Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2023 i Plane & Pilot

Ray Andrews, my flight instructor, turned to me and asked, “So, you think you’re ready to solo in front of your friends?” After my half-hour flight lesson of three takeoffs and landings, with my childhood friends Larry Leonard and Michael Rafferty watching from alongside the grassy airstrip, I was surprised by his question. I had no idea this might be “the day” I would solo at Weiser Airpark (formerly KEYQ) outside of Houston. I don’t remember what I answered, but I think I just smiled and nodded. Up to this point, I had seven hours of flight instruction and performed a total of 42 takeoffs and landings. Andrews climbed out of the right seat of the Piper Cherokee, and I taxied to the end of the runway for what would…

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…

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…

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 _____…

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…

TECNAM, APEX AVIATION COLLABORATE TO SUPPLY MARITIME PATROL AIRCRAFT Tecnam has announced it is expanding the mission capabilities of its P2012 twin as part of a collaboration with Apex Aviation, based in Taitung, Taiwan, to supply special-mission aircraft for the Taiwanese government. Under a memorandum of understanding, the companies will develop a special mission version of the P2012 Sentinel SMP using equipment from IMSAR for surveillance and maritime patrol. The companies made the announcement during the opening of TADTE 2023, the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition. Apex previously purchased a P2012 for skydive and aerial tourism operations in cooperation with the Taitung government in 2022, followed by a second aircraft outfitted as an air ambulance earlier this year. Apex has options for six more P2012s. The new P2012 special-mission platform…

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…

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…