Monthly Archives: July 2005
Still AOG
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
Tagged maintenance, owning
1 Comment
Hit by lightning
[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
Tagged aviating, maintenance, owning
4 Comments
Birds behaving badly
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
Canadian ATC Strike Tomorrow
[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
Starting
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
Tagged aviating, tips
3 Comments
Float Planes, redux
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
Tagged news
2 Comments
The alpha-beta of flying
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
Tagged numbers
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Aviation Blogs Update
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
Tagged web
10 Comments
Low wings and the flare
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
Tagged aviating, numbers
10 Comments
Renewed
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
Tagged aviating, system
4 Comments
Land and Hold Short 