Plane & Pilot November/December 2023 (Digital)

ACROSS 1 Cancel a flight4 Amelia Earhart or Wiley Post8 Swerve off course9 Jabiru-J230-D for example, abbr.10 Logbook note11 Autopilot system acronym12 BD-5 ____ plane14 End of the weekday, abbr.16 It’s used to build your own aircraft17 Omitting the preflight checklist is one, 2 words18 Ancient Peruvian20 Try out22 Planes recently ordered by Kilo Charlie Aviation in Kansas24 "Star Wars" nickname26 Radio Operator, for short27 Glasses meant to simulate foggy conditions30 Make an exploratory survey of32 Numerical ending33 Actress Adams34 Upward current of air used by gliders35 Precision approach, abbr. DOWN 1 Planes used by ATP Flight School2 Remotely located weather stations, abbr.3 ___ Paese cheese4 Vital pre-flight action: fuel _____5 Follows instructions6 Eastern time, abbr.7 Sunshine beams12 The basis of flight technology13 Camera maker14 Measurement of distance, abbr.15 Evektor _____…

The origins of the Cessna 170 can be traced to a need to convert from military production to civilian airplanes as World War II wound down. Cessna’s then-president, Dwane Wallace, knew the market needed affordable modern designs, not warmedover, prewar models, with aluminum the preferred medium of construction. In March 1946, Cessna brought forth the model 140 two-seater. Roomier than a Luscombe, more upto-date than a Piper Cub or Aeronca Champ. It was an instant hit. Obviously, once they learned to fly in the 140, new pilots would be looking for a four-seat family airplane. The hulking, radial-engine Cessna 190/195, certified in 1947, was fine for the business-owner pilot and charter operator, but a more entry-level aircraft for personal flying was required. Accordingly, Cessna rushed an expanded 140 into production…

Military service has always been a big part of my family’s heritage—and no doubt many others can relate. Learning more about the heroic and tragic story of one of my distant cousins—William L. Tingle—recently has provided an added boost to that sense of pride. Both sides of my family can boast their fair share of those who nobly served our nation in the armed forces. My late father was extremely proud of that fact, even though he wasn’t a veteran himself. The closest he came was being a member of the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University. My paternal grandfather, a Jamaican-born immigrant, served in the U.S. Army during World War I. After Pearl Harbor, my maternal grandfather ran away from an orphanage with his younger brother, lied about…

Last March, a Beechcraft Bonanza A36TC was in cruise flight at 15,000 feet on the way to the annual aviation celebration known as Sun ’n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, when the pilot noticed the engine power had dropped and the airplane began to slow. A check of the manifold pressure confirmed the turbocharger was no longer providing the usual 30 inches of power. Instead, the gauge showed around 19 inches, which was what a normally aspirated engine should produce at that altitude. Suspecting a problem with the turbo system, pilot Josh Harnagel theorized an intake hose had come loose and feared an unplanned maintenance stop would interrupt the trip. “I was somewhat frustrated and annoyed by the situation, but not overly concerned,” Harnagel said in a July interview. Harnagel decided…

When we talk about flying solo, we’re usually speaking of doing so as the only occupant of an aircraft. And when we talk in a capitalized quote of “My First Solo,” we generally mean the first time we were ever aloft by ourselves. Whatever the occasion, being alone in the cockpit always gives us cause for reflection and a little extra time to count our blessings. Foremost among those is the ability to be a pilot in a great country for aviation. That said, you have lots of opportunities for making “first solo” flights, including ones taken not by choice but by necessity. Some are the ones we make in single-seat airplanes. Taking off in an airplane with no way to “get some dual,” or even to ride along to…

The silence was deafening. On April 26, 2022, at approximately 11:12 a.m. ET, while in level VFR flight at 2,000 agl and cruising over the nondescript Ohio landscape, 2,000-hourplus pilot Marc Epner experienced the unthinkable in his Cirrus SR22, N973SD—a total engine failure. Cue the sweaty palms. What makes this event unique is the fact that the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, affectionately referred to as CAPS, was intentionally, albeit not consciously, not activated as Epner recalls. “The brain told me what to do,” he says. “I knew exactly what to do and reacted accordingly.” This included establishing the best glide speed, picking out a suitable landing area, a restart attempt, sending out a Mayday call on Guard—121.5—and successfully landing the airplane. Elapsed time from engine failure to safe landing: 1…

