Best of the Web

by John on May 27, 2012

Piper Aircraft Corporation Celebrates a 75th Anniversary. Richard Collins has written a detailed article for Air Facts about the Piper Aircraft Corporation, which was formed in 1937 by W. T.  Piper, Sr., and is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Richard is well positioned to write an article about Piper because his father had dealings with the company when it was still in its infancy.

Using an Electric Aircraft to Recreate Lindbergh’s Flight. On another historical note, electric vehicle pioneer Chip Yates is making plans to recreate Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 trans-Atlantic flight using an all-electric aircraft. Yates is hoping that his aircraft will fly non-stop to Paris at least as fast as Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis. Moreover and for the added challenge along with authenticity, he’ll fly low to avoid getting any help from the jet stream.

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Biofuels Get Axed. On a green aviation note, Paul Bertorelli has written a detailed update about biofuels in the USA. Apparently, a Republican-led group in the House Armed Services Committee voted to kill a Department of Defense plan to run its aircraft on a blend of half biofuel and half conventional Jet A by 2017 by slipping language into the defense department’s appropriation that would prohibit the armed services from spending more for fuel than they do for traditional fossil fuels.

TrustedFuel.com Launches. On another fuel note, General Aviation News has mentioned the launch of TrustedFuel.com, an online resource center intended for aviation fuel handlers that was built with a range of information, technical data, specifications, training tools and links to additional industry guidance. For more information, visit TrustedFuel.com and Phillips66Aviation.com.

Apps Provide Weather Related Tips. Sporty’s has recently released a four-part weather flying series for iPad and iPhone that features general aviation weather expert Richard Collins. Specifically, Richard Collins’ Advanced Weather Flying apps are available for each of the four seasons and they break down the challenges and opportunities that pilots face when flying in different seasonal weather conditions. Each App is $4.99 and may be ordered at Sportys.com/apps.

Sporty’s Fly Away Cleaning Kit. Sporty’s has also introduced its Fly Away Cleaning Kit which contains all of the basics needed to keep an aircraft looking new. Sporty’s Fly Away Cleaning Kit [B2098A] is available for $49.95 and the Cleaning Kit Bag [7655A] is available for $15.95. Gallon size containers of these products along with a box of 100 Dupont Aerospace Wipes [7726A] is available for $17.95. For more information, visit Sportys.com.

AOPA Live’s New Weekly News Show. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has just unveiled the AOPA Live This Week news broadcast. The new television-style webcast is hosted by AOPA Pilot Editor-In-Chief Tom Haines who will be taking a closer look at the week in general aviation. The show is available online and will be posted every Thursday morning.

GA Pilots Help Whooping Cranes. Finally, General Aviation News has a detailed article about how crane biologists and general aviation pilots are banding together to use small aircraft flights to see if they can assist cranes and grow their population. Specifically, a group called LightHawk provides donated flights in private aircraft to assist with a variety of conservation efforts and not just ones that involve whopping cranes. In fact, LightHawk flies about 1,000 missions each year for over 250 conservation partners in North America and Central America.

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    Should you commute to work using your aircraft?

    by John on May 26, 2012

    Someone recently posted the following rather unusual question on Ask a Flight Instructor about commuting to work in an aircraft:

    what are the FAA regulations about a private pilot or a commercial pilot using their own personal aircraft to commute to work  in another city on a regular basis.  Is this allowed?

    Obviously, the poster is not based in the UK or Europe where flying every day would probably cost more than a nice vehicle (along with a chauffer to drive it…) but there were a few interesting responses to the question.

    Commenter Kevin suggested that that given enough time, he’s pretty sure that the FAA will “issue a new regulation or two … hundred” while another commenter named Brian wrote that the pilot will need to see where his or her company stands on the matter as some companies would frown on it or not allow it because of the potential for a lawsuit.

    However, commenter Lucas pointed out that:

    Also remember that most accidents happen for a series of reasons, and it all starts with falling behind the airplane.What if one morning you wake up real late and have an incredibly important appointment? Are you going to refuel the airplane? Are you going to test the fuel before take off? are you even going to check the weather?

    Lucas also noted that while legal (if flying is incidental to the business), the company could have an issue with flying to work on company time.

    And of course, its worth remembering that if the White House has its way, there will be $100 use fees slapped on all flights – making the cost of a daily commute to work rather expensive!

