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VOL. 57 NO. 8

❯FEATURES

24 6THEY LIGHT SINGLE-ENGINE PLANES 38 LIGHT PERSONAL AIRCRAFT TOTALLY NEED TO BRING BACK! (LPA) ARE COMING Sometimes planes fall from production status despite being much beloved.

Here are several that we hereby demand they put back into production.

By W. David Pond

30 LOST IN THE CLOUDS OVER IDAHO The dramatic story of a visual flight rules

This expanded definition of what constitutes a light plane and how they can be built could revive a segment facing existential challenges.

By Isabel Goyer

44 NOW IS THE TIME TO BECOME AN AIRLINE PILOT

pilot caught in thick clouds and ice between high mountain peaks and the air traffic controllers who helped him save his own life.

Earning the Airline Transport Pilot certificate and getting a flying gig can be a lifechanging event, in all the good ways. And the future has never been brighter.

By Bradley R. Sunshine

By Jeremy King

50 ROUGH FIELD OPERATIONS: A WORD OF CAUTION Flying off airport in airplanes not intended for the abuse is risky business.

By LeRoy Cook

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6 GOING DIRECT What Do You Tell Non-Aviation Friends Who Are Interested In Becoming A Pilot?

By Isabel Goyer

8 PLANE FACTS

30

Aircraft Carriers

By Desiree Kocis and Plane & Pilot

10 MYSTERIES OF FLIGHT Tiger Shot Down

By Desiree Kocis

12 CHECK POINTS News Of Note

By The Plane & Pilot Staff

8

10

14 CROSS CHECK Your Aviation Crossword

12

16 PRO TIPS FOR

PRIVATE PILOTS Speed Is Life (And Momentum Is Its Sidekick)

By Frank Ayers Jr.

56

18 GEAR Cool Pilot Stuff

22 ACCIDENT BRIEFS

62

Reports From The NTSB

54 AFTER THE ACCIDENT Citation Single Pilot Crashes After Argument With Girlfriend

By Dave English

56 WANDERING SKIES Reflections Of The Sky

The Hacienda

By Ken Wittikiend

By Frank Ayers Jr.

60 WORDS ALOFT

2

62 THIS INCREDIBLE PLANE

64 THIS INCREDIBLE PILOT

Flying With Strangers You Meet On The Internet

Bessie Coleman, America’s First Black Female Pilot

By Jeremy King

By Shalyn Marchetti

SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

ON THE COVER: The Bristell RG, while not an official Light Personal Aircraft, is the kind of sophisticated model that could emerge at the top end of the new category, though with four occupants allowed. Photo courtesy of Bristell.

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O P E R AT I O N S

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SEMINOLE

GOING DIRECT

By Isabel Goyer

What Do You Tell Non-Aviation Friends Who Are Interested In Becoming A Pilot?

The problem is, the details are not only many and somewhat complicated, but also some of them are daunting. Here’s why we need to share them all.

M

any of us grew up with flying as a big part of our lives. It was the air we breathed. But for the rest of the world, flying small planes is both little and widely misunderstood. So, how do we go about helping would-be pilots get their heads around the kind of flying we do? How do we help them figure out if it might be for them?

I say, we tell it straight.

I think there are four main areas of concern for wouldbe pilots, things that they need to know and almost certainly don’t, and it’s important that we address these questions honestly.

Folks interested in becoming a pilot, I’ve found, are mainly curious and anxious about these questions:

the complex nature of the activity we love.

There’s a name for this pulling back of the curtain— informed consent. The process is essentially gatekeeping entry into a risky activity, allowing folks access to it only after they’ve been given all the pertinent information.

There’s no formal manner of informed consent in learning to fly, though I’m guessing that some, or possibly many, flight schools have some kind of waiver they require prospective flight students to sign before they actually go up in the air. In my view, this should be standard operating procedure everywhere.

One thing we absolutely need to do is level with people about the relative risk of flying versus other activities they might participate in. The one big lie, one that’s prevalent among pilots and non“The one big lie, pilots alike, is that the most dangerous one that’s prevalent • How safe is flying small planes? part of flying is the drive to the airport. among pilots and non• How hard is it? Can pretty much anyone That’s true only if you’re screaming your learn to fly? way to the airport on a superbike and pilots alike, is that the • How much does it cost to learn to fly, ignoring traffic laws along the way. That most dangerous part of buy a plane and continue to fly? might be pushing it a bit, but it is true flying is the drive to the • How useful is being a pilot and owning that flying’s risk factor is far greater than airport.” an airplane? driving a family sedan to the airfield. We need to be straight with them on that fact.

As you know, the answers to these questions are too At the same time, we need to emphasize that safety is complex to be intuitively grasped by someone with little to a great degree based on how safe we make it. Pilots can to no knowledge of flying. And, at the same time, honest mitigate a ton of risk by doing things like working hard answers to some of them might scare off someone who at training, continuing proficiency training throughout was genuinely interested in becoming a pilot. their flying careers, getting an instrument rating early I’m okay with that. People need to know even if some and staying instrument proficient, and making sure the parts of those answers aren’t easy or rosy. Even more, I plane you fly is airworthy and that you are, too. Most of think we need to accept that some folks will get scared off all, we can greatly cut down on risk by knowing what the as a cost of doing business, if you were to call spreading biggest danger zones are, such as adverse weather and the joy of flying a business. And, to be fair, for many of us, loss of control of the plane at low altitude, and learning me included, that’s a big part of the job description. We how to address that risk. All of this should be part of the need to acknowledge concerns while also communicating informed-consent conversation.

❯❯

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SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

No matter the activity, there is always a counterargument to this kind of informed consent policy. That is, we don’t want to scare people off from flying before they even get started. My counter is always the same. Put yourself in that person’s shoes. How would you like it if your doctor prescribed a plan of treatment with some promise without telling you it was also really risky?

Everyone deserves to get the whole truth, as best as we can tell it. Whatever decision they land on is their choice made with all the facts and not just the ones we choose to tell them or, even worse, untruths about the activity, like the “drive to the airport” myth.

I had a conversation with someone in aviation—am I being vague enough here?—about the whole flying versus driving to the airport argument, and his point was simple. It’s an okay lie to tell because we want to get them flying first before we tell them the truth, or they find out for themselves from someone else. My counter, again, was to merely ask him if he thought that he would have needed to hear that false claim to convince him to start flying. Not at all, he said, because he can handle the truth. Maybe we want to pay that same kind of respect to others then?

It’s not just risk. Flying is expensive and getting more expensive, and learning to fly is challenging, with a sizable dropout rate early on in training.

But if one understands and is willing to address the

costs and the risks, flying is also one of the most rewarding things any of us will ever do. We can also explain how small planes are not the same as Learjets, and what we do in them is have fun and fly places with small numbers of friends and family. We don’t expect, in most cases, for that trip to be cheaper in any way than other means of getting to the destination.

But we should remember to point out that the journey there makes the expense entirely worthwhile, and then some. Which can serve as a metaphor for becoming a pilot in the first place. PP

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7

PLANEFACTS

Aircraft Carriers These huge warships, which do just what the name says they do, can travel around the world’s oceans, bringing with them the power of squadrons of frontline military craft and the support systems they require.

Oldest In Service: USS Nimitz Built: 1968 Commissioned By The U.S. Navy: 1975

BY DESIREE KOCIS AND PLANE & PILOT

Planned Decommission: 2025

ircraft carriers have been carrying out critical military operations across the world since the 1800s—that’s not a typo. Even before the advent of the airplane, it was clear that transporting aircraft of some kind might provide a wartime advantage, so in the early days, lighter-than-air-craft fit the bill.

Today’s modern aircraft carriers are large, nuclearpowered warships, considered the centerpiece of any global power’s navy. The United States’ carriers are designed to store and launch dozens of fixed- and rotarywing aircraft in support of national security. Military jets are propelled from the ships using an impressive catapult system, which can zip the aircraft from zero to hundreds of miles per hour in a matter of seconds.

Designed to last a good five decades and only requiring a handful of refuelings in their lifetime, aircraft carriers provide the longest and most reliable service of any military vessel. Crews aboard these ships generally number in the thousands, and their jobs are among the most dangerous in the world. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons these ships are equipped with full onboard hospital facilities.

Crew Size Of NimitzClass Carriers: 6,012

A

Total Active Aircraft Carriers Worldwide: 45

Capacity: ~80 fighter jets How Aircraft Are Launched: Catapults

Throttle Power Required Prior To Catapult Release: Full Brakes Held: No

Cue That Pilot Is Ready To Launch: Salute to catapult operator Aircraft Acceleration At Launch: Zero to 150 knots in 2 seconds Time Until Next Aircraft Can Launch: 20 seconds Distance Between Flight Deck And Water Surface: ~280 feet How Landing Aircraft Avoid Ending Up In Water: Tailhook snags arresting wire stretched across deck

Currently In Service In The U.S.: 11 Danger Level Of Flight Deck Jobs: High

Top Speed: >30 knots (35+ mph)

Fatalities Since 1980: 38 Gravely Injured: 9

Powered By: Nuclear energy Refueling Requirements: Once every 20 years Lifespan: 50 years

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SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

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MYSTERIES OF FLIGHT

Tiger Shot Down Is it possible for an aircraft, such as the U.S. Navy’s Grumman F11F Tiger, to be so fast that it can actually outrun its own bullets and shoot itself down?

BY DESIREE KOCIS

Early in the days of jet fighters, rumors started circulating about a Grumman F11F Tiger that shot itself down. Is that even possible, though?

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SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

THE AIRCRAFT

roughly around 1,700 mph. Mach 1, which Attridge had been traveling at, was 768 mph. That’s nearly a 1,000mph difference. Clearly, this proved the damage had to have been caused by something like birds or even small meteorites. And, yet, that theory was wrong.

In the early 1950s, aircraft designers began modernizing the F9F-6/7 Cougar—beefing it up with greatly reduced drag and supersonic speeds. When the redesign was completed in 1953, the result was a completely different aircraft than the Cougar. This new model was equipped with full-span leading-edge slats, trailing edge HOW IT HAPPENED flaps with spoilers instead of ailerons for roll control, The rounds Attridge fired while traveling at 768 mph left and wings that could fold down for easier storage on their cannons at approximately 2,000 miles per hour. aircraft carriers. On its maiden flight in April of 1955, However, immediately after being fired, they encounthe now-complete Grumman F11F Tiger showed off its tered enough air resistance to produce significant drag. supersonic capabilities by nearing the speed of sound This drag resulted in a greatly reduced forward velocity, (Mach 1). Impressed, the Navy ordered the developcausing their trajectory to curve downward—directly ment of more than 400 for service, and it became the into the flight path of the aircraft from which they had aircraft of its Blue Angels flight team. been fired. As the bullets descended and their speeds Despite its initial popularity, the Tiger quickly proved decreased to about 400 mph, the Tiger also descended flawed: Its engine was unreliable, its range and endurbut with an increased speed of 880 mph. Just as he ance inadequate, and its performance inferior to other began to pull out of his descent, Attridge was struck aircraft produced at the time, such as the Vought F-8 three times. The first bullet pierced his nose cone, the Crusader. By 1959, production ceased. The Blue Angels second went through his windshield, and the final continued to fly it for another 10 years before it was one directly struck his right engine intake. The time switched out for the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom between him firing the first rounds and taking the hits II. While its time in service was short, was a mere 11 seconds. its early-day supersonic speeds left a “While its time in legacy—most famously because it was A ONE-TIME THING? service was short, its the first aircraft to be so fast that it shot The Navy considered the incident a early-day supersonic itself down. one-in-a-million fluke and was certain it would never happen again. speeds left a legacy— THE INCIDENT Attridge was less convinced, however. most famously because On Sept. 21, 1956, young U.S. Navy test “At the speeds we’re flying today,” he it was the first aircraft pilot Tom Attridge took off in an F11F later said, “it could be duplicated any to be so fast that it shot Tiger (BuNo 138620) from Long Island, time.” He was right. In 1973, another itself down.”

New York, for a weapons test over the Grumman test pilot, this one flying Atlantic. He climbed to 20,000 feet, an F-14 Tomcat out in California, was started a Mach 1 dive, and fired two bursts of rounds struck by his own missile. Luckily, it was a dummy from his 20mm cannons until the ammunition was missile, and the pilot was able to eject to safety. More expended at 13,000 feet. He continued his dive, and recently, in 2019, a Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16 around 7,000 feet something powerful struck his windaccidentally shot itself from its 20mm rotary cannon. shield. Thinking it must have been a bird, he quickly The pilot was able to land safely, uninjured. realized he had a big problem on his hands—his plane was losing power.

CONCLUSION Pulling up, he throttled back to 230 mph and These days, aircraft weapon systems are primarily began a return to base. Unable to maintain altitude, missile-based, not just bullet-based. Whether they are he attempted to apply more power, but the power short-range heat-seeking or long-range radar-guided, would not exceed 78%. The plane went down into a missiles have many clear advantages, such as their sea of trees approximately a mile shy of the runway, speed, which can easily exceed any bullet or aircraft. traveling 300 feet and catching fire. It was a total loss.

In fact, in order to prevent them from being damaged, Attridge suffered a broken leg and several broken vermissiles are specifically designed to be faster than the tebrae but thankfully survived. As he later learned, it aircraft from which they are deployed. Thankfully, was not a bird that took him down. As it turned out, protocols are now in place to avoid self-collision, so the crash was caused by a far more surprising source: hopefully no more pilots will take themselves down. his own rounds.

As for Attridge, while he would always be known as “the pilot who shot himself down,” the incident cast BULLET SPEED VS. SUPERSONIC SPEED little shadow on his career. He returned to service less Many believed it was impossible for an aircraft, no than six months later and eventually went on to work matter how fast it could fly, to actually outrun its own on the Apollo Lunar Module. He flew west in 1997 at bullets. After all, the speed of the average bullet is the age of 74. PP

PHOTO BY U.S. NAVY, PUBLIC DOMAIN, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.

❯❯

planeandpilotmag.com

11

CHECK POINTS

News Of Note

BY MARK PHELPS AND PLANE & PILOT STAFF

NFL Hall Of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning (left) with fourtime Special Olympics gold-medalist Tyler Andersen announcing the 2022 Special Olympics Airlift.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS AIRLIFT HAS A NEW HONORARY CHAIR Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning will be the Honorary Chair of the 2022 Citation Special Olympics Airlift (SOA). The airlift, which Cessna, now owned by Textron Aviation, started in 1987, and over the years has transported more than 10,000 athletes from their home states to the site of the event and back again upon its conclusion.

For the eighth running of the SOA, event coordinator Textron Aviation is targeting participation from 228 Textron Citations, King Airs, Premiers, Beechcrafts and Hawkers to transport more than 4,000 athletes and coaches to the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, Florida.

The arrival date is June 4, 2022. A week later, on June 12, the cycle will reverse, and the volunteer operators will bring the competitors home. Aircraft gross weights will be a bit higher, as many of the passengers will be wearing freshly earned gold, silver and bronze medals—and mile-wide smiles.

Volunteer participants include not only aircraft owners and crews but also dispatchers, line staff

12

SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

at the destination airport, baggage handlers, ground transportation, hospitality and other support roles. Fuel is often donated by FBOs and other benefactors.

Among the most involved are teams of volunteer air traffic controllers who travel to the destination cities to help local staff handle the avalanche of incoming traffic. In addition, controllers across the nation are on the alert for the special “Dove flight” call sign, indicating an SOA flight.

The airlift is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most of the athlete heroes to experience general aviation flying. It shows in their faces as they step off the aircraft for the walk of pride across the ramp to the cheering crowd of family and volunteers.

Tony Wyllie, Regional President of Special Olympics North America, said, “Traveling to Orlando for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games may be the first time some of our athletes ever leave their hometown, let alone fly on an airplane. The travel experience provided by Textron Aviation and its customers will be the ultimate bookends for one unforgettable week.”

training organization representation on the ARAC was strong. But the committee also recommended a more standardized process for the selection of applicants and for their ongoing evaluation.

GENDER NEUTRAL TERMS COMING TO AVIATION?

FAA STC APPROVAL FOR SKYTRAX Avidyne earned FAA STC approval for and announced the immediate availability of its dual-band SkyTrax200 ADS-B-In receiver. Because it’s dual-band (1090 and 978), the new unit is ideally configured for the multimodal mélange that is U.S. airspace while also being able to blend both ADS-B and compatible active traffic system targets. The cost is $2,499.

HIGH-DEFINITION FLIGHT DECK VIDEO FROM APPAREO Appareo has introduced a recording system aimed mostly at business and charter flying that will record high-definition flight deck video, both pilot and ambient audio and flight data, as well. The system doesn’t even need to be hooked up to aircraft systems to do its data-gathering thing. All it needs is power and a place in the aircraft to get attached to.

FLEXJET DONATES $1 MILLION Flexjet donated a million bucks to the National Air & Space Museum. The dough will be used for exhibits highlighting general aviation aircraft, including Sean Tucker’s recently donated Oracle Challenger.

