Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2023 i Flying

HOW TO POWER the future of flight? That question ricocheted around the Paris Air Show in June, as companies from all ends of the spectrum—from Airbus to ZeroAvia—revealed their answers with everything from concept power-plants to flying demonstrators. It was particularly encouraging to see the likes of French manufacturer Elixir discuss its planned project, a TurboTech TP-R90 regenerative turboprop engine mounted on its two-seat, low-wing airplane. Though the combination hasn’t flown yet—that’s planned for by the end of the year—it’s an exciting next step for an already certificated trainer (under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s CS 23 basis). The turboprop version has been under development in a two-part program funded by France’s Council for Civil Aeronautic Research (CORAC). “Greener” by design, the Elixir is efficiently produced from a greatly…

ON JUNE 30, 2019, a Beechcraft King Air 350 twin turboprop, leaving Addison Airport (KADS) near Dallas on a flight to Florida, crashed into a hangar beside the runway. Either the impact or the ensuing explosion and fire killed all 10 people aboard. The catastrophe was recorded by a number of surveillance cameras, some located not far from the point of impact. Video showed the airplane airborne, initially drifting left, then yawing left to an extreme sideslip angle before rapidly rolling into an inverted dive. The sequence took just a few seconds. Once the left wing had dropped, the low altitude made recovery impossible. The crew had not reported any trouble to the tower. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators reconstructed the event by analyzing surveillance videos and the sound…

The scene unfolds in a sharply mown hayfield on the outskirts of a small town in the Midwest, with the tang of the shorn stubs rising so that you can taste as well as breathe in the scent. The lower of the two stacked wings of the almost-new biplane brushes the tips of the stalks left standing, and music plays behind a young woman as she stands at the fence. She’s taking it in, listening to the low rumble of the radial engine, smelling the oil that reminds her of the machine shed back at the farm. The humidity will filter up into a mist tomorrow morning, but this early August evening stays clear enough and as bright as her eyes at the prospect of flight. Back in the mid…

General aviation was booming in the late 1970s as aircraft manufacturers sought to compete in as many market segments as possible, often creating new categories and niches within niches along the way. Among the best at turning out new aircraft quickly and on a budget was Piper, which evolved its 1960 PA-28-140 into a range of models from basic trainers to high-performance and complex machines. In 1965 the company stretched the four-place PA-28 into the six-seat PA-32 initially known as the Cherokee Six, designed to be a sort of fixed-gear flying station wagon for growing families with lots of baggage. Using the same fuselage and wing, Piper next developed the twin-engine PA-34 Seneca. The use of recycled materials clearly was helping the company in its mission to respond to…

IN THE WINTER, pilots can get themselves in trouble by not recognizing when MVFR degrades into IFR conditions or when it gets so cold that ice forms on an aircraft in flight. In the summer, it’s high temperatures and high humidity that can rob an aircraft of performance. Yes, I am referring to density altitude—throw in a high-elevation field, and you have the trifecta of variables affecting several phases of flight. Density altitude robs an aircraft of its performance, and if the pilot isn’t aware density altitude is present, they can run out of runway and options at the same time. You shouldn’t necessarily fear density altitude, but you should respect it, and know what to expect from your airplane. Defining Density Altitude Density altitude (DA) is pressure altitude corrected…

WOKE UP IN PAIN this morning. I tore my shoulder in January while snowboarding in Utah. Knew it the second I hit the ground. It was day one of a five-day trip, so I gritted my teeth, threw a bunch of Advil at it, and enjoyed the rest of the vacation as best I could. Truth is, I often wake up in pain these days. I’m now seemingly able to injure myself in my sleep. New level achieved. My airplane has similar issues. I shouldn’t be surprised. We were both made in the same year: 1972. She’s serial number 9046. I’m somewhere around 108 billion. The Bonanza has evolved a lot faster than humans have. My knees are still Gen 1, and my electrical system hasn’t been upgraded to 28…

THE WACO D “PURSUIT” blazed across the cover of Popular Aviation in July 1934, capturing the zeal of the era and the aerobatic prowess of the biplane—which had just received type certification that year. Following the model-building madness of the times, the magazine, precursor to FLYING, featured a replica of the very airplane for enthusiasts to construct at home from balsa wood and paper—instead of spruce and fabric. Flashing forward to a photo shoot in front of a vintage hangar at Brooks Field (KRMY) in Michigan, and a seasoned “canine captain” sits ready for flight in the YMF-5 flown during our review of the newest WACOs—a friendly face to welcome prospective riders to the skies in a long-favored purveyor of summer afternoon hops. All aboard, Captain Billy!…

X-Plane? Thanks for your recent coverage of flight simulators (Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, etc.) in a recent issue…flight simming and FLYING magazine are how I currently get my flying “fix.” One question: Aside from the interview with X-Plane’s founder [Austin Meyer, Issue 936], you provide little coverage of X-Plane 12 and the other lesser known sims like P3D, and I am wondering why? Aside from visuals, where MSFS currently wins, X-Plane is the clear leader for in-depth simulation of aircraft flight models, systems simulation, etc. Many would argue that MSFS2020 is more a game with pretty visuals, while X-Plane is a truer flight simulation from the ground up. The visuals, weather, [and] lighting are continually improving with the latest release of X-Plane 12, but Austin [Meyer] is clear that visuals…