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      Magnum force: What a RAF pilot will do for ice cream…

      by John on May 25, 2012

      The Sun has recently reported that some RAF airmen were seen emerging from a chopper on the beach at Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk to head for the nearby Winterton Dunes Beach Café for ice cream – specifically three Magnum Classics and one white chocolate Magnum. Apparently, the café assistant asked what was going on and one crew member told him: “We’re all entitled to a tea break.”

      Given we are in the midst of austerity, some readers were critical with one pointing out in the comments section that the chopper “consumes far much more fuel landing and taking off than in mid air or parked at an air base.” Otherwise and for what its worth to mention, I would point out that its unlikely the RAF took “tea breaks” for ice cream during the middle of Battle of Britain…

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        Inside view of RAF Hawks taking part in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee flypast

        by John on May 24, 2012

        Hat tip to David Cenciotti for find and posting this video of RAF Hawks practiced a taxing formation that was flown as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Military Muster over Windsor castle last Saturday. Specifically, 27 RAF Hawks flew in a tight formation to depict “EiiR” (Elizabeth II Regina) wand this video was filmed from "Ruby 4" in the lower part of the loop of the “R.”

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          Video of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee flypast

          by John on May 22, 2012

          Last Saturday in honor of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, 87 aircraft from the 3 services participated in a flypast over Windsor Castle that this excellent video from PlanesTV showcases (Note: See our post from last Saturday for the route and the aircraft composition):

           

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            When airport security succeeds…?

            by John on May 21, 2012

            At Heathrow Airport today, an individual, later discovered to be a public school teacher, was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a compass, a protractor and a graphical calculator.

            Authorities believe he is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement.

            He is being charged with carrying weapons of math instruction…

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              Best of the Web

              by John on May 20, 2012

              Why Do Some Flight Attendants Hate Pilots? Airline pilots take note: The Blue Side Up has a poll asking why flight attendants hate pilots with the choices being 1) Because they are men, 2) They Lie, 3) They are not generous, 4) They are needy and think the world revolves around them, 5) I actually love them! and 6) Other. So far, not many have voted though….

              FAA Revises Flight Blocking Rules. US pilots take note: The FAA has published new procedures that will give aircraft owners broader control over their flight information’s disclosure, The agency will accept comments on its notice of proposed process until June 8.

              OpenAirplane Wants to Reinvent Aircraft Rentals. AVweb recently interviewed OpenAirplane’s Rod Rakic for details about his company’s plan to make aircraft renting both easier and more affordable for pilots as well as more profitable for aircraft owners. You can listen to the podcast here.

              Cessna’s New Citation Longitude. In addition, AVweb has an interview with Brad Thress, Cessna’s senior vice president for business jets, from the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) show floor in Geneva. In the interview, Thress gave considerable details about the design of Cessna’s newest and biggest jet, the Citation Longitude. You can listen to the podcast here.

              Hawker Beechcraft Could Be Out of Bankruptcy Later This Year. The AOPAPilot Blog has a quick update about the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Hawker Beechcraft. Apparently, the aircraft manager could be out of bankruptcy by the end of this year but just don’t expect the Chinese to come in and save the company as they have apparently settled on Cessna as a partner.

              The Boeing “Milestones in Innovation” App. Fans of Boeing might want to check out “Milestones in Innovation” – its first official app for iPad. The app brings nine decades of aviation innovation to iPad through beautiful imagery and an interactive timeline plus its being described as the history of Boeing as a digital coffee table book. The Boeing “Milestones in Innovation” App is available for free from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

              B-29 Ditching in the Pacific 1945. On a historical note, Sylvia, the blogger behind the Fear of Landing blog, has a great post about along with a stunning video from March 1945 in which Captain Bernard “Barney” McCaskill Jr ditched his B-29, the Hopefull Devil, into the Pacific. Apparently, the video is part of Vincent “Enzo” Romano’s  archives that are billed as the “most complete Italian private digital archive related to American History, from the end of the 19th century to 1970.” A good deal of the Romano Archives have also been uploaded onto Youtube under UnknownWW2InColor and UnknownWW2InColor 2.

              Looking for an Extreme Adventure. Finally, Sky Combat Ace (SCA) has launched a new business offering acrobatic flights include spins, barrel rolls, hammerheads and loops in the skies above Las Vegas. Specifically, SCA’s fleet includes an Extra 330LC, a T-6 Texan and a Waco Classic YMF-5C open cockpit biplane with five types of experiences available: 1) Aerobatic Flights, 2) Aerial Dogfighting, 3) Multi-Day Adventures, 4) Sightseeing Packages and 5) Spectator Packages. For more information, visit SkyCombatAce.com or check out their videos on YouTube or their website.