Speaking of advisory committees, which we hardly ever do, by the way, a completely separate ARAC called for the FAA to get rid of outmoded terms like “cockpit” and “unmanned” and replace them with gender-neutral terms. When it comes to “manned aviation,” the FAA is way behind the times. Just think “Airman’s Registry” and “unmanned aerial vehicles,” both still in common FAA use today.

BESSIE COLEMAN’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY We recently marked the 100th anniversary of aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman getting her pilot’s certificate. The young and fiercely focused Black/Indigenous woman, who was living in Chicago at the time, had to go to France to do the training, as few U.S. flight schools were open to teaching women or people of color.

NTSB FACTUAL REPORT ON BLACKHAWK CRASH The NTSB released its factual report on the May 17 crash of a Sikorsky Blackhawk modified for firefighting duties. The helicopter was performing its seventh water pickup from a nearby lake when the suction hose swung up into the main rotors, causing catastrophic structure failure. All four aboard died in the ensuing crash and fire.

FAA NEW ANONYMOUS REPORTING SYSTEM The FAA’s new anonymous reporting system for FAA employees went live this week. The system was developed in reaction to the FAA’s problematic handling of the Boeing 737 Max certification during which FAA personnel had concerns and either didn’t share them until after the twin crashes of 737 Max aircraft or whose concerns were voiced but were never acted upon. The Voluntary Safety Reporting System (VSRP) is part of the agency’s existing communications network but gives employees the opportunity to share safety concerns with less fear of retribution and with system-wide transparency.

ARAC RECOS FOR DPEs An Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) made recommendations to the FAA to reform the management of designated pilot examiners (DPEs). Among other things, the ARAC suggested that DPEs be allowed to do more practical tests in a day—DPE and flight

AEA HOSTS SUCCESSFUL IN-PERSON EVENT The Aircraft Electronics Association concluded a successful 2021 gathering in Dallas yesterday. The event had originally been planned for earlier in the year, but AEA postponed because of the pandemic. There was no 2020 event. This year’s gathering was lively, with more than 120 companies in attendance, 30 companies presenting at the New Products roundup, and more than 100 hours of training sessions. planeandpilotmag.com

13

CROSS CHECK

YOUR AVIATION CROSSWORD

ACROSS

31 Current PA-28 model

15 Completion 17 Standard terminal arrival route, abbr.

1

Piper light twin

5

Competent

32 The penalty of most aircraft updates

9

Unlike localizer, it has vertical guidance

33 Former U.S. Air Force arm, abbr.

19 Common high-lift device

10 Concorde once followed in the penumbra of one for hours

34 Lab device for studying aerodynamics

21 Technology fast replacing incandescent in aviation

11 “Flying Milkstool” prefix

35 Cam and crank

23 F-16 or 7-X

13 Cheetahs and Otters have one on their tail

DOWN

25 FAA standards give pilots 3 seconds to do this when there’s an emergency

14 Geometrical term familiar to readers of this magazine

1

Side or forward

2

Switch that controls electrical power to all circuits in an aircraft electrical system

16 Area of expertise 18 Most unpaved runways, 2 words 22 Letters that come before R 24 LAX city 25 What you’re supposed to do with NOTAMS 26 “Keep ‘em flying” is their motto and mission, EEA _____ of America 14

SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

20 Third in the family

27 ___ DA-18 28 Nickname for doped fabric

3

The N in NOTAMS

29 Locations

4

Planes are cheap, for example

30 Jim of AA-1 fame

6

A two-winger

32 Existed

7

Watch closely

8

Plane, to an air traffic controller

12 Large rodent 13 Unidentified aircraft, in slang

Check your answers on page 63, or online at planeandpilotmag.com/article/ september-2021-crossword-key.

PRO TIPS FOR PRIVATE PILOTS

By Frank Ayers Jr.

Speed Is Life (And Momentum Is Its Sidekick) On airspeed, energy and Bob Hoover’s rule.

T

here is more to the relationship between airspeed, the aircraft comfortably above engine-out minimum energy management and aircraft control than control speed, all the while retaining excess energy and meets the eye. The fighter pilot’s motto, “Speed is control authority until just before actual touchdown.

Life,” is the gospel in combat, where those who are most In light twins, blueline speed defines the “best singleskillful at energy management generally win the fight. engine climb speed.” This speed will yield the best singleMulti-engine pilots know that precise air speed control engine climb rate while maintaining aircraft control. is critical when engines begin to fail. And our colleague, However, if the pilot is losing roll control authority due Sir Isaac Newton, reminds us that in addition to the to unforeseen problems or configurations, every single four forces of flight, there is a fifth force, momentum, additional knot of airspeed will result in significantly that significantly impacts aircraft performance. So, increased control authority and allow the pilot to keep let’s start this journey by taking a quick trip back to the shiny side up. high school physics class!

Now, down here in single-engine land where most TRIGGER ALERT: MATHEMATICAL FORMULA of us live, the normal traffic-pattern speed schedule is FOLLOWS… In the most memorable line from Top designed to retain additional energy until just prior to Gun, Maverick loudly proclaims, “I feel the need, the touchdown. Getting slow on base or the turn to final need for speed.” Test pilots, engineers and geniuses can be deadly. Remember, slowing a couple knots also aside, most pilots are not into theoretical equations, squares the loss of energy and control effectiveness. or, worse, the dreaded need to do math in public. But in Additionally, the lift formula can play an important this instance, we think Tom Cruise is referring to what role in many inflight emergencies. When encountering is commonly known as the coefficient of lift equation, a severe bird strike, split flaps, control surface damor Cl = ½ Rho V2 S. age or other control issues, the speeds However, when you are flying, this listed in the POH may no longer apply.

“The late, great Bob formula is much simpler than it seems.

In this case, a controllability check to Hoover, a famed flight Once airborne, we pilots can’t do too determine how slowly the pilot can much about Rho (which relates to air maintain control will let the pilot know test and airshow pilot, density) and nothing at all about S (wing if the landing speeds in the POH are famously said, ‘Fly the or control surface area) unless we count still valid. aircraft as far into the extending the flaps. However, we are While still at altitude and on the crash as possible.’” the masters of V (velocity)! And to our way to the nearest airport, configure delight, V is squared, which means that the aircraft for landing and slow ever every time we increase our airspeed by a couple knots, so carefully to the POH final approach speed. If the the effectiveness of our lifting and control surfaces is aircraft begins to roll or turn uncontrollably before increased fourfold. Now this is some math we can all reaching the final approach speed, lower the nose, get behind. recover and decide that the landing will be made at During jet fighter combat maneuvers, this forleast 5 to 10 knots above that speed. Then, maintain mula, and an ample application of afterburner, allows a gentle continuous descent to the touchdown point, fighter pilots to turn airspeed into energy and live to just like the big iron pilots are taught, carrying some fight another day. In the airline pilot’s world, the rare extra airspeed and energy until landing is assured. If engine failure at altitude turns first into a “drift down” the newly identified touchdown speed is too high, then maneuver from cruise altitude to maintain ample V maybe a longer runway is required. The goal here is (velocity) until safely at or below the single-engine sernever to lose control of the aircraft inadvertently before vice ceiling. This is followed by an energy management you reach the ground. Speed is life. descent, approach and landing profile designed to keep Now, as we begin to fly larger singles and twins, that 16

SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

ILLUSTRATION BY ISABEL GOYER

❯❯

fifth “force of flight” momentum begins to be a factor. Sir Isaac’s first two laws state that “an object in motion will tend to remain in motion” and “force equals mass times acceleration.” These two laws describe what we commonly call momentum, or “mo” for short. If you need an extreme example, imagine a 100-car freight train making an emergency stop.

The overwhelming mass of the train, combin ed with even modest velocity, makes for a lot of sparks, squealing brakes and not much deceleration. Think about that the next time you watch someone try to sneak around the local rail crossing gate!

Modern airliners, while certainly lighter than trains, often have a range of weights for landing that vary by nearly 100,000 pounds.

During the landing flare, a 300,000-pound jet carries a lot more momentum than a 200,000pound one. Thus, the pilot is required to reduce thrust sooner at the higher weight than at the lower weight. At first, this seems counterintuitive, as the lighter-weight airplane requires less velocity and thrust to fly. We are not talking about flying but rather slowing down—or, as Isaac might have also said, “mass times deceleration.” Yes, but we don’t all fly the big jets.

Back here in single-engine land, a Cherokee Six’s inflight weight can range from approximately 2,000 to 3,400 pounds, a range of over 42% of its maximum takeoff weight. If the Cherokee Six must land near maximum gross weight, say, on an immediate return to the airport, the pilot will need to fly faster with more power on final. However, when it comes time to slow down in the flare, the big Cherokee’s higher weight and increased momentum may require a more rapid power reduction than at the more familiar lighter weight.

The same aircraft with a single pilot and 15 gallons of fuel will require significantly less power to maintain the final approach. However, its lower mass will tend to decelerate much more quickly once the round out and flare have begun. So, landing at the light weight requires the pilot to reduce power at a slower rate. And, of course, “mo” affects stopping distances as well. So, if the runway is short and snow or ice covered, the higher landing speed, long landing and increased momentum result in more than a few departures from the far end of the runway.

The late, great Bob Hoover, a famed flight test and

airshow pilot, famously said, “Fly the aircraft as far into the crash as possible.” A survivor of multiple aircraft crash landings in wartime, flight test and even on takeoff in his misfueled Shrike Commander, Mr. Hoover knew what he was talking about. Simply put, loss of roll control, or stalling the aircraft after takeoff or before touchdown, is nearly always unsurvivable. Maintaining airspeed and energy as long as possible provides the pilot with multiple options. The constant focus on maintaining flying airspeed that our CFI drummed into us works for normal operations, abnormal operations and even critical off-airport landings.

So, speed is truly life! Thanks to some amazing aircraft designers and engineers, we get to fly some of the safest and most efficient aircraft available. And we can learn something from our friends in the professional ranks. Precise airspeed control, maintaining a reserve of energy, and always maintaining aircraft control are Job One, especially when out-of-the-ordinary situations arise. PP Frank Ayers has been flying for over 46 years. He is an experienced B-52 instructor pilot, ATP and CFI and proud Cessna Cardinal owner who has flown over 6,000 hours in a variety of aircraft. He enjoys teaching young people about the art and science of aviation and flight safety at EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University. planeandpilotmag.com

17

GEAR P-40 Warhawk PlaneTag Made from actual retired aircraft skin, PlaneTags are an authentic way to memorialize historical planes. Each piece is unique as it shows off the actual color and patina of the portion of the fuselage from which it was cut. The Curtiss P-40 from which this PlaneTag was made has a storied past, with a wheels-up landing and the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. Pima Air & Space Museum provided additional material during the restoration of the P-40’s wings.

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Custom U.S. Aeronautical Chart Coffee Mug Customize this nifty ceramic coffee mug with your favorite aeronautical chart or flying route for a design as unique as you. It’s microwave- and dishwasher-safe with a 15-ounce capacity. Makes a great gift to fellow pilots who share your passion for all things flying, too!

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SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

Tern Vektron D8 Folding Electric Bike Ramp up your adventures with the Tern Vektron D8 folding electric bike.

It’s hailed for its hydraulic disc brakes that promise stopping power in all kinds of weather, a 400-watt-hour battery that can take you up to 56 miles and its versatile resizing feature that allows it to accommodate all rider heights from 5-foot-3 to 6-foot-5.

You can count on its Bafang M4000 Drive System for 250 watts of reliable power. Other can’t-miss features include the Tern Valo Direct Light to boost visibility in low light and a Shimano Claris rear derailleur for quick gear shifting.

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Flying Socks Celebrate your love of aviation with Sporty’s flying-themed socks from Flight Outfitters. They come in four striking designs to appeal to every stripe of pilot: prop, mountains, seaplanes and bush pilot cub.

They’re crew-length for ultimate comfort and are a fun way to show off your love for the skies.

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GEAR MyGoFlight iPad/Tablet Leg Mount Easy, versatile access to your iPad or iPad mini inflight is invaluable to a safe and enjoyable flying experience. The new Ultimate Kneeboard from MYGOFLIGHT is secure, extremely comfortable and allows you to rotate between portrait and landscape modes easily. It enables full visibility of all the important panel information and controls you may need.

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Flex Alert Multifunction Annunciator Streamline your panel for safety with this all-in-one multifunction display. Important warning and condition annunciations are laid out directly in front of the pilot with a sunlight-readable and dimmable LED display. The key pieces of information include landing gear status for both land and seaplanes, as well as warnings for engine, oil pressure, fuel pressure, low fuel and pitot heat, among many others.

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SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

WE HAVE AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE – ACTUALLY, IT’S IN THE COCKPIT The PC-12 NGX’s Advanced Cockpit Environment (ACE) sets the bar for ultimate pilot control and situational awareness. Its single lever digital power control and integrated auto throttle reduces pilot workload, while tactile feedback adds another level of security. With a cockpit this advanced, no tricks are necessary. www.pilatus-aircraft.com

ACCIDENTBRIEFS Cessna 172M Skyhawk Arcola, Texas/Injuries: 2 The pilot said that the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power while climbing through 500 feet above ground level. The flight instructor took the controls and performed a landing on a freshly plowed field, which resulted in the airplane nosing over. Postaccident examination of the engine and associated components did not reveal any mechanical failure. The examination revealed that the right fuel tank contained about one gallon of fuel and the left fuel tank was almost full. The master switch was in the on position, the key switch was in the off position, and the fuel selector was in the off position. The airplane was fueled before the flight, but the reason for the fuel imbalance between fuel tanks could not be determined. It is unknown if the fuel selector was on the left tank during the flight and then placed in the off position after the accident.

PROBABLE CAUSE(S): The loss of engine power dur-

ing initial climb for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Cirrus SR22 Eden Prairie, Minnesota/Injuries: 2 When the pilot attempted to start the engine, the starter motor turned, but the starter did not engage. The pilot said he turned off the battery master switch, exited the airplane, and walked around to the front of the airplane. He reached through the door and thought the ignition key was off.

He pushed the propeller down through one compression stroke. The engine immediately started. The pilot jumped on the left wing, but fell off. The airplane traveled across the ramp and struck a ditch between runways 28R and 28L, breaking off the nose gear and buckling the firewall.

Postaccident examination disclosed the ignition switch functioned normally.

PROBABLE CAUSE(S): The pilot’s failure to ensure the

airplane was secured prior to attempting an engine start by handpropping.

Piper PA28 Cherokee Cornelia, Georgia/Injuries: 2 The flight instructor reported that, during a touch-and-go landing in crosswind conditions and with the student pilot on the controls, the airplane touched down on the runway centerline “but without perfect longitudinal (heading) 22

SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

alignment,” and the airplane then veered left. The instructor took control of the airplane and added power to take off, but she did not retract any of the “partial” flaps. She maintained the “slightly” offset direction from the runway during the takeoff roll, and the airplane became airborne as it exited the left side of the runway. The left wing impacted trees and brush. Subsequently, the airplane came to rest at the bottom of a ravine. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport’s automated weather observation station reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 330° at 7 knots, gusting to 14 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 6.

PROBABLE CAUSE(S): The flight instructor’s failure to

maintain the runway heading during an attempted takeoff in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a collision with trees.

Cirrus SR22 Kennesaw, Georgia/Injuries: 2 During the descent from 17,500 ft mean sea level (msl), as the airplane was passing through about 7,500 ft msl, the pilot felt a jolt from the engine and subsequently received a low oil pressure alert. The pilot diverted to a closer airport and continued the descent. When the airplane was about 2,000 ft msl, the pilot felt additional jolts and observed sparks emanating from the engine cowling area.

Shortly thereafter, the engine lost total power. With no clear landing area available in nighttime conditions over an urban area, he activated the whole-airframe parachute system, and the airplane impacted trees and terrain with the parachute deployed. The fuselage, wings, and empennage sustained substantial damage. Examination of the engine crankcase revealed a fracture hole at the No. 6 cylinder, and the connecting rod had sheared from the upper crankshaft bearing. Disassembly of the engine and its components revealed that the left turbocharger had seized; rub marks were observed inside the turbine housing; metal contaminants were found inside the oil filter; and the oil sump contained damaged connecting rod ends, valve lifters, and engine bearings. The damage is consistent with an oil circulation interruption and catastrophic engine failure. The source of the interruption of oil circulation to the engine could not be determined after engine disassembly.

PROBABLE CAUSE(S): The total loss of engine power

due to the interruption of oil circulation for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

NOTE: The reports republished here are from the NTSB and are printed verbatim and in their complete form.

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6 AND THEN THIS HAPPENED ...

LIGHT SINGLEENGINE PLANES THEY TOTALLY NEED TO BRING BACK!

Sometimes planes fall from production status despite being much beloved. Here are several that we hereby demand they put back into production.

BY W. DAVID POND

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SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

A

irplanes are sexy; no one would argue that point, at least not in these pages!

But being in the airplane manufacturing business? Extremely unromantic.

It’s expensive, there’s limited profit potential, there’s liability out the ying-yang, and when you think about it, the market is a tiny one.

