Flying still fills me with a sense of awe. Even after all these years I have never become blasé about the moment the wheels get light and the wings take the load uphill. I’m acutely aware that I am nothing more than an average human being, well out of my element. On my own I have no business being thousands of feet in the air, cruising along at speeds my ground-bound counterparts can only dream of as they sit in traffic.
Opinion
Questions from the Cockpit: Old(er) vs. new(er)
Adam, a private pilot in Georgia, writes: I’m tired of the hassles of renting to feed my passion. It’s time to pony up and become an airplane owner. I’ve read up on everything and think I know what I’m in for. But I do have one item that I’m getting differing opinions on, so I’d like your wisdom: Should I go for a good deal on an older airplane and have some money left over to make it nice, or should I go for something newer, basically buying all the airplane that I can afford? My budget is more in car-buying territory than in house-buying territory.
Ask Paul: What’s behind the high oil temperature in my Mooney?
Question for Paul McBride, the General Aviation News engines expert: I have developed a high oil temperature issue in my Mooney. I have thrown time and money at this with a mechanic and so far can’t seem to make improvements.
The past, present, and future of one chunk of dirt
About 100 years ago the place we recognize as Tampa International Airport, one of the largest, busiest airports in Florida, was nothing more than a strip of grass on a farm.
Human Factors: Break out the booze
If you think it’s OK for you to drink when you fly, that you can handle it, you are wrong. And if you know someone who drinks before flying, or drinks in-flight, you need to intervene.
Personalize your aircraft performance table
It is a great A/B test tool. Mark your performance before and after installing a new propeller, for example, to see the impact.
Why doesn’t somebody do something?
As pilots, aircraft mechanics, aviation business owners, and interested residents, it is in our best interest to offer ourselves for public service. Establish an airport advisory committee that puts effective and beneficial utilization of the field at the forefront of its agenda. Discuss development of the airport as an asset to the community — a place where learning, recreation, business, and personal fulfillment all converge for the betterment of the residents and visitors to your area.
Uncomfortable parallels deserve consideration
The question each of us must ask ourselves is this: Do I really want to be minimally qualified? Would my friends and family be comfortable flying with me if they knew I was actively avoiding situations where I would have to prove my worth as a pilot?
Avgas from the Wright brothers to today
There is still a lot of confusion about the transition to a new unleaded avgas, especially around the differences between fuels approved through the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) and a specification from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). It may help to look at the history of specifications for avgas.