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                On Board Boeing’s New 787 Dreamliner

                by Matthew Stibbe on May 19, 2012

                A couple of weeks ago British Airways invited me to visit their newly-extended maintenance facility at Heathrow to see the new Boeing 787 which was visiting briefly. I had seen them on the production line in America but we weren’t allowed to take photos, so this was a great opportunity to see a fantastic new plane and to share some pictures with you.

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                British Airways was doing some tests to make sure that the 787 could fit in the new hangar and the maintenance cradles they had built for it. I was just looking for a photo opportunity!

                 

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                New Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines with this interesting scallop shape on the nacelle, which I believe is suppose to reduce noise.

                 

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                The first impression is that it is very smooth, like a dolphin. Perhaps it’s the nose. And is it just me, but is there a hint of Comet in the lines?

                 

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                We got a brief look at the cockpit. Note the head-up displays and the five large LCD screens.

                 

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                Other planes have little trackballs but I was interested to see that the 787 has a trackpad like a laptop.

                 

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                Surprisingly few knobs, dials and switches. As planes get more digital, the cockpits get simpler. I think even I could master this lot.

                 

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                This is the forward crew rest area. Very cosy.

                 

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                This picture shows the dimmable windows and Boeing’s business class concept with outward-facing windows (for a better view).

                 

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                Smooth. Composite structure and advanced aerodynamics are part of the reason that Boeing is claiming 20% lower fuel consumption. We got to see how engineers repair composites. I had seen some of this before after a golf ball hit the wing of an SR22 that I fly. (Don’t worry, it was on the ground at the time.)

                 

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                In service, I don’t think there would be so much space for walking around! But you can see the interior lighting system, cabin height and large windows in this picture.

                I was impressed to see the 787 up close. Yes, it’s a few years late but some things are worth waiting for.

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                  The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee flypast

                  by John on May 19, 2012

                  Today, Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in honor of 60 years on the throne. As part of the celebration, there will be a flypast of over 80 aircraft.

                  David Cenciotti of the Aviationist blog has posted a few graphics showing the flypast which will consist of several formations that will include historic aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight:

                  In addition, there are two Temporary Airspace Restrictions or RA(T)s in force from 09:30 to 11:30 hours (UTC) and from 09:50 to 11:50 hours (UTC) that will impact a broad corridor of airspace from the South Coast to west London:

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                    Loose fuel lines lead to accidents

                    by John on May 17, 2012

                    General Aviation News will often reprint excerpts from US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident reports, including two accidents that involved loose fuel lines after maintenance work or an inspection.

                    In the first accident report dated February 2010, a Piper Malibu Mirage suffered substantial damage in Nashville but luckily there were no injuries. According to the report, a 2,632-hour commercial pilot was in cruise flight when the alternator light illuminated and he smelled smoke. While diverting to the nearest airport, he lost all power on the descent but safely landed and he then noted light smoke coming from cowling for several minutes after landing.

                    An inspection by an FAA inspector found that the fuel control unit feed and return lines were “loose at the rear engine baffle fittings immediately above the starter and starter adapter.” A review of maintenance records showed that the starter adapter had just been replaced nine hours before the accident – meaning the mechanic had failed to properly secure the fuel control unit fuel lines.

                    The second accident report dated May 2010, a Piper Warrior II suffered substantial damage in Chandler (Arizona) resulting in one serious and one minor injury. According to the accident report, a private pilot and a CFI were performing touch-and-goes when smoke began to fill the cockpit – most likely coming through the defroster vents. The smoke soon became so thick that the CFI could not see outside of the windows and he ended up making a hard landing.

                    A review of maintenance records revealed that the last annual inspection had been completed just two days before the accident and the aircraft had flown about four hours since then. An inspection of the aircraft then revealed that the fuel line leading from the engine-driven fuel pump to the carburetor was disconnected at the fuel pump with no visible impact damage to the “B” nut on the line or to the fitting on the fuel pump – meaning the line was undone before impact. 

                    It was concluded that the “B” nut on the line had not been properly tightened by maintenance personnel and probably backed off due to normal engine vibration. In other words and right after maintenance, check those fuel lines!

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