Hence, airplanes come and go. But in our little neck of the aviation woods, where light planes rule, the stars are well known, and even many of those bright lights are no longer being made. And there are other, long-gone planes we love, one of which we think is so cool we thought it worthy of consideration even in this short list of planes they need to bring back (and soon!), even if that is very unlikely to ever happen.

BEECHCRAFT V-35 V-TAIL BONANZA: PHOTO BY THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL AIR & SPACE MUSEUM, PUBLIC DOMAIN. AA-5B TIGER: PHOTO BY ALAN WILSON VIA WIKIPEDIA COMMONS.

AVIATION BREAKTHROUGHS ODDITIES MILESTONES

BEECHCRAFT V-35 V-TAIL BONANZA

AA-5B TIGER There’s no top of this list of planes they totally need to bring back, but if there were, the Tiger would be right up there. The four-seat, all-metal, roll-back canopy low-winger was one of the greatest accomplishments of the late Jim Bede’s aircraft design legacy. It was revolutionary—its unassuming looks fool people into thinking it’s plain vanilla, but it’s got a free-castoring nosewheel, bonded wing skins and lightweight, expanded-aluminum airframe structures. And it flew great. Introduced by American Aviation of Yankee fame, the AA-5 first flew in the summer of 1970 and had its first keys tossed to a customer the next year, but the first model called the Tiger hit the airways a few years later. By then, it had gotten the correct engine, the AA-5B TIGER 180-hp Lycoming, which gave it the kind of Skylane-level cruise speeds and sprightly climb performance that made owners fall in love with it. I flew one for a few years. It might be my favorite airplane ever. Nostalgia, perhaps, but it’s a great ride.

Surprisingly roomy, visibility to die for, low maintenance costs and a great instrument platform. No fewer than five

different companies have signed up to build the Tiger after their predecessors shut the hangar doors. It’s currently not in production, and with 3,282 built over 35 years (with several long pauses along the way), there really aren’t that many out there. Bring it back!

BEECHCRAFT V-35 V-TAIL BONANZA Some Bonanza fanatics think that there’s no such thing as a Bonanza without a V-tail. The original Bonanza was, indeed, a V-tail model. Introduced in 1947, it was light, fast, modern and easy to fly and is arguably the most revolutionary light plane in

aviation history. And for the next decade and a half, if you wanted a Beechcraft Bonanza (and we are not counting the Twin Bonanza), the V-tailed Model 35 was the sole menu item. Straight-tail “Bonanzas” started showing up in the early ’60s, and there are so many arguments to be made as to why that configuration is an improvement over the V-tail. Models 33 and 36 are each more stable than the forked-tailed version. They have better safety records, there are fewer structural problems with their tails, and the tendency to Dutch roll is gone. But the V-35 is just so beautiful. It handles like a bobsled on a smooth and fast track, it’s beautifully appointed and, from an aesthetic perspective, it’s just the coolest. A real work of art in the hangar. But it hasn’t been around since 1982, when the last one rolled off the line from Wichita’s east-side airplane maker. Don’t expect a resurrection anytime soon. Beech built an enormous amount of Bonanzas over the decades, more than 10,000, in fact, and many are still flying. But wouldn’t a brand-new Bonanza be the best?

VARGA KACHINA Here’s one you might not be familiar with, and if that’s the case, it’s certainly understandable. Between the plane’s introduction in 1948 and its last hurrah in 1982, fewer than 200 of the comely little tandem

two-seaters hit the sky, and most of those were built between 1975 and 1982. A lot of them are still flying, probably right around 100 of them, and it’s easy to see why. The thing is just the cutest little bug of a plane you’ve ever seen. At the same time, it’s also got this strangely military feel to it, probably because it resembles in general configuration, down to its straight-standing tail, the Beech T-34 Mentor that, make no mistake, is way more airplane than the Kachina. That said, the little Varga is a joy to fly, and I flew one years ago. On its not-so-little 150 hp or 180 hp Lycoming engine, it climbs great, and the visibility is spectacular, which is handy for spotting make-believe bogeys at your six, and the handling is beautifully harmonized. Fast, it is not. But, c’mon, is fast what this kind of airplane is all about? Besides, when they bring it back, which they most assuredly will not do any time soon, they will certainly improve the aerodynamics and make it aerobatic, as well. We can dream, can’t we?

CESSNA 177 CARDINAL When Cessna brought back its greatly abbreviated lineup of single-engine planes in the mid-1990s after a 10-year hiatus, perhaps the omission that most grieved enthusiasts was that of the Cardinal, which is arguably one of the, if not the, most beautiful

VARGA KACHINA: PHOTO BY AEROPRINTS.COM VIA WIKIPEDIA COMMONS.

VARGA KACHINA

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SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

CESSNA 177 CARDINAL: PHOTO BY BIDGEE VIA WIKIPEDIA COMMONS. CESSNA 210: PHOTO BY “FAST” EDDIE MALONEY VIA WIKIPEDIA COMMONS.

CESSNA 177 CARDINAL

Cessnas ever built. Introduced in the late ’60s, the Cardinal was intended by Cessna as a replacement for the 172, which sounds like a bad joke today.

It didn’t work, and Cessna built many thousands of 172s after that, but by gum, the Cardinal was much beloved by those who owned and flew them. Don’t get the wrong idea. It was far from a niche offering. Cessna built more than 4,000 in the decade following the type’s introduction in 1968. And it was cool, with its two major features being the cantilever high wing and the setback of said wing, both of which allowed easy access to the seating area. And Cessna did a great job with the interior as well.

It was comfortable and had terrific visCESSNA 210 CENTURION ibility, but it wasn’t fast, with a cruise speed of around 120-125 knots. Even the retractable-gear 177RG isn’t much faster than that. And if you note the Cardinal’s passall-composite plane it called the Next Generation ing from production in 1978, seven years before the Piston (NGP). It never took off, production-wise, company pulled the plug on the rest of its singles, and as far as beauty is concerned, it couldn’t hold a you might get the idea that it wasn’t selling well. candle to its sheet-metal inspiration.

Correct. Though Cessna did, indeed, get a lot of low-pressure urging to put the plane back into production, the all-metal model wasn’t cheap to build—cantilever-wing designs tend to require lots of production hours compared to their strut-braced Early 210s were a work in progress, but once they brethren. And in a way, Cessna almost did bring got the cantilever wing, the classic Centurion body back the Cardinal, or at least a Cardinal wannabe, and the big motor, they were and are simply an when it floated the idea of a high-winged, no-strut, outstanding aircraft. If Cessna had modernized

CESSNA 210

planeandpilotmag.com

27

the 210 and maybe even thrown in a chute to appeal to the prospects who buy Cirrus SR22s, might it have been a contender instead of sitting out the last 36 years in retirement? Are you kidding—of course it could have been a major player. The 210 has it all. It has a prodigious payload, terrific true airspeeds, the turbo model is a beast, and the plane is both capable and a pretty one. With its updated glass panel, as so many existing 210s are sporting today, who wouldn’t have wanted one? Yes, it would have been expensive. At the same time, isn’t it in the same class as the SR22, but with a couple more seats, or the Beechcraft G36 Bonanza? Instead of resurrecting the Centurion, Cessna opted for buying a composite airplane program, the Columbia 350/400, which it probably saw as a cheaper-to-build airplane and one that better appealed to modern sensibilities. I don’t know. I’ve got a good bit of time in a 210, and it’s one of the very best airplanes I’ve ever flown. Let’s bring it back.

COMMANDER 112/114 Of all the planes featured here, the Commander, and perhaps the Tiger, are the ones most likely to make it back to production, though neither’s chances are all that great. Like the Tiger, the Commander, launched by Rockwell Aircraft at the dawn of the 28

SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

’70s, was ultimately produced in decent numbers.

Around 1,200 of the four-seaters made it out the factory doors. Like the Cardinal, the Commander incorporated not new ideas so much as ideas that few existing singles were making use of. In the case of the Rockwell single, this feature was cabin size.

It’s a roomy plane from an era when rubbing shoulders with other pilots was a literal expression. Book numbers for the Commanders are among the most ambitious in aviation, but with its 260 hp (some were turbocharged), the roomy, cruciform-tailed Commander could do around 150 knots at cruise.

Early models were payload limited—it’s fuel or passengers; you decide—but the aesthetics and quality work inside and out were among the best in the biz.

A very solid cross-country and instrument platform, the Commander was good at doing just what it was designed to do, though everyone wished it was about 15 knots faster. With the new production ones we’re imagining as we write, we are certain that this concern will be addressed. PP

TOP: PHOTO BY PETER BAKEMA VIA WIKIPEDIA. INSET: PHOTO BY ALEKSANDR MARKIN VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

COMMANDER 112/114

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LOST IN THE CLOUDS OVER IDAHO

The dramatic story of a visual flight rules pilot caught in thick clouds and ice between high mountain peaks and the air traffic controllers who helped him save his own life. BY BRADLEY R. SUNSHINE

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SEPTEMBER 2021 Ç Plane&Pilot

Tim Bendickson clambered into his rustic Cessna 182A. His worn jeans and chambray shirt meshed into N6122B’s spartan interior. The 1957 Skylane had spent the past decade trundling through northern Idaho’s splendor. Its teal paint mirrored the lush fields that unfurled amidst the surrounding valleys.

The Cessna needed a new alternator and had been flown to the Boundary County Airport three weeks earlier for repair. The Cabinet Mountains jutted skyward in the east; the Selkirks rose to the west. Canada was 30 miles north. The temperature hovered just above freezing that November afternoon in 2019. The gray clouds aloft foreshadowed winter’s loom as the occluded sun edged toward the horizon.

Bendickson had spent the past 45 years logging the aged hemlock and red-fir evergreens that fleeced the mountains. His boots plodded over needle beds as he timbered the green giants. He often worked the brakes alone as he maneuvered his “skidders” and semi-trucks.

The forest’s deep roots embodied Bendickson’s own routines and comforts. He never flew N6122B

far from home. The 64-year-old “pleasure-cruised” to rooms for Seattle’s dampened air. neighboring Deer Park and Hackney from his home The Emerald City sharply contrasted with his airport of Priest River. The Skylane was no modern native North Carolina. The summer’s heat and wonder. Its instrument panel only contained a smattowering thunderstorms shaped his private pilot tering of classic analog gauges. A rudimentary GPS training. Thermal air currents jostled the two-seat was affixed to the rectangular-shaped control yoke.

Cessna 152s around Franklin County Airport’s The Cessna’s engine turned over as Bendickson traffic pattern. prepared for the short jaunt. The iPad flight-planThe FAA had paused air traffic controller hiring ning apps were unnecessary. The Pend Oreille River in 2009 when Fuller graduated from Embry-Riddle led the way home.

Aeronautical University. He bided the time by Bendickson had the requisite three hours of becoming a 911 dispatcher. No emergency call or simulated “under-the-hood” instruworkday was ever the same. ATC ment time during his private pilot and 911 dispatch entailed “good training but had no interest in takstress” that flying simply could ing the Skylane into actual zeronot replicate. visibility conditions, so he never Arriving at Seattle Center in pursued an instrument rating. In 2018, Fuller quickly learned the fact, N6122B had only flown about Center’s “B Area” sectors. Each 20 hours per year since Bendickson shift taught valuable lessons as the His grip on the Skylane’s earned his wings in 2009. He flew 31-year-old’s radio transmissions yoke soon tightened. in fair skies, light winds, and when honed. Awareness and anticipathe mountains were clearly disClouds had formed below tion blossomed as his mind turned cernable. Stronger winds tumbling the Cessna’s tires. White radar screens into multi-tiered off the peaks could quickly usher pictures of aircraft position and shrouds began covering clouds and precipitation into the trajectory. The scopes masked the suddenly not-socaptive valleys. the Pacific Northwest’s topografamiliar mountain tops.

Bendickson had always gazed phy, but Fuller absorbed harried Boundary Airport was upward as aircraft passed overhead. radio calls from pilots lamenting His own flight training, though, the weather that often gripped the nowhere to be seen. entailed “hard learning.” Instructor region’s mountains.

Darold Schultz’s encouragement A controller’s voice truly controls prevented Bendickson from quitting. Learning to traffic. Instructions delivered in measured cadence fly takes dedication, practice and repetition. The denote confidence. Pilots need to trust ATC clearchallenge is what makes it great. ances. Fuller and his colleagues innately understood The Skylane eased onto Runway 20’s centerline. that radar blips moved quickly; there was no “pause” The valley opened beyond the asphalt. Bendickson button in this game. Sometimes directives could advanced the Cessna’s throttle and quickly lifted not be repeated. The air traffic realm was measured into smooth skies. The clouds still hovered above; in seconds versus minutes.

Supervisor Brian Kayner approached Fuller as he a few hours of daylight remained.

Four hundred miles away, the Seattle Air Route donned his oft-worn hoodie. Kayner worked in Area Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) thrummed with C, which controlled traffic in eastern Washington activity. Nestled in Seattle’s south suburbs, its conand northern Idaho. A private pilot was struggling trollers handled aircraft flying throughout the to maintain aircraft control after inadvertently Pacific Northwest. The sectors and radio frequencies entering the clouds. He had lost all visual references. encompassed most of Washington, Oregon and Perhaps a controller with flight experience could Idaho. Hushed dimness cloaked the control room help guide the wayward airman to better weather. as instructions shot skyward. Rapid and purposeFuller mentioned his 180 hours of flight time— ful keyboard taps complemented the voices as the but also that he had not flown in years. He underradar screen’s data-blocks displayed aircraft speed, stood, though, that while other controllers had altitude and routing. The yellow and circular blips more experience, the perils of non-instrument-rated continuously slid across the blackness. The traffic pilots losing sight of the outside world were absonever really stopped. lute. Lives were quickly lost to panic and aircraft Air traffic controller Josh Fuller had just finished overcontrol as unbalanced inner-ear equilibriums an eight-hour shift sequencing aircraft into Portland led pilots astray. The mind played insidious tricks. and Redmond, Oregon. He zipped his headset case Aircraft would be turning when the pilot felt that and prepared to trade the Center’s windowless he was straight and level. The spatial disorientation 32

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could quickly worsen.

The frightened voice transmitting from the clouds signified time was short—an inverted hourglass with sand rushing to the bottom. “I’m at 6,000,” he radioed. “I’m at 7,000 feet! I just about hit another mountain! I don’t know where I’m at!”

Fuller palmed his headset and followed Kayner to Area C. He tried to envision the pilot’s predicament and what could free him from the clouded prison—assuming that he was still alive.

* * * Bendickson’s departure from Boundary Airport had been uneventful. As he ascended to the southwest, another pilot transmitted over the airfield’s frequency that they were terminating their pattern work. Weather seemed to be approaching.

Bendickson gazed upward at the clouds. Boundary was about 10 miles behind him. Perhaps it was best to fly home another day. The Cessna banked and commenced its return.

His grip on the Skylane’s yoke soon tightened.

Clouds had formed below the Cessna’s tires. White shrouds began covering the suddenly not-sofamiliar mountain tops. Boundary Airport was nowhere to be seen. The seconds passed painfully as Bendickson’s gaze swept the terrain. His breathing quickened as his bewilderment grew. The shapes of Idaho’s mountains were akin to the backs of his hands working their slopes. Nothing outside the Skylane’s cabin was recognizable.

The Cessna had likely already overflown Boundary Airport when it entered the clouds.

Bendickson began making abrupt control inputs— hoping he could quickly return to clear air. His flight bag and windbreaker jostled against the Skylane’s passenger door.

Bendickson shoved forward. The engine surged as the air rushing by the Cessna loudened. The cocooning whiteness was unabating as the altimeter started to unravel.

The descent eventually dropped the Cessna into visual conditions. Unfamiliar mountains filled N6122B’s windshield. Bendickson yanked the yoke, and the Skylane’s teal cowling pitched into the obscured horizon. The outcroppings silently passed somewhere below.

Climbing avoided terrain but tightened the clouds’ stranglehold. The enveloping moisture whited out all ground traces. Bendickson could see the Skylane’s propeller but only a uniform wall of nothingness beyond. Fair skies remained locked outside the opaque abyss.

Bendickson forced his eyes onto the Cessna’s instruments. The indications had been convenient cross-checks to a normally beautiful outside world.

Now the suction-driven gauges embodied salvation.

Adrenaline cultivated during Bendickson’s logging career began resurfacing. His hefty timber trucks would skid uncontrollably down perilous mountain roads. Composure and poise enabled focus; instincts and quick thinking saved his life.

His instructor’s guidance also reverberated. All pilots encounter difficult situations. Control what you can control. Stay calm. Fly the airplane.

Bendickson slowly dialed 123.9 MHz into the radio stack—afraid to tear his eyes away from the instruments. He thumbed the radio’s push-to-talk switch that was Velcroed to the yoke. He depressed the button and called to whomever was listening.

“Seattle Center, Cessna 6122B, I’m flying in the blind. I’m lost. Can you help me out?”

