Aerotime

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

Before the aircraft begins to move, on the left-hand ( port ) side of the aircraft you may also notice the ground crew waving a thin red flag at the captain (who always sits, aviation convention dictates, in the left-hand seat in the cockpit of fixed-wing aircraft). This marks the most critical point of the take-off run.

Cabin Crew 268

Cabin Crew Runway Clearance Knot 268

Aerotime

JULY 19, 2024

The primary flight controls on the DC-10 (ailerons, rudder, elevators, spoilers) were all operated by hydraulic pressure and the first officer was quick to realize that his controls were unresponsive to his inputs. “I was 46 years old the day I walked into that cockpit,” he said. “I The plane entered a descending right-hand turn.

Runway 294

Runway Horizontal Stabilizer Airline Airlines 294

Flying Magazine

APRIL 26, 2024

The small aileron “tabs” were not doing a great job in crosswind ability. Left downwind on a blustery day with live weather actually shows a virga burst over the field, with local winds gusting 36 knots, making for some extreme conditions in such a tight canyon. Taking off in violent winds was a task.

Crosswind 105

Crosswind Weather Knot Aileron 105

Air Facts

OCTOBER 7, 2024

It was a beefed up, militarized version of the Beechcraft Bonanza with a narrowed fuselage and conventional tail, seating two pilots in tandem cockpits with controls and indicators configured similarly to tactical aircraft of the period. The plane’s mechanic, known as a plane captain, was up on the wing and helped me settle into the cockpit.

Cockpit 98

Cockpit Rudder Tail Indicated Airspeed 98

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

When you’re starting to feel human again after major surgery, what’s a good plan for getting safely back into the cockpit? This 172 had a flap extension speed of 85 knots, and my old Cessna 172’s limit was 100 mph, or 87 knots. I had a total knee replacement. These discrepancies helped me get my head back in the game.

Pitot Tube 59

Pitot Tube Approach Aileron Instrument Landing System 59

Fear of Landing

MARCH 1, 2024

The stall speed is cited in the docket as 53 knots. Whoever was flying that day appears to have intentionally slowed the aircraft to 28 knots. The Cessna 172S crashed into the ground, destroying the cockpit. The fuselage was crushed and the wings only partially attached to the fuselage, with damage to the ailerons and flaps.

Descent 52

Descent Airplanes Knot Pilot 52

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

The weather briefing we had reviewed a half hour earlier promised a 20-knot headwind that would require two fuel stops on the 130-mile trip from our home airport in Kennett, Missouri (KTKX), to Little Rock Air Force Base (KLRF) in Arkansas. The windsock promised that getting the little yellow bird into the air would be a white-knuckle affair.

Runway 82

Runway Crosswind Rudder Pilot 82