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It had been one of those busy Saturday mornings at the office. Itwas going to be nice to get out to the airport and spend a little time in the pilot’slounge readjusting my perspective on the world. I had a little time before an aerobaticstudent was scheduled and then it was going to be home […]

The aircraft magneto is a cursed thing. Its technology seemingly dates to the discovery of fire, every engine needs at leasttwo and on a dark and stormy night over the Appalachians, the last thing you want to thinkabout is how many fragile moving parts are whirling around inside a mag at the speed ofheat. But […]

As far as I can recall, no one has ever accused the FAA of beingeither logical or consistent in the interpretation of its regulations.The recent changes in Part 61 of the regulations provide severalglaring examples of the inconsistent and illogical manner in whichthe regulations are interpreted by the FAA. Of course, from thattime beyond which […]

It was a glorious July day in Northwest Indiana. I woke with the sun, eager to be on my mission — actually a dual mission that day. I was to complete my first solo cross country flight AND take my private pilot written test at the South Bend GADO. They were written tests in those […]

Even when it’s working correctly, the FAA’s notam dissemination is seriously deficientwhen it comes to FDC or flight data center notams. These relate to regulatory and airspacenotifications and, most important, approach procedures and airways. You may have the patience of a Talmudic scholar and Bill Clinton’s eye for twisteddetail but you’ll still miss many FDC […]

Can’t do it? Rubbish! Yeah, I know, the handheld is notFAA-Approved, or TSO-129 compliant. Well, neither is a #2 pencil,but that doesn’t mean you need an FAA-approved pencil (yet) towrite down a clearance, and you don’t need an IFR-approved GPSto use one while IFR, either. I wouldn’t be so hot on this subject,except for the […]

Following a driving vacation with the husband and kids last summer, Judy scheduled flying lessons. She has been aggressively going after her private pilot certificate. After one of her lessons, someone in the lounge asked her what caused her sudden desire to learn to fly. What Judy said reminded me of how very clearly new […]

Reader Jerry McKissack sent me an email requestingthat I do a column on the subject of carb ice. He wrote, “Couldyou do an article on carburetor ice and when to use the carburetorheat. What planes are more susceptible and why? I’ve heard the150 is notorious for carb ice-why? Can you do anything to reduceit or […]

Most people wouldn’t think of Northern California as a place withmuch of an aviation history, and probably wouldn’t envision Palo Alto – home of StanfordUniversity and the birthplace of Silicon Valley – as a likely place for an aircraftmanufacturer to have been based. But in fact, Northern California has a notable history in aviation, and […]

This is a great time for NASA. It’s our 40th anniversary. Yesterday morning, we launched Deep Space One, our first electric propulsion probe; we will turn on that electric engine in about two weeks. In about a month, the first piece of the International Space Station will be launched. And in just five days now […]