Fuller entered the Center’s C area and plugged his headset into controller Dave Murphy’s workstation. The setup was identical to his own, but the airspace was completely different. Controllers often spend entire careers working the same sections of sky. It can take a year to “recertify” in other areas.

Fuller looking at Murphy’s screen was arguably akin to a doctor performing surgery on another physician’s patient—in an entirely different specialty.

Murphy briefed Fuller on the Cessna’s plight.

The pilot had encroached into Canadian airspace and was clearly struggling. The Cessna climbed from 9,700 to 10,700 feet in two minutes; heading swung from 211 to 102 degrees. The corkscrew patterns continued amidst the terrain embedded within the clouds.

Fuller stood behind the seated Murphy and stared at the screen. The devices were designed to handle traffic under ATC supervision versus flights where pilots determined their own courses and altitudes. The scopes did not depict terrain or mountain heights. Bland polygon shapes encased minimum vectoring altitudes. They resembled hollow puzzle pieces scattered over a black and featureless board. It was impossible to derive the mountains’ location in relation to the Cessna’s haphazard path.

Other Area C controllers were already working rescue plans. Michael Sellman, Byron Andrews and Ryan Jimenez separated traffic—essentially allowing Fuller sole possession of Cessna N6122B. The controllers searched for good weather where the Skylane could be vectored. Sellman liaised with a KC-135 flying into nearby Fairchild Air Force Base.

He provided the fuel tanker’s crew unrestricted clearance to locate favorable weather. Better conditions seemed to exist to the south.

The controllers shared uncomfortable and silent glances. The Cessna’s pilot would likely have to fly nearly 100 miles solely on his instruments. The planeandpilotmag.com

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aircraft was fully fueled, but the gyrating turns could quickly transition into death spirals.

Murphy transmitted to the Cessna that a pilot was now on frequency. Fuller eyed the radar blip and tentatively hovered his thumb above his headset’s transmit button. The Cessna’s pilot was likely expecting a controller with robust flying experience versus someone whose last flight belonged to yesteryear.

Fuller’s voice could only project confidence—a beacon that the pilot could follow. His insecurity would have to be masked by speaking slowly, clearly and without hesitation. Perhaps there were more qualified controllers, but at that moment, he was the lone option. Emergencies did not allow preference. His best effort would have to suffice.

Fuller let his even and composed voice fly.

“N6122B, pilot speaking here. Are you currently in the weather?”

“I’m in the weather,” Bendickson responded.

“Yes, sir.”

“N6122B, roger, just trust your attitude indicator. Keep your wings level for now. I want you to keep the climb going to get you above the terrain.”

Bendickson remained fixated on the Cessna’s instrument panel. The earlier descent and unnatural proximity to terrain revealed how quickly disaster could ensue. The voice filling his gray lightspeed headsets was nonjudgmental. The magnetic compass continued swinging, but it seemed that his pitch had steadied. “I just don’t trust myself,” he transmitted. “I’m not that good at flying on instruments.”

“N6122B,” Fuller responded, “I really need you to trust your attitude indicator. I need you to keep your wings level…and keep your altitude above the 10,000-foot mark…when you’re in the weather like that, it’s going to be hard to feel what the airplane is doing. That’s why you need to trust those gauges.”

Fuller began guiding the Cessna southbound. The radar returns only updated every 12 seconds, and each recalibration revealed wayward headings and course reversals. Fuller eventually began instructing Bendickson when to start and stop his turns versus issuing conventional heading assignments.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Bendickson radioed. “Just help me calm down, sir.”

“N6122B, you’re doing just fine. Again, trust your attitude indicator, keep your wings level… your heading is looking perfect right now. You’re doing a great job.”

While Fuller’s voice coaxed Bendickson along, controller Brian Hach arrived at the Center. Hach’s background arguably made him the most qualified to handle the emergency. He had 1,000 hours of flight time and was a certified flight instructor. He 34

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owned a Skylane for six years and understood the airplane’s capabilities and nuances.

Upon learning what was unfolding in Area C, he joined the other controllers. Any notion of relieving Fuller, though, was immediately dismissed. Fuller stood motionless—a statue oblivious to surrounding activity. His radio transmissions were poised and collected. He had clearly become the pilot’s lifeline. “Josh has a very magical way of working,” Hach said. “He was the guy…What he had going on [with the pilot] was what mattered.”

Wanting to be useful, Hach began trying to pinpoint the Cessna’s exact location. He stood to Fuller’s right and studied the En Route Information Display System (ERIDS). The electronic tool displayed conventional navigation “sectional” charts that specified terrain height and location. Hach tried to match the polygon shapes on Fuller’s screen with the detailed map. He knew mountains were near the Cessna; the question was how close.

Bendickson temporarily broke into clear. The ground was still obscured, but he could once again reference visual cues as the Skylane cruised between cloud layers. He had been flying on instruments for nearly an hour.

The reprieve was short-lived. The undercast and overcast began converging once more. Bendickson had periodically warmed the Skylane’s carburetor but had not heated the pitot tube. The L-shaped appendage protruded from the left wing and supplied ram-air pressure to the airspeed indicator.

Electrical filaments within the pitot tube, when activated, kept its ducting above freezing. The heating helped ensure airspeed indicator accuracy when navigating cold and moisture-laden murk.

Clouds began growing larger in the Cessna’s windscreen. “Seattle,” Bendickson radioed, “should I fly above this cloud bank?”

Fuller preferred to keep the Cessna clear of the weather. Thinking that the pilot seemed relatively stable, and that improving conditions were close to the aircraft’s position, he changed his mind.

“I don’t want you to go around those clouds,” he transmitted. “I want to get you further southbound.”

Bendickson soon reentered the leaden tomb.

The sun started to fade; his panel began blending into the dusk. The Cessna had cockpit lighting, but just as he did not turn on the pitot heat, Bendickson could not free his eyes from the tunneled vision locked upon the instruments. The lighting’s small control knob remained unturned.

“I’m still troubled by the answer I gave him,” Fuller later said. “That’s when the world began falling apart.”

Ice began accruing on the Skylane approximately 10 minutes after Bendickson reentered the clouds.

Brittle and milky-white coatings started rising from gained altitude. The pilot could not see beyond the the Cessna’s surfaces. Its lift began to be smothered. encased whiteness, but Fuller understood that “I think I’m icing up on the wings here,” Bendickson his voice might be the last thing he ever heard. He radioed. “I see ice on the struts.” had taken 911 calls when panicked callers tried to “I want you to keep me updated on that,” Fuller administer CPR to dying loved ones. The voices calmly responded. “Hopefully this heading is going became strained and desperate as life slipped away. to get you clear of the clouds here in just a couple The Cessna’s radar blip arguably embodied the of minutes.” pilot’s heartbeat as the yellow dot rose and fell N6122B began descending and drifting across the screen. Forthcoming radar updates may east. Fuller’s directives remained difficult for have simply shown blackness—the Cessna’s blip Bendickson to follow. Each radar return showed flatlined amidst strewn wreckage and the mounlower altitudes—the blip sinking like a yellow tain’s silent and uncompromising shale. stone into a black sea. “It’s descending like crazy,” Fuller’s next instructions could have ensured Bendickson radioed. the pilot’s demise. If he told the pilot to climb, the Inch-thick ice ridged along the Skylane’s leading ice-heavy Skylane could stall. Its lift could also cease edges. The unheated pitot tube eventually sucif it banked too steeply. There was no good option, cumbed to the frozen glaze. Airspeed indications but if he said nothing, the outcome was absolute. became erratic—then dropped to zero. Bendickson “N[61]22B,” he transmitted, “if you can climb, began to rely on the slipstream to estimate the I need you to climb. The highest obstacle in your Skylane’s velocity. He had no idea what speed would area is going to be around 7,100, so I need you to trigger an aerodynamic stall and cause the Skylane hold your altitude.” to stop flying. The cold air rushing by the cockpit “I’m losing altitude,” Bendickson answered. “It’s and control feel were his only indicaa little bit out of whack here.” tors. Such perception and intuition “… N[61]22B, most importantly would arguably challenge even the right now, I need a heading towards most skilled and experienced pilots. the west. Any heading that’s towards As Bendickson struggled through the west.” the clouds, controller Hach continued The Cessna’s blip continued edgcrosschecking the radar scope against ing eastward. Its altitude dropped the sectional chart. The two platforms to 7,000 feet. began aligning as he started deriv“N[61]22B…okay, I want you to “Hach’s background ing the Cessna’s position relative to make sure your [ fuel] mixture is arguably made him the mountains. full rich. I want to make sure your the most qualified to The Cessna continued meandering throttle is 100 percent.” handle the emergency. east and losing altitude. The scope’s “Yes, sir.”

He had 1,000 hours data-block indicated 8,800—then The Cessna’s radar blip began of flight time and 8,100, and 7,900 appeared on subsesliding northward, but its altitude quent updates. flashed lower. was a certified Hach’s eyes darted between the “N[61]22B,” Fuller slowly flight instructor.” screens. The sectional depicted the instructed, “I need you to start a expansive Lake Pend Oreille. Brown left-hand turn, and I want you to and uneven shades colored the terrain to the east. point west…we’ll start with that. I want you to The highest peak was bolded with an altitude of focus on keeping your attitude indicator level with 7,100. Hach’s scan lingered as he forced his eyes the horizon…” back to the radar screen—now realizing what the Bendickson did not respond. The seconds passed. aircraft blip would confirm. The Cessna was headed “N6122B, can you hear me?” Hach, Sellman and directly into the mountains. The altitude readout the controllers hesitantly glanced at each other. dropped further to 7,300 as the ice-laden Cessna Perhaps the pilot was simply too low for radio concontinued its downward slide. tact. As Fuller continued staring at the screen, the “You’ve got to turn him, Josh,” Hach rememsurrounding solemn expressions began reflecting bered saying. the growing likelihood that the Cessna’s pilot was “Which way?” Fuller replied. His eyes remained gone. “When I saw the altitudes [drop] and then locked on the radar screen. no responses [ from the pilot],” Hach remembered, “Left!” “that’s when I’m thinking we’re done.”

Fuller knew the Cessna would either stall or Bendickson still could not see through the clouds careen into the rocks unless it reversed course and as he tried to maintain altitude and turn west. The planeandpilotmag.com

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Skylane had no equipment to detect terrain. Its teammates had determined that nearby Coeur pistons fired at full power as ice stubbornly clung d’Alene Airport offered favorable weather. The to its surfaces. The airspeed indicator remained KC-135 that Sellman had coordinated with had pegged at zero. located good conditions and remained on frequency Bendickson eyed the attitude indicator and to report updates. continued following the controller’s voice. He had Approximately 90 minutes after Bendickson first resigned himself to putting his complete trust into entered clouds, a euphoric radio transmission was the guidance emanating through his headsets. He received. “Oh, I can see land!” heard some other aircraft on the frequency, but the “N[61]22B, perfect,” Fuller acknowledged. “That’s controller who kept using the Skylane’s callsign, the where I want you to go.” one who identified himself as a pilot, seemed to be As the clouds abated and conditions improved dedicated just to him. The reassuring around the Skylane, Bendickson voice was consistently in his ears—a transmitted again. “When I get on protective lifeline that was his lone the ground, I want to give you a big chance of survival. kiss, sir.”

Fuller’s radar scope continued Fuller chuckled through his its 12-second updates. With each microphone. “I’d love that.” refresh, the Cessna’s blip still shone.

As the Cessna neared Coeur Altitude appeared steady. d’Alene, Fuller continued monitor“Fuller stared at the Hach glanced at the sectional ing the Cessna’s radar blip. screen. The scopes did and frowned. Mountains still lined “N[6122B, just checking in on you. the Skylane’s projected course like How are you doing?” not depict terrain or unbroken waves.

“I’m fine now, sir. I can see mountain heights. It was “N6122B,” Fuller transmitted, “It land… wow, what a ride. Thank you impossible to derive the looks like you’re still on a northbound so much!” mountains’ location in heading. That’s back into the worse “N[61]22B, no problem.” relation to the Cessna’ s weather and into higher terrain. If Fuller soon handed Bendickson we can make a left-hand turn, a very off to Spokane Approach Control as haphazard path.” gradual left-hand turn, I don’t want the Cessna edged further west. The you to do a fast one, but keep your ordeal had lasted nearly two hours. attitude indicator level with the horizon.”

Fuller had been standing and talking to the Cessna “Yes, sir. I thought I was going right…Okay, here nearly all that time.

I come.”

Bendickson acknowledged the frequency change.

“N[61]22B, you’re doing a great job. Again, just It was the customary goodbye between pilot and a very gradual left-hand turn.” controller as aircraft crossed airspace boundaries, If the Cessna had suddenly popped into clear even though it had been no ordinary interchange. air during those moments, Bendickson might have Fuller keyed his microphone as if to reply, but no again instinctively hauled back on the yoke—this words came. The channel nevertheless remained open. Applause sounded throughout the control time putting the ice-carrying Skylane into a nonrecoverable stall. The evergreen trees may have room until Fuller let go—his voice finally at rest. hurtled by at incomprehensible speed. Individual Cessna N6122B touched down on Coeur D’Alene’s branches may have been visible, their needles nearly Runway 6 shortly thereafter. Ice still clung to the prickling the Cessna’s fixed landing gear.

Cessna’s airframe under a fully dark night sky.

It is estimated that the Cessna cleared the peaks Bendickson pulled the Cessna’s fuel mixture to by as little as 90 feet. While its altitude subsequently idle cutoff, and its faithful engine grew silent in dipped further, Bendickson’s lack of heading conwell-deserved repose. trol somehow allowed him to slalom between the He had already decided to drive the seven hours mountains blindly. He laterally missed the terrain to Seattle soon to thank the controllers who saved by a half-mile. “If somebody told me this happened,” his life personally. In the interim, while he sat Hach remembered, “I wouldn’t believe it.” lost in his emotions and thoughts, other aircraft The Cessna’s radar blip began creeping west as were flying overhead and throughout the pacific Bendickson responded to the instructions carried northwest. N6122B had finally left Seattle Center’s

by Fuller’s voice. Lake Pend Oreille’s calm waters scopes, but countless other radar blips were still eventually lulled somewhere below as the forebodcrossing its radar screens. The facility’s controllers ing mountains distanced behind the Skylane’s tail. would be dutifully watching—their voices guiding Controller Mike Sellman and his Area-C other pilots home. PP 36

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ARE COMING This expanded definition of what constitutes a light plane and how they can be built could revive a segment facing existential challenges.

BY ISABEL GOYER

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T

HE LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT (LSA) segment, created by the FAA in partnership with industry leaders way back in 2004, was an exciting change. Along with the new Sport Pilot certificate, the LSA rule looked to reinvigorate light aviation.

It didn’t work out that way, in large part because LSA were so limited and most had challenging flying manners. So the light GA segment of 2021 is largely in the same shape as it was in 2004. None of the challenges we faced back then have gone away.

Indeed, most have gotten worse.

But a coming new segment, known as Light Personal Aircraft (LPA), stands the chance of fundamentally changing the light GA marketplace,

reinvigorating it with new planes and new ideas.

The existing LSA segment would continue as a sub-section of the LPA rule, and LSA would benefit from the rules rewriting. A final rule could come as early as 2023. And the changes I’ll discuss are but a few contained in the sweeping initiative known as MOSAIC. When we think of personal flying, we generally think of Part 23 certificated light (mostly under 4,000 pounds), single-engine piston planes that carry between two and six people. Admittedly, this slice of the pie leaves out a lot—light multi-engine planes, Light Sport Aircraft and amateur-built aircraft, among others. But when it comes to getting an airplane or upgrading to a different one, most of us think of light Part 23 planes, like Cessna 150s or Skylanes, Beech Bonanzas, Mooney 201s or Cirrus

Light but highly capable single-engine airplanes, like this Tecnam P-2010 TDI, are the kind of planes that will likely be hot sellers under the FAA’s developing plan to liberalize light aircraft certification and the rules for flying them.

planeandpilotmag.com

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SR22s, to name just a few.

Part 23 of the Federal Aviation Regulations allows for a huge diversity of aircraft, from two-seat trainers to small jets. And when the FAA first started noodling over certification reform more than two decades ago, it eventually came up with a whole new segment— Light Sport Aircraft. One of the main arguments that just about everyone interested in certification reform voiced was that Part 23, under which Cessna got its nearly 400-knot CitationJet certified, was too complicated, costly and involved a process for small, simple aircraft. That process, everyone also agreed, necessarily made the certification process for light planes too expensive to justify given the relatively small market for such aircraft. Consequently, few new aircraft were being brought to market.

Enter the Light Sport rule. Now, there are a few great ideas behind the LSA category. First and arguably most importantly, it took the FAA almost completely out of the certification process, ditching Part 23 for what are known as industry consensus standards. In short, industry members meet and

decide on the standards used to manufacture aircraft that companies can sell ready to fly, as opposed to kit aircraft, which the buyer must build themselves.

Like LSA, higher-performance Light Personal Aircraft would also earn certification through adherence to industry consensus standards, a change that could greatly reduce the cost of developing and manufacturing these new aircraft.

