Table of contents for September 2015 in Flying

It is not often that an airplane emerges from the depths of retirement, because getting a grounded airplane, particularly one built in small numbers, back to flying condition is no easy feat. However, the Windecker Eagle is one such airplane that is expected to return to the skies soon. The Windecker Eagle has particular historical significance because it was the first certified composite airplane and also one of the first airplanes certified under FAA Part 23 rules. Designed in the 1960s by husband and wife team Leo and Fairfax Windecker, the Eagle was constructed of fiberglass and was faster than most certified piston airplanes of its day. It is expected to cruise at speeds beyond 170 knots. Commissioned by Chinese entrepreneur Wei Hang, the restoration is being done by Windecker…

Garmin has introduced a new multifunction aviator watch that could become the next hot item for gadget hungry aviators. The D2 Bravo blends Garmin’s expertise in aviation, sports and GPS services in a small but stylish package. Garmin introduced the first D2 watch in October 2013. The D2 Bravo improves upon its predecessor by streamlining the operation of the watch and adding a slew of new functions. The D2 Bravo has an omnidirectional stainless- steel EXO antenna, which allows the watch to be slim while providing fast and more accurate GPS positioning. The color LED screen is sunlight readable, and the battery lasts up to six weeks in watch mode or 20 hours in GPS mode, Garmin said. Other aviation-related features include groundspeed, track, distance, altitude, ETE, glide ratio, nearest…

A NO-HOLDS-BARRED LOOK AT PILOTS, PLANES AND LIFE IN THE AIR My 30-year love affair with DC-3s involved an eclectic agglomeration of pilots — kids working their way up from flying night freight in Aztecs and Beech 18s, corporate and airline retirees with ratings that date back to the '50s, and grizzled soldiers of fortune who've drifted through life hauling "interesting" cargo in interesting parts of the world. I love and remember them all (well, nearly) and many would become great friends, a few close enough to include me in special DC-3 adventures. While I was the inspector — the "checker" — God, they were the real thing and taught me so much. Carl Hilker had flown freight in Beech 18s and DC-3s for an "on the edge but later…

Getting the airplane of your dreams doesn't always have to include a stop by the showroom to check out the latest models. For would-be owners who have the time and money to invest in upgrading an aging bird, the possibilities are endless. Longtime pilot and aircraft owner Christophe Jouany recently went through that exact process, and the results of his efforts are borne out in the striking images in these pages. The 57-year-old is the proud owner of a Cessna 414A Chancellor, one that he transformed from tip to tail into what could pass for a brand-new airplane despite the fact that Cessna stopped making the model three decades ago. Born in France and raised in the Caribbean, Jouany has been flying since he was 15. As a teenager coming…

NO.895 FLYING READERS SHARE LASTING LESSONS FROM CLOSE CALLS AND NEAR DISASTERS. My best friend, Mike, and I woke to the subtle muttering of raindrops and realized that beyond the curtains of our Ketchikan, Alaska, motel room there was only gray, dismal sky. Damn. At that moment a scenario began that could have ended up as an NTSB accident report, starting with unquantifiable indicators and an irrational discussion. “Dude. It’s raining,” I began. “Ugh,” Mike responded. Beyond this legitimate initial transaction the decision-making process began to deteriorate. “What do you think?” What I should have thought was let’s go down to that diner and get some French toast. “I don’t know. It looks pretty dismal. Sometimes you can get a better idea from the airport, though. We could go out…

I'm generally biased in favor of anything that flies, but truth be told there have been a few light-sport aircraft that I haven't enjoyed flying. I felt that those airplanes were so light on the controls that it was rather unsettling. While the Icon A5 looks cool, I was prepared for the worst when I went to fly the two-seat amphibian. Boy, was I in for a surprise. To my eye, the A5 is one of the sexiest light airplanes to have hit the market in ages. Icon has also done a terrific job of promoting its hot commodity through exciting videos and a relentless social media campaign that has produced more than 1.2 million likes on Facebook. While I subscribe to the notion that airplanes must look good to…