AT FLYING, WE’RE constantly impressed by the amazing drive toward innovative solutions exemplified by the aerospace industry—and general aviation in particular. The light end of aviation often incubates in the rich humus of inspiration and efforts the seeds of development that lead to game-changing—and life-changing—new ways of experiencing the world. We celebrate those who propel us forward with our annual awards program. In 2022, we introduced the Readers’ Choice Award to recognize a product or development in the GA space that resonates most with our audience—and we continue that honor this year. But there’s more. We also felt there was a gap—an emphasis on things—and a place we needed to make to salute a person who has contributed in a comprehensive way to the aviation community with years of commitment,…

MY LAST OFFICIAL entry in my logbook as a real-world private pilot was in July 2019. The school where I was a renter had a Piper Arrow, and it was time for some recurrency training with my instructor. The intervening years since that flight passed quickly as my wife and I were focused on our two young children, balancing the obligations of our careers, navigating the COVID-19 experience, then moving to a new town. In May, a good friend invited me to join him on a night flight to help round out his flying requirements before starting his training program at a regional airline later this summer. Thrilled with the chance to go flying again, I found my flight gear in the basement, grabbed my aviation headset, kissed my wife…

IF YOU HAVE BEEN following the saga of older single-pilot jet pilots, you know the insurance industry has tightened the financial noose so as to make such exhilarating fun impractical. Such was the case that my wife, Cathy, and I were forced to sell our Cessna Citation CJ1, the jet that fit us like a familiar sports car. This loss prompted an attenuated version of the five stages of grief. First off came denial. Surely there was an insurance company that wasn’t so rapacious—it just had to be discovered. Next came anger. Am I any less capable today than yesterday? Then bargaining: Can’t I take frequent check rides to assess competency? Luckily, we skipped the depression component and found ourselves washed up on the shores of acceptance. I was helped…

ONLY A HANDFUL of circumstances in my airline life required a return to the gate or immediate return to the airport. Never did I divert twice in one day. But on one particular trip from Flagler Executive Airport (KFIN) in Florida to Asheville Regional Airport (KAVL) in North Carolina, my wife and I unwillingly filled that square. As we climbed into the faded-jeans color of a perfect Florida sky, I glanced at the vibrant display of a new JPI EDM 830 engine monitor. The No. 1 cylinder was indicating a steadily increasing cylinder head temperature (CHT). All other parameters were normal. I hoped the temperature would stabilize. It didn’t. With the CHT approaching 400 degrees, I was concerned but not surprised, a sentiment verbalized to my wife. Fortunately, she’s never…

On a hill up and off the road, tucked neatly behind the trees, sits an unassuming building that gives a minimal indication of what happens beyond the front door. Here, the employees of Tempest Aero Group quietly go about their day, moving parts down the line and paying keen attention to detail. They may chat about their kids’ ball practice, share a recipe, or work quietly by themselves. These tasks may seem mundane to some, but their demeanor displays unspoken confidence. What they accomplish in Burlington, North Carolina, will propel their brand to the top of the charts. Look closely enough, and you will see Tempest Aero Group is quietly taking aviation by storm. WHO IS TEMPEST AERO GROUP? One of the first indications of a storm brewing is an…

IT WAS A COOL spring evening in Lincolnshire, England, with the last light of dusk fading from an overcast sky, when an Avro Lancaster III pierced the silence with the roar of four Merlin V-12 engines, accelerated down the tarmac at RAF Fiskerton, and ponderously lifted off at 9:36 p.m. At the controls was Bryan Esmond Bell, 24-year-old son of Percy and Marjorie, born and raised in the outer London suburb of Harrow. With him in the thrumming ship were six men, ranging from 20 to 28 years old. It hadn’t been certain the flight would go, for ceilings had lingered at only 100 feet for most of the day, but throughout the evening the weather improved and the mission was on for the 21 Lancasters of Royal Air Force…

MY DEAREST FELLOW PILOT, Don’t you hate it when your backup camera is fogged up in the morning so you have to actually look in your mirrors to see what’s behind you like some kind of “depression era” truck driver? Or when the headlights of the truck behind you hurt your eyes when you’re in your Lotus GT? Yeah, me too. First world problems, eh? Why, just this morning it took me forever to find the end of the Scotch tape roll. I hear you just bought your own airplane. Finally, nothing standing between you and the deep blue sky as you soar majestically high above those millions of mere mortals. As my close friend William Blake used to say, before his untimely death in 1827, “No bird soars too…

I’M NOT SURE this has been discussed in many aviation publications—especially one as eminent as FLYING—but, if you’ve been aviating for a while, you’re probably familiar with the challenges of biological as well as aeronautical functions. And, if you’re a brand-new pilot…well, I guarantee you will be. I don’t think it’s addressed extensively in the Aeronautical Information Manual or shows up as a test question, but it’s really practical information. Airsickness (what my grandnieces call “the spits”) can happen to anybody—students, passengers, seasoned pilots, and even instructors and check airmen. There’s no surefire way to prevent it, but I have some stories, experiences, and suggestions to avoid it and, if necessary, deal with the subsequent mess. Before takeoff, be sure every new passenger knows to say loudly and clearly if…

AMONG THE VOLUMES crumbling on my bookshelves is one entitled American Combat Planes, by the late historian Ray Wagner. Originally published in 1960, it presents trading-card-sized photos of countless airplanes, together with their specifications and a running narrative of the history of American military aviation, beginning with World War I. From time to time, when leafing through it in search of something else, I have happened upon a sweet-looking little airplane incongruously wedged between the school bus-sized Republic XP-72 and General Motors XP-75. It is the Bell XP-77. With a 100-square-foot wing of 27.5-foot span, it resembles a homebuilt, but one whose somewhat massive snout conceals an inverted Ranger V-12 engine of 520 hp. Two prototypes were built. Conceived to be fast, agile, and cheap, it managed only two out…