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ISSUE 4, MARCH 2010
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We
Make Our Own Wings
By
Dan Grunloh, Editor, Light
Plane World |
| If
you can imagine what it's like to
fly in the lower atmosphere as a
200-pound human bird, ultralights
and light planes come fairly
close. We best the birds in one
respect with our interchangeable
and repairable wings suited for
different missions. New
technologies are poised to take
that experience to another level.
The electric aircraft of today
signal only the beginning of this
change. Read
more
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Ramblings
of an Airplane Nut
 Some
folks may have been inspired to
fly after seeing Leonard
Milholland's Legal Eagle. For
Leonard, he was inspired by the
airplane nuts that preceded him,
including one whom he met during
his first trip to EAA Oshkosh in
1974. Read
more
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FAA's
Zodiac 601/650 Aircraft Report
 Introduced
in 2001, the Zenith, Zodiac CH 601
XL first showed signs of in-flight
structural failures in 2006. A
series of six total in-flight
structural failures of the Zodiac
Model CH 601 XL (occurring in the
US) led the agency to stop issuing
airworthiness approvals to those
Zodiac 601 and 650 models in late
2009. These accidents prompted the
FAA to conduct a thorough
investigation. Pat Panzera, editor
of EAA Experimenter newsletter,
took a closer look at the
resulting FAA report. Read
Pat's analysis. |
The
Electric Flying Fleas
 The
AeroInnovations section in a
recent issue of e-Hotline reported
news of two Flying Flea (Pou du
Ciel) variants taking to the sky
in Italy with electric power. The
smaller of the two shown here is
the Pulce Ellectrica, which has a
wingspan of 18 feet and a
ready-to-fly empty weight of 163
pounds, including batteries. The
builder and pilot Nedo Lavorini
weighs 167 pounds. Read
more
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Light
Plane Lands on Highway
 On
February 13, James Riordan and a
group of his flying friends were
on their way to a Saturday morning
fly-in near Sacramento,
California, when he found himself
in the situation for which all
pilots must be ready. The engine
quit about four miles from Cameron
Airpark, and there was no obvious
place to land. He attempted a
restart which was unsuccessful and
started looking for a clear space
between the cars on Highway 50.
He's quoted as saying the biggest
thing on his mind was not hurting
anyone else. He skillfully landed
between two vehicles but clipped
one with a wingtip, spun around,
and broke the landing gear. No one
was injured. Read
more |
USUA
Wants FAA to Remedy Unsafe
Situation
The United States Ultralight
Association (USUA) issued the
following press release calling on
the FAA to stop delaying the
release of guidance for district
offices to issue Letters Of
Deviation Authority. (LODAs) The
USUA says the delay is creating an
unsafe situation because
instructors may decide to stop
offering services and potential
students might resort to teaching
themselves. Read
more |
Paper
Airman Certificates Expire March
31
 Pilots
who have not replaced their paper airman certificate with the required
new plastic certificate risk being unable to exercise their privileges
at the end of March. All paper airman certificates will expire March 31,
2010. FAR 61.19(h) reads: “Except for a temporary certificate issued
under §61.17 or a student pilot certificate issued under paragraph (b)
of this section, the holder of a paper pilot certificate issued under
this part may not exercise the privileges of that certificate after
March 31, 2010.” Read
more |
Safety
Warning - Fiberglass Tanks and
Alcohol-Blended Fuels Don't Mix
We have already been warned
about the damage that
alcohol-blended fuels can do to
fuel system components such as
hoses and seals. Not considered as
often is the danger of fiberglass
fuel tanks which can turn your
fuel supply into a river of brown,
combustion-killing sludge. Read
more |
Flight
Design Unveils Upgraded CTLS LSA
at Sebring
Flight Design showed a model
of the top-of-the-line CTLS
light-sport aircraft at the U.S.
Sport Aviation Expo 2010 in
Sebring, Florida. The deluxe CTLS
comes with an even-more-loaded
instrument panel, a longer engine
life, and an upgraded interior
treatment. Read
more
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From
the EAA Light Plane Community
The message forums at
Oshkosh365 are humming with
activity. Here are the latest
discussions!
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