“YOU DON’T WANT to go today. It’s really cruddy up there,” the just-landed Beech Bonanza pilot told another pilot at Western Carolina Regional Airport (KRHP) in Andrews, North Carolina, on the afternoon of October 3, 2021. His arrival wasn’t pretty. The Bonanza pilot didn’t follow the published traffic pattern, placing the aircraft close to rising terrain on downwind. He was too fast on final approach, and he went around on the first attempt. A police officer arrived to check on the airplane, as the pilot had reported to ATC that he was low on fuel. Still, he was safely on the ground. That was when the second guy approached and chatted about the chances of getting home. He recalls how the Bonanza pilot and his wife were both wearing red,…

A few recent articles within the frequent-flyer blogosphere have bemoaned that airlines cannot convince enough of their first officers to upgrade to captains and the staffing challenges that presents. Despite a huge pay difference (often an extra $100 an hour), a lot of first officers are sitting tight in their current seats. With a few exceptions who tried up-or-out clauses where first officers had to upgrade upon reaching a certain seniority threshold, most airlines are powerless to force first officers to move up. The result is that instead of having to wait for several years before upgrading, some airlines have had junior pilots bid for the left seat—and have it awarded—while they were still in initial training or shortly thereafter. So why are some first officers so content to stay…

Pilots who own or operate an aircraft under Part 91 of the FARs are allowed to perform various preventive maintenance tasks. For the pilot comfortable with basic mechanical tasks and aware of the rules and regulations, this can save time and money. Beyond that, performing basic tasks helps us learn what makes these little birds tick. In years past, professional pilots spent a significant part of training learning about their airplanes’ inner workings. U.S. Air Force aircraft systems training focused on how each system operated, its location, required pressures, temperatures, and voltages. The training included a field trip to the airplane, usually led by a bright, young maintenance technician who got into the nitty-gritty of how everything worked—and might fail. Each pilot had an opportunity to get their hands greasy,…

Cessna 172 Seymour, Tennessee | June 18, 2023 Injuries: 3 Minor The flight instructor stated that he was teaching the student pilot a soft-field takeoff technique on a 2,300-foot-long turf runway, with a passenger in the back seat. The flight instructor further stated that [the] student pilot lifted off the airplane at 52 knots, but it settled back to the runway as the wind shifted from a headwind to a tailwind. The airplane then traveled about 100 feet beyond the departure end of the runway and struck bushes, coming to rest upright. The flight instructor added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Examination of the wreckage by an FAA inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The inspector noted that the flaps were…

Little known or remembered today, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet paved the way for the modern jet airliner. You might consider its history the next time you take an airline flight. As you look out the terminal window at jet-powered rides, note the elegant profile, swept wings, and sleek tail surfaces of the aircraft on the ramp. Settling into your seat, examine the tightly cowled engine pods, multiple ailerons and spoilers, and smooth upper surface of the wing. Have you ever wondered when all these elegant design features made their debut? The answer is December 17, 1947. On the 47th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight—and the 15th anniversary of the Douglas DC-3’s initial jaunt—a radical prototype, the XB-47 Stratojet, took to the air for its first flight. Aviation…

Jimmy Doolittle was a man of firsts. First flight across the country. First flight solely by reference to instruments. First successful outside loop. In fact, it could be said that he is, in many ways, responsible for flying as we know it. Yet it was the U.S. air raid of Tokyo on April 18, 1942, that would put James “Jimmy” Doolittle in the history books. Doolittle began his military service in 1917 when he enlisted as a Signal Corps Reserve flying cadet. He received his Reserve Military Aviator rating from the U.S. Army in 1918 and would spend the remainder of World War I as a flight instructor in the States. Doolittle must have made an impression as an incredible pilot even then. As WWI ended, he was recommended by…