On Sept. 2, 2017, Steven Hinton flew “Voodoo” – a highly modified P-51 Mustang – over a 3-kilometer course in Central Idaho at an average speed of 531.272 mph. That speed is the fastest ever achieved for a piston engine propeller-powered airplane. Voodoo’s record attempt was made as an “Aeroplane” in Class C-1 (Landplanes), in […]
Opinion
Pilot Perspectives: Gordon Alvord
By DEREK ROBERTS. In the shadows of the mid-2000 economic slowdown, many young airline pilots like Gordon Alvord were asked to remain in the employment “holding pattern.” Times were tough for the entire nation and the luxury of air travel for everyday citizens was replaced by necessity. With less money to go around, there were […]
Asleep at the yoke
Falling asleep while flying is something I’ve never done. I remember reading about a flight crew who did, overflying their Hawaiian island destination. I wondered what those two pilots felt in that moment when they both suddenly awoke with land and the airport well behind them. I can only imagine the gut-wrenching feeling they must […]
Graciousness and gratitude in Texas
From time to time, each and every one of us has had a wish. We all hoped for something wonderful to happen, for a gift of such magnitude that all our worries will be wiped away, leaving only joy and contentment in out lives. Ironically, a disconcerting number of people who win the lottery tend […]
Do you know where your wing spars come from?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t often think about where my food comes from. Sad, really, but truthful. I suppose I don’t really think about where most of the “stuff” I consume comes from — including parts and pieces of aircraft. For Ron Piercy, a fishing trip to southeastern Alaska five years ago […]
Rethinking the ROI of your life
It’s rare that a week goes by that I don’t get an inquiry from someone, somewhere, about their desire to become a pilot. Or if not a pilot, to find some role in general aviation as a real participant. Aviation is an attractive business. One might go so far as to say it’s sexy. At […]
Big achievements by a small manufacturer
“It simply won’t work,” say too many pilots. “You cannot run a business making only 50 airplanes a year. To build good, safe airplanes, you must operate a large enterprise.” If you are one of those naysayers, are you sure about that? I write about the world of light aviation, a segment of recreational aircraft […]
What should I do about rust in the barrels of cylinders?
Q: I read some of the material you have posted and was very impressed. I have a question about finding rust in the barrels of the cylinders. Here is the situation: A customer is looking to buy a Piper Lance II. It was asked that we do an annual instead of a pre-buy inspection. The engine […]
It’s a short trip from rusty to restored
Years ago I read a passage written by Richard Bach that has stuck with me. While I can’t quote it, and frankly I can’t even remember which book it comes from, Richard left the impression that flight instruction was a noble calling. He wrote about the satisfaction that comes from passing on to a new […]