Features

Sort of an intermediate hybrid between the venerable 172 and the inestimable 182RG Skylane, the Cutlass rode a fine line for the five years it was in production. Its ill-defined market niche, coupled with the advent of the general aviation recession, kept the production numbers fairly low. Indeed, only 1,191 were rolled out of the […]

Pilots browsing through the light turboprops as a natural step up from a piston twin might be drawn to the Mitsubishi MU-2s by the lure of dazzling speed, unbeatable short-field work and a less-than-shocking purchase price. However, the airplane has a reputation as being hot and dangerous. Most owners attribute this to bad press, but […]

It may not be sleek, sexy or fast, but the relatively new Maule MXT-7-180 does deliver typically good Maule short-field performance for a relatively low price, while leaving the bugaboo of taildragger ground handling behind. The tri-gear Maule is the companys first attempt at direct competition with mainstream four-place, fixed-gear singles. Introduced in 1991, at […]

As the final entry in the Caribbean series, the Tampico Club filled the bottom niche in SOCATAs line of new-wave piston singles. Boasting innovative design features, it was hoped that the Tampico would coax US flight schools into the purchase of some new aircraft to replace their fleets of aging trainers. The way in which […]

Listen to Barb sing this song in RealAudio. Ifyou don’t already have RealPlayerinstalled, you can downloadit here. Wingtip turns above the far horizon;Dive into a quarter roll and pull up toward the sky;Wind has brought a turning of the season;The year rolls by; Sing a happy song and think of harvest time below,Watch your tach […]

Barb MacLeod was born June 10,1943, in New York City. She explored her interest in caving as a geology majorat Antioch College, but she preferred working in the dirt to working in theclassroom. Since opportunities for women in geology were rare, she switched toanthropology, and now holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas. Her […]

Editor’s Note: This is the second of two articles by AVweb columnists on FBOs. If you haven’t already, be sure to read Howard Fried’s companion column “Eye of Experience # 37: The Place of the FBO in the Scheme of Things.” Sometimes things here in the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport get a bit […]

One of the unsung benefits of being a general aviation pilot is getting to meet and know a lot of different FBOs. A Fixed Base Operator can be anything from a single-purpose business which sells fuel, or supplies, or provides training, or performs maintenance, or sells aircraft, or it can offer a combination of services […]

Talk about a muscle machine! It looks the part, and it flies like it looks. I really hate to brag (you do believe that, right?), but I’m having so much fun with this beast, I just have to tell you about it. The Grumman (aka “Grumman Iron Works”) F8F Bearcat was first delivered in 1944, […]

The playful bounce of a taildragger landing on a grass strip is now a sense memory for me, not just something I have read about and seen at the airport or on a video. Wood, fabric and all of 65 horsepower took to the air, and for a few moments, I was a Hurricane pilot […]