Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2024 i Plane & Pilot

A new era of aviation is upon us. With innovations in sustainable fuels, airframe design, and safety, we may not recognize the machines that take us into the skies 20 years from now. Incredible resources are being poured into development of new technology at a rate not seen in 80 years—at least in the private sector. What’s surprising and inspiring is that much of the innovation shaping aviation across the board comes from the ground up—from general aviation—rather than trickling down from the airlines and military. Pipistrel, one of these key ground-up innovators, experienced humble beginnings as a tiny hang glider manufacturer a few decades ago. It grew gradually and strategically from its original home in a garage serving hobbyists to winning consecutive competitions for flight design at NASA—and eventually…

Reno, Nevada, has been home to the world’s fastest motorsport since 1964. Each September, it becomes the one place on the globe where all types of aircraft compete in a daring test of airplane and pilot, racing for gold in the desert. But, 2023 marked the last time. The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority decided that the races could not continue at the Reno-Stead Airport (KRTS), owing to regional growth planned in the surrounding area. Being its last year, the 59th Reno Air Races saw a massive boost in attendance from both pilots and spectators. The week was full of memorable moments, leaving racers and observers hopeful and excited that the National Championship Air Races will continue for years to come. I have attended the event for the better part of 20…

Just Doing the Math While I enjoyed the article on the B-47 (“Incredible Plane,” November/December 2023), Frank Ayers asserted that the first flight of the Stratojet occurred on the 47th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight. Well, the first flight was on December 17, 1903, and, according to Mr. Ayers, the first flight of the Stratojet was on December 17, 1947. If I remember my elementary school math, that means the first flight of the Stratojet was on the 44th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ achievement. Jerrold Seckler via email Editor’s note: Thank you for catching that typo, Jerrold. Remembering ‘Five-Dollar Frank’ I was intrigued by the letter from Doc Newell (“Share Your Thoughts,” September 2023) about the BD-5 windsock at WV59 (Fayetteville, West Virginia) and checked the location. If…

ACROSS 1 Garmin’s solution to a pilot at the controls being unable to fly 5 The ÒMÓ in MSL 8 Engine power measure, abbr. 9 Radio transmitter at a known location used as a navigation aid, abbr. 11 Wind ___: abrupt change in the horizontal or vertical wind direction 13 Helper 15 It’s recorded in a log 16 Helicopter tour operator in Hawaii 18 Suffix with bull or bear 20 Relaxing destination 21 ___-flight checklist 22 Small part in a machine 24 Without difficulty 26 Compass point, abbr. 28 Great blue area 29 Balloon gas symbol 31 Air density given as a height above mean sea level, abbr. 33 Act of decreasing aircraft altitude 35 60 is the maximum for Part 121 operations 37 Initial interaction or "greeting" between two…

Of all the gadgetry in airplane cockpits, the magnetic compass is probably the least regarded, least used, and least understood. And yet, it deserves understanding and respect, because it is often the most steadily reliable navigational reference we have. Often referred to as the “whiskey compass,” “wet compass,” or “standby compass,” the magnetic compass is a required item per FAR 91.205 for flight in nearly every category and class of aircraft. It’s considered to be that important because being able to find your way across the surface of the Earth is crucial to the successful completion of a trip. The magnetic compass is utterly reliable because it has no power source to fail, so long as the Earth’s magnetic field endures. AHRS (attitude/heading reference system) units and spinning iron gyros…

I never understood aviation until the day I lost it. In the span of two weeks, I failed a flight physical with my increasingly weakened eyesight and found a tumor that was removed the following day. In that moment, as I lay on my bed pondering the potential loss of my entire professional life up to that point, it wasn’t the loss of money or experience or the prospect of entering the shrinking job market with little useful experience that truly scared me. What scared me was an existential loss—a loss of an experience. I flew again as a passenger before I fully understood my condition, and staring at the clouds out the Boeing 757 window, I came to a realization that I am only capable of in my most…

Van’s Aircraft announced on December 4 that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company pointed to recent material and financial challenges and emphasized the move is crucial for its reorganization. The kitplane manufacturer said it will maintain operations, producing and delivering parts, servicing customers, and fulfilling kit orders, operating under court supervision for 90 days. Van’s cited recent contributing factors, including material challenges, such as a debacle with faulty primer that caused corrosion in many kits and problems with its transition to laser-cut parts. These challenges led to significant cash-flow issues. “During that time, Van’s built up a significant and high-value parts inventory,” the company said in a statement. “As we manufacture the additional parts needed to balance this inventory, we will leverage it to fulfill orders…

If you’re like me, at some point in your pilot career, you may have asked yourself this: “Do I really need a weather briefing? The TAFs look like things will probably be fine. I’m not going that far. I’ll just get while the gettin’ is good, and I’ll be there before any bad weather moves in.” Most of us would probably admit that we have done this. I had this inner dialogue recently and found myself in some rough weather, and thought it was worth sharing some of the lessons that I learned through that experience. I was living at the time in western Kansas, where (put generously) there is not exactly a “thriving” flight training market. As a student trying to work through my ratings toward a CFI certificate,…

When Zenith Aircraft CEO Sebastien Heintz invited me to attend the company’s annual home-coming event at its Missouri headquarters at the Mexico Memorial Airport (KMYJ) in September, he didn’t know I’d been eyeing the company’s designs covetously for over two years—long before I found an editorial home at Plane & Pilot. I eagerly agreed to attend. A death in my family rerouted my plans, but when Heintz extended a second invitation, this time to attend a rudder-building workshop the first week of October, I didn’t hesitate. I looked forward to visiting the premises (practically in my backyard, an hour’s drive from my house) to see the facility, meet more of the staff (I’d met only Heintz at EAA AirVenture last summer), and—what’s more American?—roll up my sleeves and rivet some…