Air Facts

MAY 24, 2024

Centerline, centerline, centerline Air Facts Journal It was a beautiful May day as we grabbed the tow bar to pull the 1981 Cessna 182 out of the hangar. With a little forward pressure on the yoke, I was able to keep the airplane on the runway to continue picking up airspeed as we arrived at my target of 60 knots for takeoff.

Aileron 87

Aileron Crosswind Knot Runway 87

Jetwhine

JANUARY 17, 2024

Down low, maximum speeds can easily exceed 425 knots. You’d think pilot problems would be all about stick-and-rudder skills here,” he said. The L–39’s Fowler flaps are clearly visible during the preflight inside Gauntlet Warbird’s hangar at Aurora Municipal Airport (left). But good jet flying is still demanding.

Knot 52

Knot Rudder Pilot Jet 52

Air Facts

OCTOBER 7, 2024

Instrument panel of the T-34B With its 225-hp engine and constant speed prop, 240 knot maximum indicated airspeed, and built for positive 6 and negative 3Gs, it was both highly maneuverable and forgiving with no nasty characteristics that could get neophyte students in trouble. The Navy’s primary trainer was the T-34B.

Cockpit 97

Cockpit Rudder Tail Indicated Airspeed 97

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 86

Runway Crosswind Rudder Pilot 86

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 29, 2024

The FAA weather said a thunderstorm was forecast, gusts to 6 knots. After turning the corner, I was rewarded with tailwinds of up to 22 knots, so the big detour cost me only 15 minutes. Full flaps and 80 knots, trimmed, the airplane asked, is this what I really wanted? There was also a link to a bridge for sale.

Weather 60

Weather Runway Knot Rudder 60

Photographic Logbook

MARCH 10, 2024

Parked in front of my first hangar in South Haven, 05 April 2004. When I first brought the airplane home to her new hangar at the South Haven Area Regional Airport (0D1/KLWA), I was immediately faced with a geometric challenge. Soiled hangar floor visible at the South Haven Airport, 25 September 2004. Out darn (oil) spot!

Airplanes 52

Airplanes Knot Avionics Master Switch Runway 52

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

This 172 had a flap extension speed of 85 knots, and my old Cessna 172’s limit was 100 mph, or 87 knots. The 172 has a steerable nosewheel, much heavier than the rudders on my RV-9A with a castering nosewheel. It had undergone some repair work done after experiencing soot and smoke damage from a fire in a nearby hangar.

Pitot Tube 61

Pitot Tube Approach Aileron Instrument Landing System 61