Student B debated about continuing the check ride. He was nervous about the left engine failing. We concluded that it was vapor lock that caused the left engine to quit. He finally decided to discontinue the flight portion.
Aircraft
Picture of the Day: Mt Rainier
George Szukala submitted this photo and note: “A rare clear day in the Pacific Northwest while visiting buddies from the Air Force.”
The profound value of the basics
Who among us hasn’t had a flight instructor in the right seat repeating the words, “right rudder” over and over again? I heard that refrain quite frequently when I was a new student pilot. I nearly used the phrase to its ultimate limit when I was the CFI in the right seat. And I will acknowledge with a bit of humility that once, just once a CFI giving me a flight review threw that term out for me to consider when I’d lost focus for a moment.
New video delves into twin Cessna crash
Accident Case Study: Deadly Disorientation recreates the tragic events that led a twin Cessna to crash into a neighborhood in Santee, California, killing the pilot and one person on the ground.
Southwest Aerospace Technologies expands
Southwest Aerospace Technologies (SWAT) recently signed a long-term lease for a 12,000-square-foot hangar and its adjacent area at Georgetown Executive Airport (KGTU).
Tickets now on sale for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025
Along with AirVenture admissions, other items available for advance purchase include camping credentials, auto parking passes, and Aviator Club tickets (both North and South locations), as well as B-25 and Ford Tri-Motor flights.
Training flight cuts off another airplane in the pattern
On final, I still did not see any traffic, but it is likely the conflicting aircraft was directly below us. The aircraft executed a 360 turn towards the north away from our position before re-entering the final approach. In addition to not seeing the traffic, the traffic did not appear on ADS-B.
Picture of the day: Happy Holidays
Rob Stapleton submitted this photo with a note: “Keenan Zerkel of Alaska Aircraft Sales at Lake Hood Seaplane Base put together this Cessna sleigh complete with reindeer in harness with Santa at the controls ready at the end of Runway 32.”
NASA investigating first aircraft accident on another world
The investigation takes a close look the final flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which was the first aircraft to fly on another world.