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[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] Today, I look back on the years of stimulating growth in aviation during World War II. As a pilot, I saw great nations competing against one another to design and build aircraft in huge numbers, upon which their very survival would depend. The best brains […]

[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] Jeanne and I did some boating and relaxed as a family. I wrote a letter to Arthur Vining Davis letting him know I was free from any contracts and, if he cared to speak to me regarding employment, I was readily available. I soon received […]

This article appeared in Light Plane Maintenance, Oct. 2008. The most important reason to have a multi-probe engine-diagnostic system is the in-flight diagnostic capability that such a system brings. If the pilot knows and understands the system, a multi-probe cylinder head temperature/exhaust gas temperature (CHT/EGT) system can serve as an unparalleled “early warning” device, pinpointing […]

Sikorsky Fly by Wire UH60 The first fly-by-wire helicopter was a UH60 (AVwebFlash, Aug. 31), but it was developed by Boeing back in 1985. I know because I was the Flight Test Engineer.The system was called ADOCS and it contained not only a fly-by-light, fiber-optic control system, but also a fly-by-wire backup system as well.Here […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, July 2006. If asked, the FAA would probably say that the most-violated FARs involve serving as a pilot-in-command without the required recent experience for the operation, or the ubiquitous “careless and reckless” offense. After all, they might reason, the system is designed to prevent accidents or incidents, so […]

Grob Files For Bankruptcy One of the biggest shocks the GA community in Europe experienced last month was the surprise announcement that German aircraft manufacturer Grob Aerospace had to file for insolvency after its main investor pulled out. Flight Global reports that several customers who have ordered the Grob SPn have offered to chip in […]

We had our “Hey, Let’s Have a Barbeque” barbeque at the virtual airport recently. Of course it rained. I had retreated indoors to the Pilot’s Lounge, where pilots were blasting the TSA for its most recent screw-up. They were wondering how an organization that hired morons who climbed on TAT probes marked “No Step” while […]

This article originally appeared in IFR magazine, Mar. 2006. Bill’s CFII was a 767 captain who wanted him to get as much real experience as possible. They hunted low-pressure systems from the West Coast to the Great Lakes during a wet February, sniffing out whatever light icing they could find. For those thinking, “Can you […]

406 MHz ELTs in Canada What has not been said (AVwebFlash, Aug. 19) is that when the new rule goes into effect, all aircraft operating in Canadian airspace, with a few minor exceptions, will require a 406 MHz ELT. This will include the hundreds of American-registered aircraft that transit Canada. The trip to Alaska will […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Consumer magazine, May 2007. Utilitarian to the core, we aren’t impressed by flashy instrument-panel work. And by this, we mean panels decked out in custom colors and patterns that blend with a pricey leather interior and a toney exterior paint job. But we’re not crazy about the 1970s-style Royalite […]