Inhoudsopgave van May 2020 - Flying

It’s the close of a week in early March, and I’ve just finished a string of visits within the bounds of Central Florida. The state’s connections to aviation run deep, but mostly, they seem to lie in the sheer quantity of infrastructure that beckons retired pilots of all stripes (along with its no-state-income-tax deal, to be sure). When a Florida-born colleague mentioned to me that Lakeland was one of his favorite spots because there were actual hills, I noted them on our route from Orlando to Tampa—but they are subtle. It’s flat. The weather’s generally great. It’s the perfect place to build a lot of runways. The state has attracted a lot of aerospace business as well—the most obvious being the complex around Cape Canaveral that has recently transitioned from…

Olive Branch—in Mississippi—might not be a city that easily rolls off the tongue of pilots everywhere, but as the crow flies, Olive Branch Airport (KOLV) is just 26 miles from Memphis International (KMEM), home base to package-delivery giant FedEx. That airline alone adds some 450 daily operations to KMEM. But KMEM’s nearly 230,000 annual operations include plenty of traditional airlines bringing people to listen to soul, blues, rock ’n’ roll, and maybe even visit the Graceland palace that was once home to the King, Elvis Presley. Each year, about 65,000 aircraft arrive and depart at Olive Branch, many just to avoid the traffic chaos at KMEM. While this month’s ILS appears very straight forward on the surface, it contains a number of notes that could confuse any pilot who skips…

It was during EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. John and I were seated at a dinner table when a friend brought up a visitor. We were informed the visitor was a prince of Saudi Arabia—and what ensued is the kind of extraordinary conversation that can happen at Oshkosh. I am sorry to say that I did not do a very good job with the conversation; I had no idea what to say to a prince. I later learned he had been a fighter pilot, as well as an astronaut in a space shuttle mission. Had I known those things, I would have done a better job—I do have some idea of what to say to a fighter pilot and an astronaut. Our visitor was His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin…

Tindle plans more WomanWise Aviation Adventures for 2020, though at press time they remain in flux because of general travel concerns in the spring, which we all hope to have dissipate by summer. Tindle said in March, “[I’m planning] September 6 to 10 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, for high-mountain flying, aerobatics and spin [training], and soaring, which is new. [Then it’s] October 25 to 29 in Moab, Utah, for backcountry flying, aerobatics and spin [training], and ballooning—also new.” Check womanwiseaviationadventures.com for more details. Also, look to Fred Williams’ Adventure Flying LLC for the wide range of flight training he provides in Cascade, Idaho, and Reno, Nevada, both in the Kitfox or in the aircraft you bring (contact Williams for details via advflying.com). Bob Del Valle offers instruction in Sandpoint, Idaho,…

Do you believe the Earth is warming? I do. Do you believe that man contributes to this warming trend? I do, but I don’t know how much. Do you believe that the Earth’s supply of fossil fuels is finite? I do. Do you believe that aviation contributes to climate change? I do—but not as much as other sources of greenhouse gases do. Do you believe that raising cattle contributes to the rise in the Earth’s temperature? I do. Do you like steak? I do. Do you like to fly airplanes powered by fossil fuels? I do. Well, then, that’s a problem. Nothing distills the argument between virtue and fun like a discussion of aviation’s impact on the world. And nothing hits closer to home than our own need to fly.…

QUESTION FOR CHART WISE I am a 500-hour VFR pilot working on my [instrument rating], so I am striving to fully understand the approach plates. The Chart Wise section in the March 2020 issue has me wondering if there is an error in the article or if I am not understanding this properly. “A. Sidestep Minimums” indicates that in sidestepping the ILS Y Runway 10R to Runway 10L, the minimums would be 376 feet higher for the approach from 10R to 10L. Isn’t the correct height actually 184 feet higher (from 3,036 feet msl to 3,220 feet msl), while the height above ground is 176 feet higher because [the] touchdown-zone elevation [is 8 feet higher]? I appreciate the Chart Wise section in each of your magazines. I find it a…

It was a blindingly bright afternoon on the edge of the Okavango Delta—warm and sunny on this July winter day. Our Land Rover Defender chugged along the dirt track that paralleled and crisscrossed a reedy canal, occasionally turning muddled and confused among a profusion of game trails trampled through the ocher sea of grass by ever-present herds of impala, lechwe, sable, kudu, and the massive 6-ton African elephants that eyed our Landy like a smaller interloper that might potentially need to be run off. Our attention, however, was focused on the tree line to our left. We stopped every few minutes, and my eagle-eyed wife Dawn scanned the bush with her binoculars. Twenty minutes before, we’d passed a Toyota 4Runner coming the opposite direction, carrying a South African father and…

1. Pay attention to micrometeorology—and understand how fast the weather can change. In both the mountains and the lowlands, the environment immediately surrounding an airport can funnel winds and generate up- and downdrafts worthy of note, along with localized clouds and reduced visibility. 2. A stabilized approach is a safe approach. While you might use a different technique for your approach to a “normal” runway, setting a configuration and rate of descent to have in place by the time you’re at 500 feet agl—or higher—will stack the deck in your favor for a better landing. 3. Practice and plan for a go-around every time. In the backcountry, your go-around decision point might not be over the runway, or even on short final. Committing to a go-around plan, and knowing when…

If you are anything like me, an abrupt and bouncy touchdown on a gusty day leaves a lingering frustration. I can do better. I’ve found that I’m not alone in the realm of self-criticism: Most pilots have a healthy relationship to judging one’s own performance—and boasting about it to boot. Are we always ahead of the airplane, efficient with ATC, or ready in the off chance our emergency training will be put to the test? Such questions are both constructive and positive; after all, the learning curve in aviation is always on a climb. In my professional life, I continue to face the same dilemma. Authors are only as good as their last book. So, when my publisher pitched me an opportunity to zigzag across the South to uncover, eat…

