Equipment Reviews

This article appeared in the January 2003 edition of Aviation Consumer and is reprinted here by permission. Call us cynical, but we’re spring-loaded to be skeptical about aircraft engine modifications in general but specifically those that claim “more” of something. More power, more speed, more climb rate, more economy.While it’s true that some of these […]

I am not a mechanic, and I have never been in the Air Force. However, as a professional pilot, there has always been a mystique with the wrench turners that work (often without glamour or recognition) behind the scenes of the aviation world. Trouble is, working a flight line has not tended to produce a […]

2002 Holiday Special! From now until December 31, 2002, get 10% off all items when you order online. GIFT CERTIFICATE!Can’t decide which Pilots Guide to get as a gift. Well, let them decide. Just send them a Pilots Guide gift certificate. Order them online. It is probably not an exaggerationto say that these three books […]

Lately, things have become a lot easier for flight instructors in need of a refresher course. If, like Glenn Daly, you dislike freeways and crowds, and you’re, shall we say, “thrifty,” you might consider doing your next FIRC online. Read on for Glenn’s first experience with Gleim’s offering. I’m sometimes lazy and always dislike a […]

Much has been written about the frailties of the vacuum pumps that power our crucial flight control instruments. Most recently, AVweb published the first article in this series (“How Can I Fail Thee? Let Me Count the Ways“), which took a close look at some of the weak links in vacuum systems and components installed […]

Also see Mike Busch’s previous reviews of LightSPEED’s QFR Solo passive headset and LightSPEED’s top-of-the-line 25XL headset. When I reviewed LightSPEED’s new $150 QFR Solo passive headset in October 2000, I mentioned how much I was looking forward to trying out the soon-to-be-released ANR-enhanced version, the QFR Cross Country, the first under-$300 aviation headset to […]

For some years now, companies like Elite and Jeppesen have sold software that can power PC training devices on which students can actually log training time. Microsoft has sold a similar product for entertainment purposes. Well, look out Elite; watch it Jeppesen. Microsoft has upped its game with the issuance of the 2002 version of […]

Somewhere north of Cape Girardeau, Missouri … Normally, by this point on a trip like today’s my fuel situation never generates a thought. We’ve logged around 700 hours in the Comanche in the four years we’ve owned it, and we’ve flown this trip more times than any other; about 15 or 20 times in the […]

Thepreparation leading up to my first flight in a new aircraft design always renewsmy sense of adventure and stirs a bit of trepidation, as well. The promise ofsome new adventure, rooted in my hedonistic curiosity about airplanes, generallyoverwhelms any degree of anxiety attached to the coming flight. Nonetheless, arriving at the main gate of The […]

Lookingback, we waited far longer than wise to decide to equip our heads with active-noise-reduction headsets; even with a significant amount of sound insulationinstalled in our classic Piper Comanche, the physical impact of segments lastingthree and four hours usually left us tired beyond necessity. Money – actuallythe shortage of it, as is usually our case […]