Search results

Other than the rules-of-thumb mentioned above, you can do what we glider pilots do: add a skew-T check to your wx briefing. In a nutshell, a skew-T graph will show you what you most want to know: at what altitude you can expect strong lift. They're also handy for predicting cloud base...

A wood wing is not stronger than an aluminum wing per se, but assuming the wood (and associated hardware/glue/fasteners) remains in good condition, a wood wing has an advantage in having, theoretically, no limit to the number of times it can be flexed or twisted. Aluminum and steel have definite...

Yeah, it only pays if it's an out-and-back, LOL.

Yes, there's good reason why it counts as a flight review... a PPA will wind up re-visiting all the primary stuff with a fresh perspective during the training (including weather, pattern and runway ops, pilotage, and off-the-cuff performance estimates). Then there will be a formal oral exam...

Assuming you don't mean ultralights, something with only one or two seats, a small engine, no gyros and no electrical system would fit the bill for "cheapest". Low operational cost, too, and if it meets Light Sport limitations, it would be cheaper for the pilot to qualify to operate it. That...

I think "unsupervised solo" here refers to the first solo flight out of the pattern. It's usually a trip to some area where maneuvers have been practiced before. I will say the OP did two things right: picked a healthy altitude to do these maneuvers, and paid attention to Langeweische, who...

That's about what I tell them...but its usually not enough. Most people want stats. I offer the stats, then remind them that statistically, lying in bed is the most dangerous thing you can do because more people have died lying in bed than when engaging in any other activity. After the...

Only power landings I ever made on turf, the (well-cropped) turf was pretty near frozen, and it was not a problem for me (in a Cub). It is a pretty smooth strip, but it was hard. But being grass/dirt, the surface will yield a bit more and not be as "grabby" as pavement, even when it's frozen...

Neat stuff, but I wouldn't call any of them "just outside our solar system"... nearest star to our own is over 4 light-years away (and no planets). Even that one is very, very far outside our system. But again- neat stuff!

Amazing.

It's a scheduled airline (that also does charters), so not GA at all, actually. ;) The important thing is that they do know they survived a flight in one of those "little airplanes", and that is good for small-aircraft GA.:thumbsup: I like STndAir's "Flight Board" thing, where some flights...

No, that's only on internet boards... :D

Only other advice I will offer is to remember to scan diligently for traffic, whether you are in the exclusion or being handled on a Skyline route. When a fixed wing and heli collided off Hoboken a while back, the heli was making mandatory reports and the airplane was talking to ATC. The...

I'm pretty impressed with the color temperature of the light from these things, and the brightness (considering the actual wattage). As for reliability- we'll see about these cheaper consumer units, but in the last couple of years I have seen more and more LEDs used for theatrical lighting...

That went pretty well, considering... pretty sure the PIC would have had to go under an overpass to pull that off. With weekday rush hour traffic on that stretch of road, it would have been a disaster. Maybe they left the gear up to make sure it stopped before the next onramp...:D

It being New Year's Day and my birthday and all, I did something crazy today: went to Coney Island to join the Polar Bear Club in their annual New Year's swim in the Atlantic! Air temp was about 32F, water temp was... stupid crazy cold, I guess. Strode out with the second wave of what may be...

For me, it's not so much the use of "like" and "you know" (which have their place, in moderation, having replaced "Rather", "Dig?", "Savvy?", and "Eh what?"). It's the "interrogative tone"...? Where every damn sentence sounds like a question...? I remember when only females and certain...

If the pilot observed by the OP were young, but had some problem that made walking and climbing in and out of the plane difficult for him, would that be cause for concern (that said pilot isn't fit to fly)? My point is that age or even some degree of infirmity is not a reliable indicator of...

I've heard dubious tales of IFR-certified Champs; it could be done but beyond maybe earning the IR cert it would be very limited in utility as an IFR plane, and the weight of the stuff needed for IFR would limit it as a fun flyer. A 140 is a different story, especially with an engine...

I guess it sort of depends on what "initially" really means, but right now it looks like they want you to pay for nothing. It would make more sense for them to ask for a lot more to buy in, then provide lower rates and some sort of optimized scheduling. Never heard of a flying club such as you...