While I realize the Accident Reports are published as an educational tool, I did a double take when reading about the accident involving the Cessna 182 in Hatton, N.D. (May 6 issue). The contributing factor to the probable cause was listed “delayed remedial action by the flight instructor and the tree” (emphasis added). Ronald R. Redpath […]
Opinion
Sport Pilot insurance is available to schools
Is sport pilot training insurable for commercial flight schools? Yes! (However there are some long-standing parameters.) This letter is in response to a recent letter regarding the insurability of flight schools conducting flight training for new sport pilots (Are commercial flight schools uninsurable? May 20 issue). First off, I could not agree more with the […]
Get your medical back after a heart attack
In January, a 66-year-old airline transport rated pilot went to the ER for chest pain. He was evaluated for a myocardial infarction (heart attack). The enzymes that we do when people enter the ER were negative for heart damage and his EKG was within normal range. However, his chest pain persisted. He stayed overnight in […]
What causes engines to develop less-than-rated power?
QUESTION: I just read your article on the history of the 0-320-H2AD engine (What engines should I avoid, Dec. 24, 2004, issue). I have had three Skyhawks with the later engine (two 1977s and one 1979) and have had no problems with TBO — all went well past 2,000 hours. My question is about power. […]
What’s a billion here or there?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — If you live the average life span, from the moment you are born until your death your heart will beat a little more than 2 billion times. Many years ago when I worked for a newspaper, I drew a caricature of one of the columnists. He liked it and used it to […]
Teaching the next generation
Recently I witnessed an exchange between father and teenage daughter. The daughter, a student in the inaugural class of Seattle’s Aviation High School, was begging her father to let her start her flight training now. She is 14. “No, not until you’re older,” he said. “I don’t want to spend all that money and have […]
‘Lindbergh’s Secret’
The Lockheed P-38 was one of the legendary fighters of World War II. Crowds are still thrilled when one flies by. The 475th Fighter Group, with 552 victories, was the top P-38 fighter group in the Second World War. America’s second highest scoring ace, with 38 victories, was Major Thomas McGuire, who flew the Lockheed […]
Required reading
I have just finished reading “The Outsiders,” (April 22 issue) several times over. This well-done article should be required reading for every one in the GA industry. It is a well expressed point of view of a highly qualified expert that requires consideration, if GA is going to continue to grow. Let’s face it, the […]
Lost pilots hurt us all
While I certainly don’t have all the facts concerning the recent incursion into the Washington ADIZ — and within three miles of the White House — by Hayden Sheaffer, a certificated pilot, and Troy Martin, a student pilot, in a Cessna 150, I am upset with them for what they’ve probably done to all of […]