Question: The world's first fixed location devoted to the landing and departure of flying machines that was referred to in the way we most often do now, that is by the term 'airport' was?
RG Factors—10 Tips for Avoiding LGRMs
For several months we’ve been looking at the pandemic Landing Gear-Related Mishap (LGRM) rate in certified, piston-engine, retractable gear airplanes. Wrapping up, here are 10 Tips for Avoiding LGRMs.
Pilot Decision Making Leads the Way
As pilots we understand that our decisions are crucial and the safety of every flight depends on them, but now other fields that require decision-making are looking to aviation as the model of how it should be done.
Short Flights and Strange Lights
'What's that light in the sky?' asked my wife, Jean. I looked back over my shoulder, and my jaw dropped. Near the horizon, a blinding beam projected downward as if from an alien saucer. We were on downwind in the traffic pattern, practicing night landings in darkness.
Trivia Teaser: Will the Real Highest Mountain Please Stand Up
Question: The highest mountain peak on Earth, in reality, is?
Angels on the Ground
It was clear and still, a beautiful day to fly. After three weeks, we were pointed toward home, and I couldn't have been more ready. The Black Hills looked green and peaceful, and we decided that Newcastle, Wyoming, on the west side, where dense forests are replaced by high desert, was a good choice for a fuel stop.
Performance, II: Out of the Matrix
When we think, read, or speak about airplane performance, aside from the more obvious implications regarding a relative ability to accomplish a particular goal such as taking off from a short field or getting somewhere in a hurry, in reality we’re thinking and living in a secondary world. When you compare numbers for these things and others like rate of climb, service ceiling, range, or fuel burn, aeronautically speaking, you’re actually inside the matrix, if you will. In other words, there’s a more elemental reality behind them.
Trivia Teaser
Question: The first jet airplane actually existed in?
RG Factor: Gear Check
Nearly half of all reported mishaps in retractable-gear airplanes are related to the landing gear system. The vast majority of those appear to be related mainly to pilot action or inaction, often under the stress of distraction. There is a small component of the Landing Gear-Related Mishap (LGRM) record, however, that is a function of aircraft maintenance.
Pilgrimage to Old Rhinebeck
'Rat-tat-tat-brrrrrrrmmm, rat-tat-tat-brrrrrrrmmm!' I could scarcely believe my ears, for there, dogfighting over my head, were World War I fighters — SPAD, Fokker Triplane, Camel, Albatross, and Nieuport — marques I had read and dreamt about, and even seen in a few museums. But never had I guessed that one day I’d actually hear them fly.