Plane & Pilot January/February 2019

What a glider is: Non-powered aircraft that is not lighter than air Derivation of the term “glider:” Unknown Other common term for gliding: Soaring Difference: In soaring, pilots gain altitude in flight Glide ratio, Cessna 172: 9:1 Best high-performance sailplane: Better than 70:1 Northern flying squirrel: 2:1 Steinway Piano: Infinitely poor zero:1 Methods for altitude gain: Rising air (thermals), updrafts from terrain (ridge lift) First claimed glider flight reports: Monks in England, around the year 1000 Reported distance of the flights: 200 meters Likelihood of reports being true: About zero First credible short glider flights: Around 1849, George Cayley Aeronautical principles Cayley identified: Four forces (lift, drag, thrust and gravity), the cambered airfoil, dihedral and others Pioneer of gliding: Otto Lilienthal First flights: Germany, early 1890s Launch pad: Man-made hill…

Back in 1963, when a young Bob Dylan pulled out his Gibson flattop guitar and started singing a folksy tune that would become the anthem for a generation, a song entitled The Times They Are A-Changin’, it was at about the same time that the first Learjets were emerging. And while the song didn’t specifically discuss the subject of future air transportation, it was about how the world was changing in ways that no one was ready for, so we’d better all get prepared for things we couldn’t even fully imagine at the time. In 2018, after all these years, all I can say is, it’s still a good point, Bob. Though Dylan wasn’t the opening act back in October at the National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention &…

A certain theory about contrails holds that these long linear clouds presumably produced as a by-product of high-altitude flight of aircraft are often in actuality chemical weapons being used against the populace. It might sound crazy, but a recent survey revealed that around 10 percent of respondents believed whole-heartedly that chemtrails were a real phenomenon, and 20 percent believed the theory at least in part. Are these folks deluded, or is there something to the contrail theory? THE BACKSTORY Anthropogenic, or homogenitus, clouds, are those made by human activity instead of by natural forces. The history of anthropogenic clouds is a long one, dating back at least to the beginning of the industrial revolution, when clouds formed above industrial plants, still a common occurrence today. But by far the most…

ACROSS 1 Cessna 404 4 Flight Deck 8 Kid of “Easter” with rain and wind 9 One goes on the cover of Plane & Pilot 10 Kind of “track” you fly over lots of water 11 Triumphs over 13 Late aerobatics great Loudenslager 14 Two hated letters when it comes to FAA orders 15 DME ___ 16 Pertaining to birds 17 ___flight checklist 18 Several LSA versions of this are in the works 19 Stuff that Cubs and Huskys like to play in 21 Scheduled to arrive 23 ___ Aviation, beleaguered maker of Eclipse Jet 25 PIREP, for example 27 Light Sport aircraft from Flight Design 31 Strong lightweight material used in plane construction, 2 words DOWN 1 Their over-the-nose visibility is not great 2 What ADS-B is all about…

THRUSH AIRPLANE GAINS FAA CERTIFICATION The new Thrush 510G Switchback, a single-engine air tanker that can deliver 500 gallons of fire retardant and land on unimproved surfaces, received its official certification from the FAA in late October. The model is already being put to use, with the first two 510G airplanes delivered to the Georgia Forestry Commission. NBAA WRAPS UP ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CONFERENCE In October, NBAA/BACE 2019 wrapped its three-day run at the Orlando Orange County Convention Center, once again hosting a thousand exhibitors, attendees from nearly 100 countries, more than 100 aircraft on static display and countless educational, networking and other opportunities. GE MAKES PROGRESS ON AFFINITY ENGINE General Electric has completed the first design phase of a new supersonic engine that will meet Stage 5 noise and environmental…

LUSCOMBE 8F Vicksburg, Michigan/Injuries: 1 Fatal The commercial pilot was found lying on the ground under the nose of the airplane with a fatal head injury from a propeller strike. Normal engine start for this airplane required hand propping the engine. The airplane was found with the left wheel chocked, and the magneto, throttle control, primer, and fuel tank selector settings as expected for an engine start. It is likely that, during hand propping, the pilot inadvertently entered the path of the propeller. The Federal Aviation Administration advises pilots that hand propping should only be attempted with two properly trained people, and the pilot was alone when he was fatally injured. PROBABLE CAUSE(S): The pilot’s inadvertent contact with the propeller while hand propping the engine, which resulted in a fatal injury.…