Monthly Archives: July 2005

Still AOG

Posted on July 30, 2005 by David Megginson

I’m still AOG, 9 days after discovering evidence of a minor lightning strike. Other than the depolarized magnetic compass, the only damage from the strike is a tiny blister at the end of the prop, easily within tolerances for filing … Continue reading →

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Hit by lightning

Posted on July 21, 2005 by David Megginson

[Update #1 below] The last time I flew was Wednesday 13 July, for my IFR flight test renewal. I arrived at the airport early this morning for a quick business flight to Toronto and found two things wrong with the … Continue reading →

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Birds behaving badly

Posted on July 20, 2005 by David Megginson

Here’s a NOTAM from late this afternoon for Iroquois Falls, Ontario (CNE4): UACN10 CYXU 202005 YZ UA /OV CNE4 /TM 2005 /FL000 /TP BE10 /RM FLOCKS OF GULLS ON RUNWAY – HAD TO OVERSHOOT AND TRY AGAIN. GULLS RELUCTANT TO … Continue reading →

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Canadian ATC Strike Tomorrow

Posted on July 19, 2005 by David Megginson

[Update: tentative settlement.] The Canadian Air Traffic Controller Control Association (CATCA) has served notice of strike action beginning tomorrow, Wednesday 20 July 2005. As far as I can tell from reading the CATCA bulletins, there is no intention of withdrawing … Continue reading →

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Starting

Posted on July 19, 2005 by David Megginson

There are two points in a flight when people outside the plane tend to watch and critique you: when you start the engine, and when you land. Granted, unless you’re hand-propping, a starting error is much less dangerous than a … Continue reading →

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Float Planes, redux

Posted on July 18, 2005 by David Megginson

A short while ago, I wrote about the problem with float planes — the fact that there’s normally no way to get out when they flip upside down or sink — and about the war of words between the Canadian … Continue reading →

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The alpha-beta of flying

Posted on July 18, 2005 by David Megginson

Here’s some flying Greek from a flying geek: α alpha Angle of attack The vertical angle between the oncoming air and the zero-lift line of the wing, as shown (partly and imperfectly) by the airspeed indicator. β beta Sideslip The … Continue reading →

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Aviation Blogs Update

Posted on July 17, 2005 by David Megginson

The aviation blogosphere is getting big, or at least, I’m finally starting to find the other bloggers, especially beyond the typical student-pilot blog. I’m doing an update to add some more blogs to my blogroll, copying them over from my … Continue reading →

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Low wings and the flare

Posted on July 15, 2005 by David Megginson

Very often, I see people write that low-wing planes like my Piper Warrior have a longer flare (i.e. they float longer) than high-wing planes like the Cessna 172, usually based on the argument that lower wings benefit more from ground … Continue reading →

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Renewed

Posted on July 14, 2005 by David Megginson

I flew my 24-month renewal IFR flight test on Wednesday morning. It was a very different experience from my PPL flight test in 2002 and my initial IFR flight test in 2003. Back then, I had been in nearly constant … Continue reading →

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