Reader Mail

Where, Exactly, Are Apps Going From Here? Good editorial Paul. One other irritation that was not mentioned is that, as the developers slather on the new features, the need for a more powerful tablet becomes necessary. It is the same old contest between hardware and software vendors – more features require more processing power which […]

Did You Do That Safety Wiring? Several years ago when I bought my airplane, my then mechanic told me that if I was going to do any work on the plane I needed to get a pair of safety wire pliers. So, when the Snap-On tool guy came around the mechanic led me to his […]

Pipistrel Earns First Electric Aircraft Type Certificate Congratulations to Pipistrel on achieving the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) qualification from EASA for the Velis Electro in much of Europe (the EU). They have worked hard to achieve this electric aircraft milestone and are a true pioneer in advancing this important technology. Well done. George B. The […]

The Future Will Be A Little Late This Year Loss of the brain—mouth connection is certainly embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as loss of the brain—pilot connection. Even though he had probably never heard of Socrates, one of my favorite old flight instructors frequently employed the Socratic method in the airplane as a way to […]

Can There Be This Many Engines? Paul, a very interesting article. As an owner of a first gen Bonanza powered with an Continental E series 225hp E-225-8, I too wanted to know why so many variants of what appears to be the same engine. What I have learned is each series of engines address slight […]

Emergency Landings: Beach Or Breakers? Nice video. We just discussed this at our flight school–we fly out of W29 and the end of the runway is the Chesapeake Bay. Your video helps. Beach landings are as old as powered aviation. The Wright brothers settled on Kitty Hawk based on wind tables they obtained from the […]

Rudy And The J-3 TP Massacre Paul, What a wonderful story and so typical of dad. If you came to the airport, he would treat you like a star. Even if you did not bring an airplane that he wanted to fly. We grew up with the TP maneuver. At a Frasca Field Airshow, the […]

Hey, Tower, Do I Amuse You? I’m a controller, enroute and I work in Safety. I think every controller should be pilot rated and I think the FAA should pay for it. Some of our best trainers are pilot rated controllers. We have had several aircraft saves in the past with a pilot rated controller […]

Do You Really Need To Go Flying? In the UK, the vast majority of private pilots have decided that recreational flying is not right for the following reasons: 1. The ground trip to and from the airfield (if applicable) would contravene the travel guidance as it does not comply with the 4 permitted reasons to […]

FAA Approves Seatless Airliners For Freight Reminds me of the QC 727’s of the early 70’s. Slide out the seats and slide in containers. It’s gonna be a while before these airplanes will have paying passengers on board. Instead, keep them flying with paying boxes instead of paying passengers. It could lead to a new […]