Search Results for: insurance

The day had started out so well. You flew out to meet with a client and wrapped up a big sale. On the way home you got some time in the clag and shot an approach to your non-towered home field. You broke out we’ll above minimums and easily spotted the runway. But then, somehow, you didnt handle the crosswind during rollout and went swerving off the runway into the grass. To make matters worse, just before you got the airplane stopped the nose gear hit a hidden storm-drain cover and collapsed.

The unthinkable has just happened—you’ve damaged an airplane. The good news is that the airplane has stopped and you are conscious and able to move. Here’s a checklist for what to do next: • Shut off the fuel, master switch and mags. • Get everyone out of the airplane and move away from it. While […]

In the bad old days of aircraft maintenance, it wasn’t uncommon for shop personnel to fly customer aircraft as part of troubleshooting and final testing. Now insurance and liability issues generally quash the idea. The hangar keepers liability insurance policy shops carry might only cover ground ops. This often results in the shop technician flying […]

For some, the fun part of owning an aircraft is the time spent alone with it in the hangar. That eventually leads to wrenching it. Before you get too deep in the cowling, you should evaluate your technical skills, understand the regulations and inventory the proper tooling. In this article, Ill outline the regulations and some of the maintenance items the FAA allows you to perform on your certified aircraft (for more freedom, consider an experimental, plus an A&P rating).

I read with interest your coverage of seaplane transition training in your last issue, since Im planning on earning my rating to transition to the Glastar amphib Im building. I was surprised how gently Aviation Consumer treated a product that has been promised for years, has been offered for sale since 2014, yet has so many major shortcomings. I wish you guys would write another report on servicing old avionics. It seems there are many in service that need repair.

Browns offers two options for SES training at the private or commercial pilot level. Either curriculum includes 1.5 hours of ground instruction, five hours of dual instruction in one of Browns 100-HP Piper J-3 Cubs, plus a checkride, which is administered by company principle and FAA designated examiner Jon Brown or his brother Chuck Brown. The course has a flat-rate fee of $1400, which also includes the examiner fees.

With fresh seaplane rating in hand and your chest puffed out with seaplane pilot ego, thoughts turn to actually renting a seaplane to feed your new addiction. Unfortunately, that could be a pipe dream. The buzz-killing reality is that seaplane rentals are few and far between. After surviving the initial training and seeing your instructor […]

FAR 61.51 sets out the regulations for logging flight time. It does not specify the type of logbook that a pilot must use—only that it is in a “manner acceptable to the Administrator.” Before we go any further, we’ll state unequivocally: Electronic logbooks are acceptable to the Administrator. We’ll also quickly digress to point out […]

The development of Pipers Super Cub is as much a story of survival as it is progress. While the role of the original J-3 was mainly for training, Piper had to bring more utility to the table than the Cubbys 75 MPH cruise speed, 200-mile range and 450 FPM climb performance. Enter the refined PA-18 Super Cub, a design thats still being tweaked some 66 years later through several so-called Cub clones, which includes nicely executed models from Cub Crafters and American Legend Aircraft, to name a couple.

In the heady days of the 1960s and 1970s, personal airplane manufacturers were heavily invested in marketing their products the same way Detroit had been selling cars: Get new owners hooked on an entry-level model, offer several step-up models and make annual but incremental improvements. Just as Detroits Big Three had dealer networks, Beech, Cessna and Piper had them also, offering everything from primary flight training to maintenance, rental and charter.

Perhaps one reason for the 182 Skylanes longevity is that it has good hauling capability, good dispatch reliability, a relatively comfortable cabin and maintenance shops know how to work on it. Except for its intolerance for mismanagement on and around the runway-giving it an awful ranking in the NTSB reports-we suspect buyers are comfortable with long-term Skylane ownership. For many, its as far up the pecking order as theyll go in their flying careers. These days, you can buy a 182 with a full G1000 glass panel and a luxe interior for a price in the high $300Ks. A big investment, to be sure, but far less money (and far less speed) than a new Cirrus SR22, as one example.

As we reported in the August 2015 issue of Aviation Consumer, the maturing support network for LSA models is building at least some confidence in their dispatch reliability. But for owners and flight schools looking for a simple and reliable trainer thats easily supported on most every maintenance floor, its still tough to beat the familiar Cessna 150/152 series.