In the May 2022 issue of Aviation Consumer we reported on the recent effort by the general aviation alphabet groups and the FAA to revive the collapsed Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative (PAFI) under the snappy new name EAGLE (Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions). Along with it was a request to Congress to increase its funding […]
For pilots transitioning to twin-engine airplanes, the Cessna Skymaster is often overlooked. Maybe that’s because the airplane is rather unconventional, with a unique design and different handling characteristics than any other twin. And if you have experience flying a conventional twin, forget everything you know about the “dead foot, dead engine” theory when dealing with […]
MORE ON SMART GLIDE I’m a big fan of Garmin avionics and wonder if Garmin’s Smart Glide engine-out utility has access to oil pressure data, which is critical to determining the glide ratio in aircraft with a controllable pitch propeller. In my Bonanza, glide ratio with a catastrophic engine failure changes from 10:1 to 6.5:1 […]
Piper’s PA-28R Arrow series has long proven its versatility. We’ve trained in Arrows, we’ve traveled in them and we’ve wrenched them, too. No, these airplanes won’t break any speed records, although turbocharged models move right along in the sweet-spot higher altitudes. That makes them worthy for travel. For pilots moving into the world of complex […]
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 […]
Consider that in the early part of 2016, a 1979 Cessna 152 II had a typical retail price of $24,000, according to Aircraft Bluebook. At press time (January 2022) the same airplane is shown at $40,000, and there’s no sign of a downward price trend. Moreover, we’ll cared for 150s and 152s with good engines, […]
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 […]
First, the good news. Since the earliest 36-series Bonanza entered the market in 1968 (and is still in limited production today as the G36), there are a variety of used models at multiple price points to choose from. The bad news for buyers in the current market is that prices are up—way up—for all models. […]
Diamond’s DA40 is one of the more desirable used piston singles around. It works as a trainer, moves right along for traveling, and for those who might eventually step up to a Diamond twin, the DA40’s systems are a good primer. But a big draw is the airplane’s sleek composite design and styling. If you […]
We’re good pilots—by and large. Getting our certificates and ratings wasn’t easy. Face it, we sweat blood training to master the skills, knowledge and judgment needed to cause an inanimate object to rise into an often unforgiving sky and return to the planet not only safely, but with some degree of panache. In the process […]
GOOD INSURANCE NEWS After seeing numerous articles in Aviation Consumer about the insurance debacle, I thought I’d share my experience. Seems I’m in the minority here in that my rates have actually gone down over the two years I’ve had my Beech Baron twin. I’m in the mid-50s age group. Last year, my rate […]
In the world of aviation accomplishments, the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy is a pretty big deal. And deservingly, the award for Garmin’s AutoLand acknowledges the huge engineering effort that brought to market airplanes that land themselves when the pilot can’t. To me, the engineering talent that made this possible sort of got lost in […]