THE PROBLEMS WITH LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT There were also a few not-so-great ideas behind these standards. The FAA, with help from LSA designers in the execution, botched this job because it made two assumptions that turned out directly counter to safety.

The first was the lighter an aircraft is, the safer it is. LSAs are limited under most circumstances to 1,320 pounds compared to around 2,500 pounds for a Cessna 172, one of the safest light planes ever made. In theory, heavier aircraft aren’t necessarily safer than lighter ones, but in practice, they usually

What rules will apply to this new breed of super-LSA? No one knows for sure. How fast will they be allowed to cruise? Will retractable gear be approved? What about approval for IFR flight? Some are more likely than others, but at this point, nothing is certain.

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are. I’ve flown hundreds of different models of light aircraft, and some of the most difficult to fly are LSA. Speed is complicated. When asked if the Cub, since it was so slow, was a safer kind of plane, an early aviator said that it was slow so was, therefore, “just barely fast enough to kill you.” The truth was, Cubs were and still are involved in plenty of fatal accidents. LSAs might be slow, but they are plenty fast enough to kill you.

The FAA was equally off base with its assessment of the safety associated with speed when it dialed down the maximum stall speed of LSA to 45 knots, compared to the 61-knot stall speed for single-engine Part 23 planes. The thinking here is easy enough to see. Make these planes stall slowly, and off-airport adventures will be more survivable. But is that true?

The difference between the maximum stall speed of an LSA and that of a Part 23 single is 16 knots, which is big enough, but aerodynamically speaking, lift doesn’t act mathematically but, rather, geometrically, so getting down to 45 knots is a tall order, one that requires a lot more lift than one might think. So, weights need to be kept way down and wing surface area must be greatly increased.

The result of the FAA’s definitions was an initial generation of LSA, most of which are a challenge to handle at slow speed, especially in windy conditions and even more with gusts. The light weight of the plane means less momentum, so the plane reacts more quickly to gusts, and the greater lift exacerbates that flightiness.

Think butterfly in a windstorm.

There are two-seat, Part 23 planes that stall at or below the LSA maximum of 45 knots, and those planes, which include the Cessna 150/152 and Diamond DA-20, handle better near the runway than most of their LSA counterparts. So you can make a very light plane that handles well enough at slow speeds even in windy conditions, but it’s apparently not that easy to pull off.

The solution is to add pounds to the LSA maximum weight figure of 1,320 and add a few knots to the max stall speed as well. You’d then have planes with more presence that aren’t as flighty when it’s windy.

The FAA also accidentally disallowed electric propulsion in its sloppy wording of a regulation intended to rule out turboprop power, something that makes such little sense for an LSA that we wonder why it needed specific mention at all. But those are the dangers of writing regs, the unintended consequences.

BIGGER LSA ARE COMING. HOORAY. The news leaking out of the virtual beltway is that a new generation of LSA is on its way that will include a new umbrella category called Light Personal Aircraft.

The existing LSA category would be under the LPA category. But the continuing good news is that LSA would get weight and performance increases across the board, though, admittedly, details are sparse. The added heft and speed of LSA will only serve to make them safer, something the FAA and the authors of the new rules seem to get.

These new craft will very likely be able to be flown with the LSA-style driver’s license medical, which would breathe new life into one of the greatest ideas behind LSA, that FAA medical standards for flying small planes are overkill.

As you might know, LSA are today divided in two, those that you can buy ready to fly (SLSA) and ELSA, those you buy in kit form but need to build yourself (often with some judicious help from friends). The chief benefit of the DIY option is cost. You do the work, and you can cut a lot of the cost out of the new-plane cost calculus.

“LIKE LSA, HIGHER-PERFORMANCE LIGHT PERSONAL AIRCRAFT WOULD ALSO EARN CERTIFICATION THROUGH ADHERENCE TO INDUSTRY CONSENSUS STANDARDS, A CHANGE THAT COULD GREATLY REDUCE THE COST OF DEVELOPING AND MANUFACTURING THESE NEW AIRCRAFT. ” And that has been a big complaint about LSA since shortly after the rule’s inception, that LSA were supposed to cost less, but they still cost a lot.

A bigger, faster, roomier sub-Part 23 plane that the buyer does a lot of the work on could, at least in theory, provide an attractive avenue for new plane buyers, most of whom, it seems, are priced out of the new plane market. And with good-quality existing Part 23 singles getting rarer by the minute, and their prices rocketing up in recent years, it’s likely that new planes could once again compete with used ones.

LPA are likely to be a lot more airplane, too, but so are LSA, which would benefit from years of improved understanding about what works with these planes and what doesn’t.

The upper end of LPA, on the other hand, will be a whole animal, with higher weights, occupancy limits and allowable speeds at both the low and high end of the airspeed indicator. While these possible specifications are just that, it is safe to say that LPA will include a type of aircraft that is able to be much faster and roomier than current LSA. They are, in fact, likely to closely resemble some of the archetypal Part 23 models that define the lower planeandpilotmag.com

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Another company poised to be a player in the LPA market is Flight Design, whose LSA models, including this F2, are among the most popular light sport models.

end of the category, such as the fixed gear sub-200 hp Piper PA-28 or Cessna 172.

It’s probable that we’ll get four-seaters that can cruise at rates well beyond the LSA speed limit of 120 knots. There’s likely to be a maximum power output of 200 hp, and, as far as weight is concerned, according to an article by light sport aviation guru Dan Johnson, the maximum weight of a plane would not be a set number but, instead, one based on a mathematical formula that takes into account weight, wing area and horsepower. Top allowable airspeeds for higher-performance LPA are unknown, but if the FAA gets it right and it’s a big number—I’d say at least 150 knots—that would open the door to some remarkably useful new planes because I have zero doubt but that designers can and would create such planes.

DRIVER’S LICENSE MEDICAL? The FAA continues to dangle pilot privileges in touting its conventional Third-Class medical certificate, and it’s possible that to fly some of these larger and faster next-gens, pilots might need at least a Basic Med certificate—we sincerely hope the final rule doesn’t require a Third-Class medical, though we wouldn’t be shocked if that’s what happens. The benefit of the new category would still be worth it for the new planes it would engender, but for many pilots struggling with conventional FAA medical certification who want to fly small planes, it would be a shame if that happens. Fingers crossed that the FAA gets this one right.

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There are other privileges with LSA, such as the ability to do work on your own plane, including procedures that the FAA in Part 23 reserves for licensed mechanics. The cost savings at annual time alone would be huge, and the FAA, Johnson writes, is likely to continue to let owners work on their own LSA, even though their weight and speed would increase as part of the new rules. Owners of higher-performance LPA would need to take their planes to the shop, as we pretty much always have to do with Part 23 models.

Another big question—in fact, the most critical for many pilots—is, will existing Part 23 models that meet the definitions of LPA (whatever those specs wind up being) be able to be flown by pilots as though they were LPA (as you can do with today’s LSA)? If so, the new LPA rule could wind up being a backdoor to a driver’s license medical for planes that today require Basic Med at a minimum. That would be huge.

THERE’S MORE With LPA still a work in progress, there’s much we still don’t know about what a final rule might look like, and there are several peripheral questions that will affect who can fly these planes and under what conditions they can.

It’s not yet known whether some LPA will be allowed to be operated under instrument flight rules (IFR), though from a safety perspective, that seems a no-brainer. A pilot with an instrument rating in an airplane equipped for IFR should absolutely be allowed to practice those privileges without

Bearhawk’s 4-seater could be a contender, that is, if the company decides to enter the fray, a decision it says will have to wait until they know what exactly the rules of the road are going to be.

restrictions beyond those currently in place (such as currency). Requiring a pilot to stay VFR while in instrument conditions, or near instrument conditions, is a prescription for disaster.

Will they be allowed to be used for flight instruction for compensation, a subject the FAA is currently struggling to understand and regulate coherently? Or could you use an LPA for sightseeing fights or aerial survey work? We simply don’t know, though as before, I’d counsel a liberal set of initial rules.

AN LPA FUTURE? Those who remember the rollout of the LSA category likewise remember the root-canal-level teething pains it came with, as I’ve outlined above. Hopefully, the authors of the new proposal will take those failures into account in drafting the new rules. By all accounts, they are. That’s not to say there won’t be surprises—there assuredly will be. But at least we won’t be tacking those on to mistakes we already know about.

In anticipating this new rule, pilots will surely be envisioning the planes of the future—I know that I am. But who will build them? Will Textron Aviation or Piper Aircraft or Diamond be at the fore, or will the current lineup of LSA makers, most of which

make only LSA, be the main force in the new crop of planes? Or will new makers emerge as Cirrus did in the Part 23 arena, with a new model that pilots will just need to have.

The answer, I’m betting, is yes to all of the above.

Traditional Part 23 manufacturers struggled with their embrace and execution of LSA models—no one invested more or lost more than Cessna with its ill-fated model 165 Skycatcher. But with bigger, more conventional planes, could the big manufacturers of today get this one right? I don’t know.

But I do know that if the FAA goes big on this rule and keeps the definitions as flexible and liberal as possible, we could be looking at an exciting new crop of light planes that will satisfy the marketplace for substantial and really useful planes that consumers will just need to buy.

Me, I’m envisioning a four-seater that can do 165 knots and be purchased ready to fly for less than $200K. It’s not going to show up tomorrow, but if the LPA rule comes to pass in a form that will allow such craft, a plane like that is a distinct possibility, and one that could help reinvigorate a troubled segment in a way not seen for more than 75 years. With LPA, such a renaissance for light GA is not only possible but, I’d argue, impossible to avoid. PP planeandpilotmag.com

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NOW IS THE TIME TO BECOME AN

AIRLINE PILOT

BY JEREMY KING

Earning the Airline Transport Pilot certificate and getting a flying gig can be a life-changing event, in all the good ways. And the future has never been brighter.

S

ome airline pilots are all but predestined for the career. Scott Alexander, an Airbus A320 captain, vividly remembers his uncle setting the hook at an early age: “Seeing my uncle fly around the world in a 777 and listening to my cousins tell me stories of free travel with their dad made the job seem like winning the lottery.

My uncle seemed like he was on vacation for a living, with 16-20 days off a month.” At the ripe old age of 4, Scott decided that he was going to be an airline pilot.

Chris Thomas, by contrast, made it into his 20s before taking the plunge. Employed as a professional firefighter in Virginia Beach, he earned a VFR Commercial certificate, a stepping stone to the ATP certificate, and flew on the side, towing banners up and down the beach and saving his money to finish other flight training when the banner tugs were parked in the offseason.

“I chose to make the leap when I was about 28. At that time, I was looking at the long-term challenge of an airline career, and I think that kind of sucked me in. I loved aviation, and it’s a job where, if you choose, you learn something new every day.”

Now, Thomas’s day job is a check airman on the Embraer 190, a role he’s enjoyed for 21 years. When newly qualified pilots leave the simulator and step into the airplane, check airmen are the first captains they fly with and the final instructors of their training program. “I have had the opportunity to be with people on their first day of the rest of their career,” he says. “It is an opportunity to stay engaged, help, coach, mentor and instruct.”

Like a siren’s song, the career beckons, rooted all the way back to childhood dreams and aspirations.

Ask any airline pilot if it’s worth it, and the chances are the reply you get will be an emphatic, “Yes!” “The top careers every kid wants to do are to become an astronaut or an athlete,” said Kit Darby, an industry analyst and consultant whose company studies hiring trends and the careers of pilots.

“The third spot is almost always being a pilot.” planeandpilotmag.com

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Statistically, he said, the athlete and astronaut ideas aren’t a likely outcome except for a very talented few. While airline pilots are a tiny, tiny fragment of the overall population, there are a lot more aviators with epaulets on their shoulders than there are Olympians or professional athletes.

A HIRING FRENZY And with the world emerging in fits and starts from the coronavirus pandemic, the airlines are, much to the surprise of many, swinging into a full-on hiring frenzy. It takes a serious commitment of time and money—years and possibly more than $100,000—to reach the right seat of a passenger jet. It’s a big leap, but if you’ve ever wanted to become an airline pilot, the future is bright. But if you want to become an airline pilot, there’s one big ticket to earn—the Airline Transport Pilot certificate, and while it’s a daunting goal, this capstone ticket and the career it enables are attainable if you persevere.

THE LATEST SWING IN A REPEATED CYCLE Airlines have swung between record losses and peak earnings for most of the industry’s history. The industry’s mandatory retirement at age 65 means that thousands of pilots are in the final years of their careers. Over the decades, a variety of factors have caused serious industry downturns—the oil crisis of the 1970s, the terrorist attacks of 2001 coupled with economic woes, and a spike in oil prices with a couple of other factors around 2009 being prime examples. Between these lows, the industry swelled with growth—and pilot hiring.

The COVID-19 pandemic took an industry from the peak of profitability and absolutely gutted it in a matter of weeks, as countries slammed their borders shut and passenger jets that hardly cooled off between flights began to gather dust. Once it became apparent that two weeks would not be the turnaround time that optimists had hoped for, many airliners wound up parked en masse at desert airports such as Pinal Airpark, Arizona, or Vacaville, California, with their landing gear and engines wrapped in plastic. Regional carriers ExpressJet, Trans States Airlines and Ravn Air ceased operations altogether in the pandemic. Furlough warnings went out to thousands of pilots at other carriers as business leaders and elected officials scrambled to keep the entire industry—a pillar of the American economy—from failing altogether.

While the industry’s slump was dramatic, so was the support offered by the federal government via CARES Act funding that kept the industry alive. The act of Congress provided funding for about half the payroll at many carriers to get them through the rough spot. The government’s support was for a multitude of reasons—the industry is huge, and a collapse could have put hundreds of thousands of people out of work. Airlines are also vital to the military: 46

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It takes a serious commitment of time and money...but if you’ve ever wanted to become an airline pilot, the future is bright.

As participants in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, they can help mobilize military troops and cargo when needed. The funds provided via CARES funding kept folks employed and also helped airlines maintain a hawkish position to leap into action as the recovery allowed. Worldwide, thousands of pilots were fired, furloughed or made redundant, and many airlines may have flown their final flight. Without funding from the CARES Act, Darby said, air carriers in America would have been in the exact same situation.

While the COVID-forced downturn was immediate and drastic, the rebound, at least for domestic air travel, is nearly as strong. With vaccinations on the rise and travelers sidelined for the last year and a half, airlines are seeing a strong uptick in travel. Airplanes were brought back from storage as quickly as possible, and training departments were overwhelmed by getting pilots current who hadn’t touched the controls in months. Those simulator bays and classrooms are now redirected to bringing new pilots on board; a trough between waves has seemingly passed.

The bottom line is, it’s time to get moving if you’ve been contemplating a career aloft.

WHAT’S IT TAKE TO EARN AN ATP? The list of qualifications for the certificate is long and written by lawyers. That said, the basics are clear, so let’s take a look at what the requirements are in their basic terms.

In addition to the ATP Certificate Program (which we’ll look at separately) and written exam, aviators seeking the ATP certificate must be age 23 or older, read, write and speak the English language, and be of good moral character. (As you might have guessed, no one has any real idea

what that last part means). Flight experience requirements include 100 hours at night, 250 hours pilot-in-command, and 500 hours of cross-country flight. Because this crosscountry time is required for certification, flights between airports must be 50 miles or more—you’ll want to make sure you’re not counting weekend hamburger runs across a few towns up toward this requirement. There’s also a requirement for 50 hours of instrument training time.

In the last decade, the ATP has changed by the addition of a new R-ATP ticket. The Restricted Airline Transport Pilot certificate allows exemptions to age or total time requirements. Instead of a hard-and-fast requirement for 1,500 total hours, military pilots can cut the total time requirement in half to 750 hours; civilians who’ve graduated from aviation degree programs at approved schools can earn the rating at 1,000 hours if they hold a four-year degree or 1,250 hours with a two-year degree.

The R-ATP has a minimum age requirement of 21 instead of 23. When R-ATP certificated pilots reach the age or experience requirements for a full ATP certificate, the pilot will simply present documentation that they’ve reached the age and/or experience requisites and have their certificate converted to a full ATP.

AN ACCIDENT CHANGED TRAINING FOR THE CAREER Until 2013, airlines could hire first officers with a brandnew multi-engine commercial certificate and put them into the right seat of their jets once they completed training. Several regional airlines were hiring pilots with just over 200 hours.

This changed because of Colgan Air Flight 3407’s crash while on approach to Buffalo, New York. These changes came unconventionally—instead of the FAA’s normal rulemaking process with periods of public comment to influence the decisions made, the families of crash victims marched on Capitol Hill, and Congress drafted a law requiring more robust qualifications for airline pilots. The law, signed Aug. 1, 2010, set a timeline into place that required all first officers at airlines to hold an ATP certificate by 2014, and it reshaped the path to an ATP certificate. Before, pilots could take the written (often after memorizing a gigantic bank of test questions and answers), meet the basic requirements, and go take an ATP check ride. The new regulation introduced the ATP Certificate Training Program, a completely new component to the certificate.

