Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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The Holiday Season is a time to reflect on the past and to take time to put things into perspective, and to celebrate life, friends and family. It is also a time to give thanks to those who have made our lives better, those who have helped us…good or not so good…to go from one place to another. This is also the time of year in which I schedule my annual flight physical and the annual inspections of my aircraft. I do so with some degree of trepidation, hoping that my AME will not find a dis...
With thousands of other EAA members and guests, I waited for the arrival. Minolta XG-7, 300 mm lens, skylight filter, Fuji color film all checked. Late afternoon. July 1985. It was unusually and somewhat ominously quiet for Wittman Field. Announcement followed announcement all day, reporting so many miles out, over such and such check point. The winds had died. There was a bit of late day haze. I was at the north end of Three-Six, about 500 feet from the runway. The line of cameras and...
We have recently purchased a couple new to us 152’s, and with that always comes a long list of squawks to take care of. We always treat a new plane to an annual inspection where we will also upgrade and replace old equipment. Just about every time I annual a new to us plane, I find things that have been looked over, neglected, or straight up pencil whipped. I understand not everything can be made perfect on an airplane. Nobody has the time or money for that. Items that don’t have an immediate impact on safety tend to get neglected. Unf...
With the unseasonably warm weather, many of you likely took advantage to get in some flying. With cold weather on the forecast, we now have to prep for flying in cold. That might include making sure we have adequate cold weather gear in the aircraft in the event of mechanical problems. That can include an off airport landing or an issue on the ground during taxi. Murphys law states it will happen on the furthest taxiway from the nice warm FBO. Do you have enough warm clothing to safely walk to where you can get assistance? In addition to...
Nellis Air Force Base is a huge facility. It has two 10,000-foot-long runways and is home for more Air Force units than any other military installation. The base is located on the northeast side of Las Vegas (that's "The Meadows" in Spanish FYI), a sprawling metropolis with a permanent population getting close to three quarters of a million. "Vegas" is the entertainment and gambling capital of North America and visitors can swell the area's population by 50%. In the 1930s, about 8,400 people liv...
Do you recall the last time you performed a go-around? Are go-arounds something you practice on a regular basis? Are you prepared to go-around with every lap in the traffic pattern and every instrument approach, or is your mind set on landing no matter what happens? As pilots we know that landing can be the most fun, challenging, and rewarding part of the flight. Have you noticed how passengers tend to judge the whole flight by the landing? Maybe you have had the experience, as I have, of flying on a gorgeous, smooth-air day when everything en...
Meteorological towers (met towers) are being built in Minnesota. The towers are used to collect wind data and other weather information such as temperature, humidity and rain. Met towers are getting built in large part because they are crucial in the development of modern wind farms. The data collected by met towers help developers determine if a site is economically viable for a wind farm. With increased interest in the development of wind energy, comes increased prominence of met towers. Met...
To say COVID-19 has changed our way of life is an understatement. Wearing face masks has become the new standard, families with children are adjusting to altered methods of schooling, and businesses are having to create new practices to keep customers safe. One specific area COVID-19 has had an effect on is how operators clean and disinfect aircraft before and after flight operations. As a pilot and/or aircraft owner, have you done anything differently? When cleaning and disinfecting aircraft, it’s important to follow any and all guidance p...
Identifying a Pilot Surprisingly this will be the easiest task on your quest to marry a pilot. The pilot will identify itself. Any interaction with a pilot will result in identification within mere moments of natural conversation. We call this PSP (Pilot Swagger Positioning). • They are proud of their pilot status. • They prefer aviation conversation to any other topic on the planet. • This unusual breed is comfortable making decisive decisions and moving forward quickly. History has shown...
OK, "tis the season to be jolly." Don't get me wrong. I'm really big on jolly. Problem is I'm also really big on making it through the holiday season alive and with my pilot's license intact. An important part of achieving that noble goal is knowing where, when and how much of Christmas cheer to consume. You know as well as I do that the successful outcome of any flight depends upon the ability of the pilot to make myriad decisions rapidly and correctly, to see and avoid, to communicate...
In 1918, Kawasaki heavy industries established an aircraft and engine division. Between the wars, it produced license versions of the French Salmson 2A2 recon biplane and the Dornier Wal flying boat. Richard Vogt, later of Blohm und Voss, also designed aircraft for the Japanese Army. During WWII, Kawasaki was known for the Ki-61 fighter, the Ki-48 bomber, the Ki-56, a license-built version of the Lockheed 14 transport, and the Ki-45 Toryu twin engine fighter. Intrigued by the concept of a...
Lots of general aviation airports have only one runway. Some have two, and a few busy ones near urban areas might have three or even four. In many cases, the runway configuration is historic. Airports developed in the 1940s generally tried to come close to the three-runway configuration idealized by military bases built during World War II. The runways formed a triangle, assuring that aircraft could always take off and land into the wind or nearly so. Wadena's original airport came close to the...
