200 have been built. The overarching question is: Does the Eclipse really change the rules? And if it doesnt, why not? Further, whats the thing like to fly? Is the cutting-edge glass cockpit really as advanced as Eclipse said it would be? Answering these questions isn’t easy. Eclipse has steadfastly refused to offer press demonstrations of the airplane and some owners just wont talk about their impressions of the airplane, giving the inquisitive person the notion that somethings not quite right here. For this report, a cooperative owner allowed us a brief turn at the controls of an Eclipse 500 so we could find out for ourselves.

Further straining any attempt to nail down an evaluation of the Eclipse is the companys rubbery delivery promises. It has slipped schedules so many times, made volume predictions that havent materialized and, in our view, delivered an airplane short enough of its original promise that its tempting to focus solely on these shortcomings rather than the airplane itself. Eclipse has been masterful in promoting itself but, in our opinion, reluctant to let the aviation press see what the airplane will really do. Curiously, some owners are nearly as secretive. With Eclipse refusing press demos, we asked several owners for test rides. Only one agreed, because he loves the airplane and wanted to show that it could strut its stuff. Other owners agreed to speak to us but only if we promised not to use their names. Why such worries? One owner said he was worried that Eclipse wouldnt deliver on promised upgrades if he beefed about the airplane in public; another said he just didnt want the hassle, but would answer all of our questions. One fleet operator did speak to us on the record.

If investment boldness were measured on a scale of one to 10, the Cirrus line would rate about a seven while Diamonds foray into the diesel market with the Thielert-powered Twin Star would inch out there toward the ledge at a solid 11. You have only to look at the particulars to understand why this is so. When Diamond announced the Twin Star at the Berlin Airshow in 2002, it was proposing not only a new airframe, but one powered by a new technology engine adapted from an automotive design, a strategy that hasnt succeeded in the world of certified airplanes, although the idea has made inroads in the homebuilt segment.