Before GPS, when Rand McNally’s paper maps ruled the day, pulling over on a country road in a small town to ask for directions never felt like failure to me. I saw it as a chance to meet someone new, maybe find out where to get lunch. Likewise, when flying, I am not a man who has a problem with asking for help. I’ve learned that it is better to underestimate your abilities than to think too highly of them. In an airplane, when your reach exceeds your grasp, your insurance carrier may become involved—sometimes, the NTSB. Anecdotally, other people do have an issue asking for directions. And when I say “other people,” I think you know I mean dudes. Men seem to have a problem not knowing stuff. For…

Though Raymond Cabañas maintained a sober tone during the briefing, his barely perceptible grin offered a hint of mischievousness, most likely a character trait inherited from his late father. A respected airshow performer and fixture in Key West, Florida—his bright-red Waco a perpetual part of the local skyline—Freddy Cabañas had logged over 24,000 hours of flight time in a potpourri of airplanes before tragedy struck in Cozumel, Mexico, while filming for a Mexican reality TV show in January 2013. Freddy and his Mexican photographer passenger died after crashing in a Super Decathlon. Raymond had been following in his father’s footsteps from the day he could reach the controls of an airplane, but the family sold the air-charter/airshow business a short time after the accident. He pursued a more stable and…

Twenty-five years ago, a Seattle-area pilot tried to do his mother a favor. He would take her to visit a friend on the other side of the Cascades. Their route would go through the Snoqualmie Pass, which, on the day of the trip, was unfortunately beset by fog and low-lying clouds. The pilot was instrument-rated, but the rented Cessna 152 he was flying was not instrument-equipped. He followed Interstate 90. At a certain point, fog blocked the way, and the pilot decided to turn back. In the turn, he inadvertently flew into cloud, clipped a tree and crashed. Mother and son died together. While sifting through the National Transportation Safety Board’s reports for this column, I happened upon that obscure accident, and it jumped out at me because of its…

Dan Johnson told me, “The first light-sport airplane arrived in the US in April 2005. The first two FAA-accepted special light-sport aircraft were announced…almost exactly 15 years ago.” Johnson reviews recreational aircraft and posts those reports on his site, bydanjohnson.com. A flight school needs to use an S-LSA in order to operate a light-sport aircraft in commercial operations—and that’s one of the target markets for Texas Aircraft Manufacturing’s new Rotax-powered Colt S and SL models. The simple approval to operate the new two-place airplane at a flight school is not the only hurdle Texas Aircraft is facing. Johnson added, “Outside of the LSA world, many pilots I’ve spoken to believe these aircraft are too lightly built to hold up in flight training—one of the most demanding of all flight activities.”…

Two books guided my research, and a host of content online supports the topics they cover. If there’s a primary textbook for flying in the high country, Mountain, Canyon, and Backcountry Flying by Amy L. Hoover and R.K. “Dick” Williams is it. Hoover has been flying the Idaho backcountry since 1989 and started teaching mountain flying in 1992 while working as a backcountry air-taxi pilot. She’s an original co-founder of McCall Mountain Canyon Flying Seminars. For the book she teamed up with pilot legend and author Dick Williams, who started training pilots in the backcountry in 1985. It’s available through Aviation Supplies and Academics. For those who want their mountain flying in concise form, seek out a copy of Mountain Flying by Sparky Imeson, published in 1987 by Airguide Publications.…

Want to take your next airport barbecue up a notch? Maybe you have your own master recipe for grilling great food for family and friends, but take it from a pro, there’s always an opportunity to upgrade your skills—both in the airplane and on the barbecue. GRILLED FLANKEN RIBS: MEXICAN AND KOREAN STYLES SERVES 6-8 Hands-On: 1 hour Total: 25 hours, 30 minutes (including 24 hours marinating) MEXICAN MARINADE ½ cup orange juice½ cup mojo criollo marinade, preferably Goya brand1 Tbsp. Tajín Clásico seasoning2 garlic cloves, minced KOREAN MARINADE ½ cup soy sauce½ cup brown sugar1 Tbsp. garlic, minced1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced¼ ripe Korean or Bartlett pear, mashed1½ tsp. sesame oil4 lb. flanken ribs6 baby bok choy6 jalapeño chiles, cut lengthwise with seeds and ribs removed Kosher salt, to taste…

Gallipolis is a town in extreme southeastern Ohio—not to be confused with the World War I battle site on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. This one got its name in 1790, when some Frenchmen (“Gallia”) established a village or city (“polis”) across from where West Virginia’s Kanawha River joins the mighty Ohio. They’d been discovered as stowaways on an Ohio riverboat and unceremoniously put ashore in what was then Native American territory. It’s probably most famous today as the site of the first Bob Evans restaurant on his farm in nearby Rio Grande. I’m not sure if this is a history lecture, or if it’s a lesson on how—and how not—to deal with betrayed friendships, how insurance claims can work and the importance of discretion. Maybe, as my letter of…

Almost 50 years ago, Nancy and I and a couple other would-be hippies, brother and sister, flew to Baja California, Mexico, in a Beech Musketeer, N298M. Whatever happens to obliterate airplanes must have happened to that Musketeer, because N298M is now a Cessna. My philosophy of travel is to leave as much as possible to chance, and so we had made no prior arrangements for lodging or anything else. We thought we would land at Bahía de los Angeles, which is about 300 miles south of the border, but we were delayed by a certain Tijuana customs officer’s dislike of the shoulder-length hair of the brother, which he evidently considered evidence of criminal intentions. We flew over to Mexicali and slipped in with the aid of a $20 bill. It…