The ATP-CTP is taught according to a rigorous syllabus, including a set number of hours in the classroom as well as four hours in a Fixed-Base Training Device and six hours in a full-motion simulator. The CTP, incidentally, is not required for single-engine ATP applicants.

The CTP, as defined by the regs, is designed to cover the gap in knowledge between a freshly minted commercial pilot and a working airline pilot because once an airline pilot finishes training and has been on the line for

a hundred hours or so, they’re treated the same as a pilot with thousands of hours and decades of experience. The FAA prescribes a set number of hours to be spent training on certain topics that really didn’t come up with old training methods.

The subjects include the following:

AERODYNAMICS Students spend at least eight hours on the subject of aerodynamic principles as they apply to transport aircraft.

Topics include high-altitude operations, encompassing the narrow margins between stall and overspeed encountered at cruising altitude. It’s not just additional busywork. The new approach gives students a chance to learn more about the topic than Mach Tuck being answer D on question 3194 or that Coffin Corner is more than the vampire section at a Halloween costume shop. Class time is expected to include kinetic and potential energy and the effects of bank angle on operating margins as well as characteristics of flying swept-wing aircraft, such as Dutch Roll.

Stall recovery might seem simple to those who’ve done most of their stall training in aircraft with light wing loading and immediate power availability. In a small trainer, such as those built by light aircraft manufacturers Piper or Cessna, you could just release the back pressure on the controls, advance the throttle and fly away. In a jet at altitude, the power simply isn’t there, and an aggressive response to recover from a stalled state is required.

Moreover, a secondary stall (that is, a stall following shortly after the initial one) is a serious threat, even for seasoned pilots.

The FAA usually doesn’t take drastic action unless the ink is written in blood, and this section is especially applicable. In addition to the Colgan 3407 crash that triggered this action, Air France 447’s crew misinterpreted flight instruments on a dark night on a perfectly flying airplane and consequently crashed it into the sea.

Unlike decades ago, when grizzled flight instructors poked an arthritic finger at the altimeter and emphasized preserving altitude in the recovery, the emphasis now is to recover using whatever altitude is needed without hitting the ground while keeping the airplane flying safely. This section also includes unusual attitude recovery, which is taught for both high and low altitude scenarios to cover the varying approaches to regain a safe flight path.

METEOROLOGY Requiring just two hours, this section is short but important, as airline pilots need to understand weather since the option to sit it out and wait for a nicer day is rarely used. Topics covered include windshear, turbulence and in-flight icing as well as on-ground de-icing and antiicing procedures, low-visibility operation and landing on snow-covered runways potentially with poor braking action available. All are covered in what is necessarily a brief but intense bit of study. planeandpilotmag.com

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AIR CARRIER OPERATIONS With 14 hours of classroom time allocated, this is the meat and potatoes of the course. Students study the daily routine of being an airline pilot, including such topics as recognizing fitness for duty, fatigue and hypoxia oxygen deprivation. There are also sections on flight deck communications and conducting effective briefings between pilots, flight attendants and passengers. The prescribed topics get into the weeds, covering subjects such as inoperative or missing equipment, avoiding taxiing onto a runway without clearance to do so and dealing with airport movement areas/ramp procedures. Among other topics, Crew Resource Management is taught as well as an overview of safety culture and voluntary safety programs.

Once a pilot completes the CTP course, they can take the ATP written, which itself is a daunting challenge.

Because the FAA no longer publishes its bank of questions for the written exams, the days of memorizing all the right answers are gone. That means you’re going to spend a good bit of time in study guides covering a wealth of knowledge before you sit down for the exam.

If you’re looking to do the CTP on your own, sit down for this. You’re looking at about $4,000 out of pocket, and your only “flying” will be in the simulator. But if you’re looking to join the ranks at a regional airline, many of them have partnerships with flight schools where the airline picks up the tab. Some let you do the course in-house as a part of their training. You’ve just got to rack up the hours to be eligible first.

AB INITIO: RHYMES WITH “ZERO TO HERO” Traditionally, pilots who hired on at airlines in America knocked out all the required ratings on their own dime before the company would even interview them. For years, Southwest Airlines even required a Boeing 737 type rating before you could start class at the company. (And many other carriers took note of applicants with a 737-type rating with zero hours in the airplane, figuring they’d be a gamble to hire knowing these candidates for the job would likely bail out the moment Southwest called with a job offer.) Some regionals made their pilots pay for their own type ratings at points when the supply of pilots far outstripped the jobs available.

Several foreign carriers had ab initio training programs in place for decades—Lufthansa started training its pilots in Phoenix, Arizona, more than 30 years ago. The school, first operated by Pacific Southwest Airlines and purchased

by Lufthansa in 1992, trains pilots from zero hours in a very regimented environment that is specifically tailored to train students for their position in the right seat of an airliner in Europe. Several Asian carriers had similar deals with American flight schools as well.

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With a fresh ATP in your pocket and a new job title on your resume, life begins to change. You’ll be away from home all the time, often when things back at the ranch go wrong. at a college, trained at a flight school, or rented at an FBO, they were expected to meet the requirements for the job before they applied.

In April 2018, JetBlue became the first airline in America to put together a program like Lufthansa. The first students in its Gateway Select program earned their CFIs and started building time toward their ATP certificates. The program featured a structured flight-training phase for the students to earn their certificates, followed by a period where the student became instructor to build hours toward the ATP, a process that typically lasted about two years.

The payoff was becoming first officers with the airline.

Warren Christie, the airline’s head of safety, security and air operations, calls the program a success. “This milestone with the first class further proves our competency-based pathway works and provides a new path of entry for those who never saw commercial aviation as a career option.”

Other airlines, facing similar challenges, took note. In recent years, Delta, United, American and Southwest all created similar programs. There are differences between each, of course, but the basic idea is the same. Candidates are screened based on varying factors at different companies but getting a first-class medical (required for ATPs) is usually a first step, along with basic testing to ensure candidates will be able to learn the material. Delta’s Propel program begins with flight training at a number of partner universities and colleges that have R-ATP programs. Some of the other airlines, such as Southwest’s Destination 225°, offer programs available to students who haven’t even attended college.

As with JetBlue’s program, after earning their certificates and ratings, students then instruct or fly professionally with partner companies to get to applicable ATP minimums before joining the ranks of the sponsoring airline. These programs are very structured and offer a turn-key solution for launching one’s career. Students are left with very little to figure out on their own. You sign the agreement, put your money down, and fly what the company provides.

Yes, there is that money thing. These solutions aren’t cheap. Southwest advertises that its cadet program is “less than $100K,” JetBlue’s Gateway Select is $107,000, and United’s Aviate program seems to be the bargain at $71,250. Its website advertises that it’s giving you the

private certificate for free in that deal. Right.

Scholarships are available to offset some of these costs, but at the end of the day, you’re going to be on the hook for a hefty student loan with any of these programs.

IT’S A CAREER AND A LIFESTYLE With a fresh ATP in your pocket and a new job title on your resume, life begins to change. You’ll be away from home all the time, often when things back at the ranch go wrong. But you’ll also see places you’ve never been, and Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere” starts to feel more like an autobiography than an oldie.

But as you gain seniority, you’ll enjoy more time off and a little more control over your schedule. Historically, regional pilots often needed side work, especially as first officers, but pay rates have climbed, and the need for outside work isn’t what it used to be. That said, interestingly, the free time that comes with the career and the personalities of airline pilots often conspire to seek out ways of staying busy.

For example, Chris Thomas has two side jobs: He teaches Upset Prevention and Recovery training for Prevailance Aerospace, where his students come from a variety of backgrounds: corporate, collegiate and governmental. His other side job is the one you might recognize: He flies an antique military plane, North American SNJ number two, for the Geico Skytypers Air Show Team. “The

airline career is a lifestyle, and everyone may not like it,” he said. “I have come to appreciate the flexibility of and low cost of non-rev travel, along with the schedule, usually 18 days off a month. Frankly, the time off and pay are what make my other two jobs possible.”

Thomas adds, “Make sure that you have fun along the way. I see the colleges and universities selling a program to create a career, and I realize that none of those people ever got into an aircraft for the purpose of having fun. It was always in pursuit of a rating. Often, they are the most unhappy,” Thomas said. “Don’t let technology be the fun of aviation. Sure, you have to understand and utilize it. But I see lots of new pilots missing basic skills because they now climb into an RJ with 1,500 hours and are convinced that they have ‘made it’ and that the learning is over. It never stops.”

Mike Laramee, an Airbus A320 first officer, echoed the importance of finding joy along the way, even though your career progression may meander away from the original plan. “There are lots of rewarding paths to pilot happiness, and I have enjoyed aspects of all of my jobs. Being an airline pilot brings the most financial reward for the fewest days away from home. I would tell the new guys just starting out to enjoy each airplane and job, whether Aeronca or Airbus. Remember that part of being a professional is always trying to be the best you can be at your current job.”

That job, just about every airline pilot will tell you, is a challenging one, true, but one that carries with it rewards you won’t find anywhere else. PP planeandpilotmag.com

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ROUGH FIELD OPERATIONS A WORD OF CAUTION Flying off airport in airplanes not intended for the abuse is risky business.

BY LEROY COOK

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T

here is a certain fascination with landing an airplane in a non-airport location. Most of us have seen an appealing pasture or clearing while flying along at low altitude and thought to ourselves, “That looks plenty long enough to land.” Suitable length aside, it might not be as good an idea as you first think.

The notion of landing “off airport” goes back to the early barnstorming days, eventually evolving as “bush flying” in undeveloped parts of the world. Those who indulged in such activities were well aware of the risks, often banging up airplanes and needing to make emergency patch-up repairs to get the aircraft out again. As they learned, you just never know what hazards lurk under the grass or gravel.

The average modern airplane is very poorly suited to operating from unprepared surfaces. And the average hastily trained pilot has no business expanding their explorations beyond the pavement. Transitioning to rough field takeoffs and landings requires both the right equipment and a dedicated mindset, with skills to match.

The popularity of specially developed STOL (short takeoff and landing) airplanes has reinvigorated the notion of landing in out-of-the-way places. Big tires, heavy-duty landing gear and shocks, oversize props and flaps—all these modifications are designed to tempt us into exploring the backcountry.

ASCENDING ORDERS OF RISK Designated airstrips are one thing; going randomly offroad is something else again. Those turf, grass or dirt fields denoted on the chart as “private, restricted” airports

carry a bit of semi-official cache, in that they were once established for someone’s use by an airplane.

That seeming stamp of approval signifies absolutely nothing, except a finding of non-interference (having your private airport shown on the chart is an option). It just means the FAA was notified of an intent to operate, with basic location, elevation and length furnished by the owner. If you see such a circle on the chart, view it with great suspicion.

Maintenance of private-use airstrips may be minimal or non-existent. I know of many such places whose creator has long-since passed away, yet they continue to be memorialized in magenta ink, overgrown and ditch-riven.

Any permission granted should be followed up with a ground visit and a thorough walk-over, unless you have trusted assurance that the airstrip is in regular use and cared for. The FAA is currently working to remove privateuse airports from the charts that have not had updated information furnished for several years.

Further down on the list of possibilities are landing spots that see some use but have never been formally established. Such “outlaw” airstrips are known only to the local cognoscenti, unmarked by either chart symbol or physical boundaries. Their only distinction from a cow pasture is an occasional light mowing or brush cutting.

Expect things like doglegs in the runway length, narrow, illdefined tracks and last-minute obstructions to be avoided.

And, finally, there’s true off-road operation, boldly going where no man has gone before…This sort of risk-taking is eschewed even by careful helicopter operators, who normally will not land unless a ground team has surveyed the area. One may as well consider a boondocks landing an

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emergency situation because it can easily turn into one. As inviting as a ridgetop or meadow seems, rocky outcroppings or gopher diggings can snag a gear leg, rendering you immobile or worse.

WHY IT WON’T WORK Airplanes are built with the lightest construction that will withstand the loads anticipated in normal use, as well as to meet certification standards. Extra structure snowballs into heavier weight, which demands more supporting structure, which creates even more weight.

Compromises between robustness and lightness are the price we pay for being able to leave the Earth at all.

Normal use in today’s airplanes means operating from smooth paved runways. The pasture-hopping barnstormers were equipped with 3-foot-tall tires and biplane wings with a loading of perhaps 7 pounds per square foot. Landing and takeoff speeds were about 40 mph—that’s miles per hour, not knots. And they still had occasional mishaps when they encountered errant chuckholes. Our airplanes have half the tire and wheel size and twice the wing loading. We can’t do what they did.

By FAA certification rules, single-engine airplanes are, with few exceptions, required to stall in landing configuration at no more than 61 knots, a limit that manufacturers are often eager to exploit in order to raise cruising speed and boost gross weight. Why 61 knots? It’s because earlier versions of the regulations specified a 70 mph maximum stall speed; you can do the math. In any event, landing off airport at 70 mph is risking serious damage.

To operate from unprepared surfaces, we really would like the landing-configuration stall speed to be less than 50 knots, sparing the landing gear and supporting structure from the beating imposed by higher speeds. Takeoff speed will likely be higher than landing speed, given the wing’s less-capable coefficient of lift and usually a heavier fuel weight, so our spindly landing gear will be taking even more abuse during takeoff than in the landing. Do not confuse indicated airspeed at high angles of attack with actual calibrated stall speed numbers in the POH. The 35 knots you see during a stall are probably 50 knots or more.

RISKY BUSINESS A few grass strip operations per year probably won’t show up in your maintenance bills, but if you make a habit of it, it’ll eventually take a toll. My recommendation is that only fixed-gear two- and four-seat airplanes with slow stall speeds should be operated on the average unpaved airstrip. Tricycle or tailwheel gear matters very little.

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operated on well-maintained turf, but these are carefully considered, once-in-a-while exceptions.

All too often, eager off-road pilots take a pickup truck down a prospective airstrip at 35 mph and pronounce it suitable, ignoring the difference in tire size and suspension compared to the airplane they’ll be using. One of my first learning experiences with an outback landing was when a friend of mine, whose family kept a Piper J-3 Cub at a pasture behind their house, asked me to follow him home in another Cub, picking him up so he could retrieve his car at our airport.

I watched him land and dutifully followed in his exact tracks. My smooth approach and touchdown were followed by extreme bouncing and banging as the Cub slowed to a crawl amidst the unmanicured clumps of fescue sod, wingtips dipping and tail feathers jouncing as I made my way to his hangar. I learned that looks are deceiving when it comes to off-airport operation.

Over the years, I’ve had to make landings and takeoffs in unanticipated wheat fields and pastures, not by choice but because of powerplant failures. All were successful but definitely not something to be repeated due to the beating the airframe took. I knew, after each one, that I had just been lucky.

IF YOU REALLY HAVE TO… One can, of course, vastly improve one’s luck by learning and practice. If viewing the prospective non-airport landing site from the air, look it over from traffic pattern altitude, roughly 800 feet above the ground, judging its length, surface condition and obstructions, making a pass in the landing direction while looking down at a 45-degree angle. Ascertain the wind direction from natural clues like waving grass or branches, or smoke rising from fires.

You can also read the wind on ponds or lakes by noting are much better if you’ve reduced speed to the minimum. the calm water surface along the upwind side of the lake, Tighten belts and harness before touchdown and stow which is sheltered from the wind. loose objects that you don’t want flailing about. When the Then, make a low pass at a safe altitude, about 200 to aircraft slows to walking speed, pick a nice, open place to 300 feet AGL, so you can better see any ditches, wet spots, shut down on firm ground, giving thanks for good fortune. boulders and tall vegetation (taking into account nearby It would be a good idea to check for ELT activation after all terrain, of course). The slope of the terrain will be easier the multi-axis accelerations the airplane has gone through. to ascertain on this “low recon” pass. Select a touchdown spot and rollout path for your landing. Maintain a good, GETTING OUT AGAIN safe airspeed above stalling speed, but fly slow enough to Having accomplished the rough-field landing without have time to observe. Go around from the low pass with damage to the plane or persons, you need to plan the climb power and return to a normal traffic pattern altitude departure. Confirm that the space available is more than for your landing approach. adequate for takeoff and choose an abort point along the Set up the landing with normal procedures but pretakeoff lane in case acceleration is lagging. Vegetation will pare for a full-flap precision approach. I add at least half lengthen the takeoff run, as will soft ground. Walk every flaps on the base leg and wait to extend full flaps until foot of your ersatz airport, watching for hazards; tie strips I’m wings-level on final approach. Maintain the recomof cloth onto twigs to mark places you particularly want to mended short-field approach speed, 1.3 times Vso, using avoid. Plan your after-liftoff routing to minimize altitude a stabilized approach wherein speed, flap setting, power needed to clear obstructions ahead, which you won’t be and glidepath are unchanging for the able to see in your nose-high extreme last few hundred feet of the descent. climb attitude.