The iPad revolution in aviation isn't five years old yet, but the battle among apps has for much of that time been defined by what accessories — mostly ADS-B receivers — would play with which apps. ForeFlight, by establishing a three-team partnership among itself, Appareo Systems and Sporty's Pilot Shop in creating and marketing the Stratus ADS-B receiver, cast its fortunes with that unit, a good bet as it turned out. ForeFlight remains the runaway industry leader by all accounts, though the actual market share numbers are closely guarded secrets. Garmin, the number two name in aviation apps, tied its GDL 39 portable ADS-B unit to its Garmin Pilot app. With its wide brand recognition and industry-leading panelmount-installation base, Garmin hoped that its Pilot app would be the choice of…

André Borschberg completed the longest solo flight in history on July 3 flying the Solar Impulse Si2 from Nagoya, Japan, to Honolulu in 117 hours and 52 minutes. The challenging flight covered nearly 3,900 nm and crossed two cold fronts that threatened the success of the journey. While the batteries were down to around 10 percent capacity at one point, the solar panels mounted on top of the wings managed to gather enough sunlight to complete the fight. Flying for five full days and nights is an extraordinary feat. However, Borschberg had a lot of help from the mission control center in Monaco, which constantly monitored the weather and the condition of the airplane. Borschberg was able to sleep in 20-minute intervals and did physical exercise inside the constraint of…

Pilots who want to own the popular Carbon Cub but are discouraged by the LSA weight limits or the daunting task of building a Carbon Cub EX-2 kit have a new option. CubCrafters is now offering the Carbon Cub FX Builder Assist program, allowing customers to come to the Yakima, Washington, factory to build their airplanes. In order to satisfy the 51 percent kit-building rule, customers will build steel, composite and aluminum parts for the airplane, a process that requires no prior experience and takes only five days. “Carbon Cub FX turns the familiar ‘builder assist’ convention upside down,” said Jim Richmond, founder and CEO of CubCrafters. “Instead of assisting your assembly of parts from a kit, CubCrafters’ technicians facilitate your fabrication of the parts themselves. Using our modern facilities…

STALES OF WHEN FLYING, DISCOVERY AND LIFE CONVERGE The couriers' taillights faded in the distance as I pulled the Piper Navajo's rear cabin door closed and silence fell anew over the darkened North Las Vegas Airport. I clambered over the cargo net restraining nearly a hundred stacked bank bags, slid into the front left seat, and quickly went through the preflight checklist and starting flows. "Master switch on, magnetos on, mixtures rich, left fuel pump on." I waited for the electric pump's characteristic whine, but no sound came forth and the fuel pressure remained at zero. Hmm. I checked the right side; it worked fine. I looked in vain for a popped circuit breaker, fiddled with the switch and then pounded it with my fist, probing for a loose connection.…

To fly the Icon A5 you need a minimum of a Sport Pilot certificate with a seaplane endorsement. Icon has structured its pilot training programs to cater to a variety of pilots' experience levels. The company offers a sport flying intro (SFI) course for those who want to see what it is all about. That course provides two flights on the lake for $500. All pilots who purchase an A5, no matter how experienced, will be required to go through a training program. All programs include ground training and unlimited access to Icon's online training curriculum. Here is a breakdown of what you would need depending on your flying experience. Seaplane-rated pilot: Icon's most basic seaplane transition course (TX-S) includes four hours of flight training and costs $1,250. Non-seaplane-rated pilot:…

I'm front-page news. The lead story in I my state's big daily newspaper. On I Page 1, above the fold. Where the I Albuquerque Journal announced that my plane and I have "earned a spot in aviation history." How did I do that? Simple. I set a world speed record. And you can too. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO SET A RECORD? You need only three things to set an aviation record, which I call the Three P's: pilot, plane and paper. (A fourth P is for perseverance.) First, you need to be a pilot. A licensed pilot. Sorry, no students allowed. Other than that, the sky's the limit. Light Sport pilot? Recreational pilot? Private pilot? You bet! Second, you need an airplane. It doesn't need to be a jet…