Be prepared to go around if someBegin your takeoff run at the most “A FEW GRASS STRIP thing doesn’t look right as you near advantageous position, considering OPERATIONS PER YEAR the ground. slope and wind conditions, deploying Your chosen touchdown spot the most effective amount of flaps PROBABLY WON’T should be just beyond the “motionless that will generate lift without adding SHOW UP IN YOUR spot” in your field of view as you make excessive drag. Bring your seat farMAINTENANCE BILLS, BUT ther forward than usual, so you can the approach, the point the airplane is traveling toward that doesn’t move see over or around the nose during a IF YOU MAKE A HABIT but grows bigger and bigger as you rough-field takeoff. If the plane is noseOF IT, IT’LL EVENTUALLY near it. Objects beyond this spot will wheel equipped, hold the yoke back as continue rising in your windshield, and soon as you have applied full power, TAKE A TOLL. ” those nearer than the spot will begin to getting the nosegear up out of the disappear under the nose. Your goal is vegetation drag as soon as possible. to reach that aiming point, flare out of the glide and float If you’re sporting a tailwheel, raise it out of the weeds as to your touchdown spot while dissipating all of your airquickly as possible but keep it low to maximize the wing’s plane’s excess speed in level flight, just above the surface. lift and break ground at the slowest speed.

Touchdown must be made at or very near a full stall, Expect the airplane to bounce into the air and settle removing as much kinetic energy from the aircraft as you back a time or two as you achieve flying speed. This is no can. You should have been practicing this “rough field time to look at the airspeed indicator; you need to conlanding” on pavement in anticipation of this day. Many centrate on staying in the takeoff lane and considering ill-trained pilots are content to allow their planes to land the rate of acceleration. Abort if you haven’t achieved 10 knots above the minimum possible speed, concerned 70% of liftoff speed by halfway down the “runway.” In tall that they will somehow “lose control and stall” if they grass, I’ve sometimes had to make multiple runs to pack bring the yoke further back. They are thereby carrying down the thick vegetation before I could get the airplane excess energy into the touchdown, forced to dissipate it into the air. by braking or with a lengthened rollout.

Once the bouncing stops and you feel the freedom of Do not concern yourself about stalling when you’re flight, get the airspeed up to the Vx applicable for the flap only 12 inches off the ground. Rather, be concerned about setting and climb over the clutching obstructions while the failure of a landing gear leg on rough ground because staying away from the stall. Once you’re safe, you can you didn’t remove all possible kinetic energy from the accelerate to Vy and milk up the flaps. airplane. Hold the stick full back and ride through the Rough field operations are not a risk to be assumed bumps, braking as soon as the wheels are in firm contact, lightly. Rather, they are to be avoided in modern airplanes and hope that everything holds together until you stop. unless absolutely necessary, and even then, they are to be If you should hit an unseen object or spin out of control regarded as a self-imposed emergency. Practice for them from a crumpled gear, your chances of avoiding injury but plan to spare the airplane from their abuse. PP planeandpilotmag.com

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AFTER THE ACCIDENT

By Dave English

Citation Single Pilot Crashes After Argument With Girlfriend The unplanned flight was a short one with a tragic conclusion.

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51-year-old pilot flying alone in his personal was “satisfactory on everything,” though there are no Citation jet lost control of the single-pilot jet details about it in the NTSB docket. He returned to her shortly after takeoff, crashed and was killed house around noon, then went to the grocery store and upon impact. The National Transportation Safety Board watched some baseball on television. The plan was he (NTSB) determined the probable cause of this April would fly home on Monday.

2018 accident was “loss of control while operating in The pilot’s girlfriend told the NTSB he had “a couple night instrument meteorological conditions as a result of drinks when they were fixing dinner.” While she was of spatial disorientation.” It’s an all-too-common NTSB looking at baseball information on his phone, a text statement of probable cause, typically seen when a visual came in of a “personal and explicit nature.” It upset her. flight rules (VFR) pilot pushes into bad weather. But this Although they “kept everything on the down-low,” she was an experienced instrument pilot in a well-equipped had believed they were in a committed relationship. aircraft. So, what happened?

She asked him to leave, and he left in an Uber around The pilot claimed 1,900 hours total time on his last 7:30 p.m. medical, but a logbook recovered from the wreckage According to the Safety Board, she thought he was shows 737 hours, with 13 hours in the previous 30 going to a hotel. That would have worked out fine. But days. He had FAA ratings for single and multiengine instead, he went to KFCI. While it’s admittedly speculand, instrument airplane and a Cessna CE-525S type lative, the Citation was his ride home and his regular, rating. The S part of the type-rating allowed him to fly familiar and reliable means of transportation. It might the small-business jet single-pilot. have represented an attractive means of escape from The 1996 Cessna 525 CitationJet had 3,311 hours the drama and, even, a kind of therapy for him. at its last maintenance inspection. It’s a safe, modThe Uber dropped him off at the single-runway ern capable twin-jet. This one had nontowered airport at 8:02 p.m., 10 a large multifunction display and a minutes past sunset. Security cam“The pilot’s girlfriend Garmin MX20, which displayed satelera footage at KFCI shows him walktold the NTSB he had ‘a lite weather information and coloring straight out to the plane. An FBO couple of drinks when coded terrain. It was a smart-looking line service employee went out and they were fixing dinner.’ jet, painted with flowing green ribbons asked if he needed any fuel. The pilot While she was looking at over a white base. Sometimes the pilot said no, he was good. The line service flew it alone, but mostly he flew with agent didn’t notice anything out of the baseball information on his father or brother, both of whom ordinary during the quick interaction, his phone, a text came in also had CE-525S type ratings. They telling the NTSB that he saw, “nothing of a ‘personal and explicit usually flew on an instrument flight about the pilot that made him think nature.’

It upset her. ” rules (IFR) flight plan, taking turns to he shouldn’t be flying this jet.” Engines swap left- and right-seat duties. The started at 8:17 p.m., the Citation turned three of them worked together at the family’s lumber around on the ramp and stayed there for a bit. company. They based the plane close to home at the Now the late-shift employee began to notice some Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (KSHD), Virginia, odd behavior. The pilot never transmitted on the CTAF. where they also had a Beech Baron.

Instead, he taxied around on the ramp some more, then On Saturday, the accident pilot flew the Citation to the departure end of runway 15. Inexplicably, he then solo from KSHD to the Chesterfield County Airport taxied back. Was this an inflection point? Maybe only (KFCI), 82 miles to the southeast. He was in position to after starting the engines did he remember the couple perform a flight review Sunday morning and to spend glasses of wine. Maybe only after starting the engines time with his girlfriend. She said the review on Sunday did he realize there was weather to the west. This flight 54

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PETER BAKEMA (GFDL 1.2) VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.

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wasn’t planned for that evening, nor was the relationship stress expected.

KFCI was VFR, with broken cloud layers at 3,200 and 4,000 feet, good visibility underneath, wind from 140 degrees at 12 knots. However, on his route to the west, a solid line of powerful storms was raging. The pilot had Foreflight on an iPad in the cockpit. Plus, the plane had a satellite weather display, but we don’t know what he looked at before takeoff. We do know he didn’t call anyone for a briefing.

FAA Flight Services was well aware of the weather. Along the route were tornado warnings and urgent pilot reports from CRJ-200 and Boeing 737 aircraft calling moderate turbulence above overcast ceilings of 1,500 feet in heavy rain and A Cessna CitationJet similar to the plane that crashed after its owner/pilot embarked on an lightning. SIGMET 36E was active, unplanned flight into bad weather after a fight with his girlfriend. warning of severe thunderstorms with tops to flight level 420 with tornadoes, 1-inch hail at 1,500 feet, temperature and dewpoint 11 degrees and wind gusts to 60 knots possible. The pilot didn’t file Celsius, lightning detected to the northeast and south. a VFR or IFR flight plan or talk once to air traffic control.

Other nearby airports were all recording solid IFR condiPerhaps ignorant of all of this, the pilot taxied the CJ tions with rain and lightning. Local TV news reported once again, this time to the departure end of Runway several houses in the area damaged by the storm and 33. The plane took off at 8:33 p.m., still in radio silence, thousands more houses with no power. with about a 12-knot tailwind. Radar tracking showed a After the accident, investigators found no pre-impact pretty consistent northwest heading. Mode C reported abnormalities with what was left of the aircraft. An an initial climb to 11,500 feet, almost certainly in the official answer to why and how an IFR pilot in his wellclouds without the pilot having requested or received an equipped jet would take off without a clearance and IFR clearance. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft descended lose control was likely provided by toxicology testing. rapidly about 4,300 feet. This is below the minimum The FAA’s Forensic Sciences Laboratory found ethanol IFR safe altitude of 5,700 feet around the KSHD airport. at a concentration of 0.08 gm/dl in the pilot’s muscle According to the NTSB report, the weather then got tissues—twice the FAA alcohol limit of 0.04 gm/dl. bad. He flew alone directly into and through the line of (The federal limit to legally drive in the United States intense thunderstorms. After nine minutes of straight is a blood alcohol content of 0.08%.) Also, the medical and level flight, at 8:54 p.m., there was a left turn and drug cetirizine was present. Cetirizine is an over-thesudden descent, more than 6,000 feet per minute down. counter antihistamine medication used to relieve allergy The only witness had just finished putting his kids to symptoms. It comes with the warning “avoid alcoholic sleep and was himself getting into bed. He told the NTSB drinks…be careful when driving a motor vehicle or he heard the “screaming of the engines” and saw lights operating machinery.” flash overhead. Then he heard, indeed, felt the airplane The NTSB final report lays it out clearly: “the pilot’s impact the ground, followed by a bright fireball. He intoxication, combined with the impairing effects of remembers the clouds were really low, and “there was cetirizine, affected his judgment; contributed to his a ton of rain.” The jet had crashed into nearby woods, unsafe decision-making; and increased his susceptibility all components found together, highly fragmented, to spatial disorientation, which resulted in the loss of in a compact accident site. The Board reports, “the control of the airplane.” damage to the airplane and the distribution of the Looking back, it’s sometimes simple to see when an wreckage were consistent with a loss of control and a accident could have been prevented. But when unexhigh-velocity impact.” pected emotional events unfold, it’s not so easy in the The closest official weather station, 13 miles away moment to look forward. And it can be harder still to at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (KCHO), had change trajectories. Unfortunately, under the influence visibility of 2.5 miles, broken ceiling at 700 feet, overcast of alcohol, this pilot chose flight. PP planeandpilotmag.com

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WANDERING SKIES

By Ken Wittikiend

Reflections Of The Sky Reconnecting with an old friend in the best way possible while adding a new chapter to a great old book.

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s the floats of the Super Cub kissed the sand along Circling overhead, Tim checked for any shallow areas the small peninsula, I watched the gaggle of small or obstacles and determined the wind direction. He children moving our way. Some were scrambling set up his pattern, completed the pre-landing checklist to reach us while others timidly held onto mom or dad’s and set us gently on the surface. Coming off the step, hand as they walked slowly in our direction, unsure if water rudders down, we idled slowly toward the beach. it was okay to approach.

Down the way, I could see several boats pulled up with Tim and I had spent the morning training in his beauthe families wading, fishing and playing in the water. tiful yellow Super Cub on Wipline 2100 amphib floats, Most watched, a few waving to us, while a couple of the practicing various maneuvers and performing a plethora kids bounced with excitement. of takeoffs and landings along the Highland Lakes in As Tim pulled the mixture and the prop swung to the Texas Hill Country. We had not seen each other for a stop, we could hear the excited squeals of the chilseveral years and had sort of lost touch a bit, as friends dren as they approached. “Hi, mister, can we look at sometimes do. Life gets in the way, you know. Then Tim your airplane?” asked the youngster leading the pack. gave me a call to see if I would be interested in doing “Certainly you can. Come on over,” we responded. Mom some training in a Super Cub on floats. Not just any was shepherding this flock, and she explained the kids Super Cub, however. Along with his friend Jim, Tim had had been watching us fly over and were beyond excited recently purchased the immaculate AOPA Sweepstakes when they saw us taxi in. Meanwhile, the rest of the airplane restored by Roger and Darrin Meggers at Baker crew arrived. Some jumped up and down, speechless Air Service in Baker, Montana. with the thrill of seeing a real floatWe began at the Rusty Allen Airport plane up close. Others, not so sure, “Tim Casey and I in Lago Vista, moving along Lake Travis hung back, watching the scene unfold. became acquainted at as we watched the bass boats and “Would you like to sit on the float?” the very beginning of my personal watercraft carving wakes in we asked. In an instant, three of the aviation journey.

I was a the calm water. Never climbing above boldest clambered aboard and posed young college student, 500 AGL, we had a great view of the for photos. Talk about unbridled joy! campers, kayakers and hikers along The looks on the young faces spoke struggling to scrape the shores. Most stopped to watch our volumes about the power of small together enough money to progress, waving as we passed. airplanes to ignite wonder and awe feed my aviation addiction, Early spring is a time of new beginamong kids and adults alike. The serwhile Tim, eight years my nings, and the morning, which had endipity of a chance encounter on this senior, was already an begun chilly with a light breeze, had quiet beach seemed somehow more experienced aviator. ” now warmed to the mid 70s. Spring personal, more joyful for both Tim and break was underway, and many folks me. Time for a bit of the backstory. were willing to brave the cool waters and take the kids Tim Casey and I became acquainted at the very for an adventure along the sandy shores of Lake LBJ. beginning of my aviation journey. I was a young college Everywhere there were signs of new growth. Live oaks student, struggling to scrape together enough money to put on new leaves, and red buds dressed in fuchsia blosfeed my aviation addiction, while Tim, eight years my soms added splashes of color to the greening landscape. senior, was already an experienced aviator. We spent On the water, pelicans and cormorants rafted up, resting summer days flying Ray Harding’s ratty old yellow Piper between feedings. Earlier, we had passed a bald eagle J-3 from Bird’s Nest Airport near Manor, Texas. on the wing—probably searching for a fish breakfast.

The airport attracted a wildly diverse group that By early afternoon, the sun was casting spangles on reflected the spirit of Austin’s countercultural vibe in the water’s surface, ruffled by a light breeze making for many ways. There was a jump school where long-haired perfect conditions to practice beaching the floatplane. youngsters would “hop and pop” to outlaw country Purely by happenstance, we chose a sandy strip below. music. One day, one of the jumpers ended up facedown,

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The author’s longtime friend and flying buddy Tim Casey with the Super Cub on floats that brought magic into numerous lives one day.

unmoving in the airport pond, where he was rescued by Tim and a couple of others. Turns out he was fine but more than a little impaired by his imbibing activities earlier in the day. This was the same pond ruled by PokPok, the huge white goose that took immense delight in chasing the hippie chicks and their boyfriends who ventured into his kingdom. Pok-Pok would lie in wait until some unsuspecting victim ventured too close. We would usually be alerted by the sudden screams and shrieks, then a flash of the tie-dyed, Birkenstock-clad target scurrying for the safety of the parking lot with a very loud white goose in hot pursuit.

The jump school was run by Mike Mullins, a future FedEx pilot who would later be suspected, indicted and acquitted of murdering his wife. Mike used an old Cessna 182 for a jump plane and gave me my first paying gig as a new commercial pilot. One day, desperate for a warm body in the left seat, he asked if I would like to fly some jumpers. After a very brief and casual explanation of how this should be done, I was turned loose. Soon, I had three willing skydivers aboard, and we climbed to 3,000 feet. Turning into the wind, following the hand signals from the jumpmaster, I reduced power and watched as the first guy reached for the strut to get into position.

Suddenly, he disappeared, and after some momentary confusion, the rest followed. I spiraled down to a landing and shut down just in time to see the jumpmaster coming my way. Clearly agitated, he rushed up, got in my face, and asked the key question: “Didn’t anyone tell you to hold the brakes when we exit?” Turns out that failing to do so results in a less than elegant departure as the jumper steps onto the Cessna’s tire to get ready to jump.

Then there was Maurice, a young ex-Air Force pilot who, after losing part of his leg in an airplane explosion and being forced out of the service, would spend summer evenings cutting rolls of toilet paper in a Super Cub. Occasionally, he would allow me to ride in the back. I am not sure how well he ever mended up. Last we heard, he was in a Mexican jail serving time for flying contraband across the border.

Somehow, among this motley crew, Tim and I became acquainted. As I struggled to connect hands, feet and brain to the simple flying machine, Tim would patiently provide guidance and counsel. We cruised over the cotton and milo fields, whiling away the hours, building flight time and occasionally dropping in on one or another of the small central Texas airports planeandpilotmag.com

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for a visit. Along the way, we became friends who had no thought that we were beginning a shared journey that now stretches over 50 years.

Tim went on to an aviation career that included ferry flights across the North Atlantic, flying King Airs and jets for business while keeping his connection to small airplanes intact by flying his Super Cub around the state.

But in visiting with him, you probably would be hard pressed to learn all of this, as Tim, like many Texans, is often quiet and reserved despite the reputation for hyperbole. It takes a bit of work to get him to share.

But as we flew along, I got him to tell me some of his experi- And this is how the magic happens. Three kids who asked if they could look at the airplane. Yup! ences—including one involving a certain bridge over the Pecos River that I cannot share here despite the statute of “Would you have ever thought, back in 1970, that we limitations having expired. would still be doing this flying thing together after all We visited for a while longer, answering questions these years?” he asked. “In some ways, it seems imposand rotating kids and a few adults on and off the floats sible that so much time has passed,” I replied. “Yet, when for photos with the plane. Both Tim and I were relucI think about all the hours and all the airplanes and so tant to leave, but we needed to get back to the tasks at many experiences I have shared with students, pilots hand, so we said our goodbyes and pushed off from the and passengers, the years are filled with great memobeach. As the floatplane drifted slowly away, the children ries.” We talked of pilots we knew, recounting tales of watched us prepare to depart. We started mishaps and adventures, reminded again up and slowly taxied into deeper water. of what a small community we share and With run-up complete, Tim brought the how connected we are to that extended “Tim and I share power up, and we climbed onto the step. family. Our dreams then (and even now) the uncomfortable I glanced back as we passed by the kids. were to find our place in that family, to reality that far more All of them were jumping and waving as discover how we fit in and ultimately to of our aviation we passed. Lifting off, we were soon on play a small part in sharing the experiadventures are behind ence with others. our way down the lake for more practice.

Tim and I share the uncomfortable After a couple of hours, we turned the us than ahead.” reality that far more of our aviation airplane to the east, following the lakes adventures are behind us than ahead. toward home. The wind had died, and the These days, it is a bit more difficult for both of us to lake’s mirrored surface reflected our image against the crawl into the cabin of the Super Cub, although Tim, evening sky. The slanting light cast deepening shadows weighing something like 140 pounds soaking wet, is into the limestone canyons as the sun continued its still quite spry. He reminds me of an old cedar fence journey toward the western horizon. Soon, the light post that has had the bark stripped away by time and would begin to fade to darkness, and our flight would weather, leaving the hardwood graying slowly yet still end. But for now, there was a softness to the air as the holding strong. On our way back to the airport, we thermals eased and the temperature dropped. We swapped stories of friends and family, catching up on were not quite done. Tim dropped the gear and eased events from the past. Tim and his wife, Hallie, had been the amphib gently onto the asphalt before taxiing to married for 49 years, sharing the joys of raising two boys, the hangar and shutting down. On my drive home, I building a lifetime of memories until that September thought about the simple joys of this day when two old day five years ago when a visit to the doctor revealed a aviators, reconnected once more, somehow added yet grim diagnosis. By just after Christmas, Hallie was gone. another chapter to a story I never tire of revisiting. PP

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E R ’ E W NLINE O! O TO

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WORDS ALOFT

By Jeremy King

Flying With Strangers You Meet On The Internet The internet has given us nearly unlimited access to other people with an interest in aviation. And sometimes we go flying with them.

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he security guard looked at our driver’s licenses, or two to kill. One of the flying chat room regulars was and then at our faces, and back at our licenses. “Are John, a mechanic and CFI at the now-extinct Trinca, New you…brothers?”

Jersey, airport, and I wound up over there for a day or two, We looked at each other a moment, the idea having swinging wrenches and doing a little flying as we waited never registered that we had the same last name. With on the Musketeer’s return to airworthiness. a slimmer build, wavy hair and looking for all the world Another mechanic and pilot I met was Darwin, who as if he’d just claimed the prize in a surfing contest, he lived out in Lincoln, Nebraska, and worked at Duncan was just mismatched enough with me that it was worth Aviation. The regional carrier I flew for added Lincoln as a chuckle. We’d known each other as usernames on an a destination, and as I stared at the fuel truck with the internet forum of Mooney pilots, progressing to first Duncan logo, I wondered what’d become of my old pen names on a series of texts as I accepted his open offer in pal. I did a quick Google search and fired off an email as the Mooney community: “If you’re ever down here, look we rode to the hotel for the layover. We met for coffee the me up, and we’ll go fly.” next morning and told stories for the better part of two I spend a lot of my overnights in the Caribbean, and hours, and I wound up getting invited back to Nebraska the idea of going flying for fun in the Caribbean ratcheted to speak twice at the 2017 Nebraska Aviation Symposium. my favorite Puerto Rican overnight up Once I talked to students and instructors several notches. When I saw Aguadilla on who were entering the career, and then I “It’s funny how my schedule twice, I couldn’t resist. was the keynote for the maintenance symthese relationships I was about to go fly with one of my posium, as I urged mechanics and shops to formed and lasted, “Imaginary Friends.” embrace nontraditional routes for luring considering the ‘don’t I kid with my wife, Amy, about her imagiyounger folks into aviation maintenance— talk to strangers’ nary friends—she has met a number of as the pilot shortage may well be eclipsed her Twitter followers as we’ve roamed the by a shortage of qualified technicians in indoctrination of our planet. And while I joke about her situation, coming years. childhood, but the mine goes back further. In the 1990s, the It’s funny how these relationships passion for flight internet reached its tentacles out to my formed and lasted, considering the “don’t basically developed hometown, and we joined the information talk to strangers” indoctrination of our a family connection superhighway, as it was advertised, with childhood, but the passion for flight basiwith these strangers an America Online account. There were a cally developed a family connection with couple of aviation chat rooms, and I quickly these strangers and many more. I refer and many more.” found myself spending time talking aviato Sun ‘N Fun and AirVenture as famtion with strangers from all over. We shared flying tales, ily reunions with tens of thousands of cousins I just and many offered encouragement as I struggled for my haven’t met. first real toe-hold as an airport kid with big dreams and But as I stood at the Aguadilla airport vehicle gate, tiny finances. with the guard studying my driver’s license, the gravity A few years later, my friend Donn Jacobs bought a sort of sank in. Here I was, with someone I’d never seen Beech Musketeer in New Jersey, and he asked me to look in person before 15 minutes ago, who was vouching for it over. I could fly it home once it was squared away. me as the guard handed me a visitor badge and began to After a test flight that revealed a long list of things to be search the vehicle from bumper to bumper. addressed, I handed the plane back to the mechanic on The massive amount of security might seem overkill, the field to get squared away and found myself with a day but when the guard unlatched the padlock and had us

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drive through the fence, we were idling on the ramp 50 yards from where we’d just parked an Airbus full of people three hours before. To our left were hangars filled with Customs and Border Protection aircraft, used in fighting the influx of narcotics from Central and South America, which often move through the Caribbean and up to the mainland from Puerto Rico. Word had it the CPB pilots had just interdicted a fast boat with 1,300 pounds of cocaine the day before by shooting out the boat’s engine from a Blackhawk helicopter. The guys and gals there had a spring in their steps as we passed.

Beyond the government hangars, we came to the community hangar full of general aviation birds, and as my friend slid the door back, I smiled at the variety of airplanes before me. A Lancair IV was someone’s go-places-fast bird, and tucked into the back with folded wings was an Icon A5, the first I’d seen at rest in the wild. A couple of Cessnas, a Baron and a Cherokee rounded out the population. Well, those, and the Mooney we were there to fly.

Since they’re not the most popular planes in general aviation, my C model Mooney was the only one I’d flown before I bought it. I rode shotgun in a 252 as safety pilot for a few approaches last year, and earlier this year, I flew an F model to Atlanta from Phoenix. The basic M20 type has been around for almost 70 years, and the basic wing design has seen engines from 180-310 horsepower. The older ones have seen their share of neglect, pampering, and modifications, to the point that no two are alike.

So, when we get two or more together, the conversation immediately becomes one of comparisons—speed modifications, propellers and panels being the common topics. It was no different as I strapped into the right seat and watched the other Mr. King go about his routine.

We decided to just blaze a few laps around the pattern; he was on call for his job and might need to be on the ground with little notice. As we rolled out on final the first time around, he asked, “What flap setting do you use for landing?”

“All of the flaps,” I fairly laughed. “I’m on a short grass runway.”

In comparison, we were on his home field with an 11,000-foot x 200-foot expanse of concrete. Left to my own devices in a world with no rules or interference, I could create all sorts of mischief with a runway like that.

As we circled the field, we compared techniques, power settings and speeds.

I was also playing tourist, snapping photos left and right. Aguadilla is a beautiful corner of Puerto Rico, and I don’t get a lot of time for airborne sightseeing when scooting along at Airbus speeds. My friend invited me to take the controls for a circuit, but after half the lap around the pattern, I shook my head and handed the airplane back to him.

I’d been awake a very long time, had little sleep before that, and it was pretty gusty down there. It would be about right if I was a little slow to react to a gust and ended up scraping up his airplane a very long way from any Mooney service center that could handle the repairs. I’d have loved to roll on a landing or two down there, but I was happy to have a new friend and a great vantage point to enjoy the island.

That evening, we met again for a bite of dinner and a cold beverage as we shared stories well into the evening.

As overnights go, it was certainly one of the better ones.

Not a bad outcome, all things considered, for striking up a conversation with a stranger on the internet. PP planeandpilotmag.com

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THIS INCREDIBLE PLANE

By Frank Ayers Jr.

The Hacienda Two intrepid pilots, a modified Cessna 172 and a 64-day endurance record that has stood for 63 years.

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isitors to McCarran International Airport are treated That is, until Bob Timm, a former WWII bomber pilot, to the sight of a heavily modified Cessna 172 hanghatched a plan. Timm, who worked as a slot machine ing from the ceiling. Emblazoned on each side of mechanic at the Hacienda Casino, a small family-owned the small plane is the word “Hacienda.” Few passing by hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip, proposed to the it in their travel to or from the bright lights of Las Vegas owner that a record-setting flight would generate excelknow how remarkable a plane hangs lent positive publicity, this in a town above them. It is, in fact, one of the most that was gaining a bad reputation for “Endurance flights unlikely tales in all of aviation. gambling and gangsters. To his pleasant are nothing new.

The That legend was built on the strength surprise, the owner agreed! most famous refueled of one flight, one extraordinary sortie Timm chose a 1956 Cessna 172 with that lasted between takeoff and landapproximately 1,500 hours on the airendurance record ing 64 days, 22 hours, 19 minutes and frame. The engine was replaced with a belonged to Carl ‘Toohey’ five seconds. new stock Continental 145 cubic-inch Spaatz and the crew of Endurance flights are nothing new. six-cylinder engine. Then the modificathe Question Mark, which The most famous refueled endurance tions started. Out came the interior, pioneered aerial refueling.” record belonged to Carl “Toohey” Spaatz except for the pilot’s seat, replaced by and the crew of the Question Mark, which a 4-inch-thick sleeping pad, a small pioneered aerial refueling. Way back in 1929, it remained sink to allow the pilots to wash up, and a retractable aloft for six full days. That was only the start of it. By the platform assist with refueling and inflight maintenance. late 1950s, that record had been broken 10 more times, A folding step replaced the right passenger door, and the usually with some type of ground-to-air refueling, and as firewall and engine oil system were extensively modified. of September 1958, it stood at nearly 51 days.

This allowed the crew access to the rear of the engine to change both the oil and the filter inflight. Both were necessary, as the engine would turn over nearly 1,600 hours during the flight, which was longer by a bit than the recommended time between overhaul for the engine.

The refueling was the wildest part of the plane. It would be accomplished from a specially modified fueling truck, usually on a long straight stretch of road near the low-desert town of Blythe, California. The fuel was fed into a 92-gallon belly tank (another modification) and then pumped into the wing tanks. Food was prepared in the Hacienda kitchen and • Building sites still available • Gated fly-in community perfect for flying professionals sent up to the pilots in thermos • All underground public utilities • Paved, lighted runway with instrument approaches bottles during refueling. In all, 128 • Complete aircraft services • No property tax on aircraft based in Ohio • Homes and hangars available • Municipal Water and Sewer refuelings were accomplished, with the aircraft flying just feet above SANDY’S AIRPARK (800) 908-4359 • www.sandysairpark.com the pickup truck, near stall speed

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PHOTO BY MR. SATTERLY, CC0, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Minutes from Cincinnati

Hanging from the roof at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport is the Cessna 172 known as “Hacienda,” named after the hotel that sponsored the record flight. That flight, which began with a takeoff in 1958 and ended with a landing more than two months later, set a record that still stands.

and with the co-pilot standing on the specially constructed platform.

The first three attempts at the record each ended in failure, the shortest a little over 17 days due to a burned valve in the new engine. The original engine, which had just over 450 hours on it, was reinstalled in the Hacienda. However, Bob decided he needed a new copilot. Thus, John Cook, an aircraft mechanic and pilot, joined the team.

The Hacienda launched to much fanfare on Dec. 4, 1958, from Las Vegas’ McCarran Field. Alternating pilot duties every four hours, the duo flew as far west as Los Angeles and as far south as Blythe and Yuma, both not far from the southern border. At night, they tended to remain over airports as the terrain around Las Vegas was, and is, not very inviting should a forced landing need to be made. The flight was not without incident. Once, in the middle of the night, both pilots fell asleep for nearly an hour. Only the autopilot and a little good luck saved the day. Then, on the 39th day, the aircraft generator failed, taking with it the autopilot, lights and a host of other items. However, with the help of a wind-driven generator and a hand-driven fuel pump, they pressed on.

By January 3rd, they had set a record but decided to keep on flying to move the record further out of reach for others. Thus, on Feb. 2, the duo landed after flying nearly 150,000 miles. Sixty-two years later, this record still stands.

So next time you are in baggage claim at the Las Vegas airport, look up and fondly remember Bob Timm, John Cook and the amazing Hacienda! PP

CROSS CHECK

AVIATION CROSSWORD ANSWERS

See puzzle on page 14

planeandpilotmag.com

63

THIS INCREDIBLE PILOT

By Shalyn Marchetti

Bessie Coleman, America’s First Black Female Pilot Though she had to travel from Chicago to France to get her license, upon returning home, she immediately began making a difference. And she still is.

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he newspapers called her a “wonderful little woman,” but she was much more. She was the first Black female American pilot, a pioneer of the civil rights movement and an inspiration to millions, especially women and people of color in aviation, all because she did what no one thought she could do and, in fact, repeatedly told her so.

Bessie Coleman was born on Jan. 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas, in the Jim Crow South.

Coleman first attended school in a one-room schoolhouse that often lacked even paper and pencils. Still, she quickly proved her mathematical aptitude, completing eight grades in that tiny shack while saving money to enroll in Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University, today known as Langston University. Coleman was forced to drop out due to lack of funds after one term.

At the age of 23, Coleman moved in with her brother in Chicago, a city she saw as a place where she could “amount to something.” She began working as a manicurist. Her brothers had served in France during World War I, and, as brothers do, they began teasing her that French women had opportunities she would never have. Her brother John told her, “I know something that French women do that you’ll never do—fly!” Sibling rivalry can be a powerful motivator, and Coleman quickly set out to prove her brother wrong.

But the path wasn’t an easy one. Coleman was turned down by flight school after flight school, because both of her gender and her race. Finally, she took the advice and patronage of Chicago publisher Robert Sengstacke Abbott, founder of the Black newspaper The Chicago Defender. He helped her travel to France, where she was accepted at the Caudron Brothers School of Aviation.

Her training wasn’t easy, and during her time in France, she witnessed an accident that killed another student.

Coleman remembered, “It was a terrible shock to my nerves, but I never lost them. I kept going.” After seven months of flight training in the Nieuport Type 82, Coleman became the first Black American female pilot, earning her 64

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International Pilot’s License.

Returning home, she was greeted by reporters and heralded as “a full-fledged aviatrix, the first of her race.”

On Sept. 3, 1922, Coleman piloted the first public flight by a Black American woman. She began barnstorming the country, performing “breathtaking” stunts. Coleman returned to her Texas hometown in 1925 for an airshow, but upon finding out that the audience was to be segregated, she refused to perform until the crowd was integrated.

She continued to refuse to perform at any segregated airshow thereafter.

She also launched a series of lectures in Florida and Georgia to encourage Black Americans’ interest in aviation. And Coleman had a dream of opening her own flight school to train a new generation of aviators who, like her, never had a chance to fly.

This was not to be. On April 30, 1926, in Jacksonville, Florida, Coleman went on a flight with a mechanic in a Curtiss Jenny, testing the plane for an airshow the following day. Ten minutes into the flight, a wrench became lodged in the plane’s elevator, throwing it into a dive and subsequent spin. Coleman, who wasn’t wearing a parachute or a seatbelt, was thrown from the airplane at 2,000 feet and died upon impact.

Ten thousand mourners attended the 34-year-old’s funeral in Chicago, the city where her dreams of flight were initially denied.

Though she died before opening her own flight school, others took up the mantle, and the Bessie Coleman Aero Club was founded in Los Angeles in 1929. Coleman has been credited by many pilots as their inspiration to dare to fly. NASA Astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison carried a picture of Coleman with her when Jemison became the first African American woman in space. In 1995, the U.S. Postal Service issued a “Bessie Coleman” stamp to honor “her singular accomplishment” in becoming the world’s first female Black American pilot and, in time, an American legend.

Though her life was cut short, Coleman far surpassed her simple dream “to amount to something.” PP

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