Flying is not inherently dangerous, however…

…flying is incredibly unforgiving. So goes the old adage about aviation. If you make a mistake, it will not forgive nor forget. Just yesterday, there was an incident at my home airport in Pennsylvania, USA, where some mistakes were made. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured when a single plane lost control upon landing. The result was quite a bit of damage to some storied aircraft. Take a look at the general scene:

Here’s the aircraft that lost control and crashed.

This aircraft was more or less totally destroyed after being struck.

Pipe tail destroyed when hit by other aircraft.

Again, gracias a dios, no one was severely injured. Sadly, some aircraft are headed for the scrap heap, which is a shame because these planes are beloved by many students and rental pilots. Remember, ALWAYS do your checklist. One of the first items must be: AM I FIT FOR FLYING TODAY? As well as, ARE MY ABILITIES SUITED TO THE CONDITIONS? We all make mistakes because we’re human. Nonetheless, do your best to minimize them, especially when flying.

Published in: on June 28, 2012 at 10:31 am  Leave a Comment  
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Slippery Bird, (DA-40)

Here’s a photo of the Diamond DA-40 I mentioned in the previous post. This airplane is one slippery bird. It’s made of composite materials, which means no rivets, just a few screws here and there, and fairings to reduce drag around key components.

All that smoothness means you can get a bit more speed out of 180 horsepower as compared to the same amount of ponies in the front of a Cessna 172. Of course, there’s more to it than that, including a different wing design and so forth. Either way, the Diamond DA-40 is a great plane. I’ve flown it on a few cross country journeys now, getting used to the electronics and handling characteristics. Plus, the visibility through that canopy is amazing.

Don’t forget, ALWAYS do your checklist.

Published in: on June 16, 2012 at 10:30 am  Leave a Comment  
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Diamond DA-40

Recently, I was checked out in the Diamond DA-40 airplane. This is a great single engine aircraft. It has a slippery profile, which means it will easily cruise at 125 knots using its 180 horsepower efficiently. I’ve taken it on a few short cross county flights in anticipation of some longer trips. Stay tuned for photos and videos. Nothing just yet, because I don’t fool around with the cameras until I’m very comfortable handling the airplane. Soon, hopefully, the video archive will be augmented with some great footage from up there. Remember, ALWAYS do your checklist.

Published in: on June 11, 2012 at 11:03 am  Leave a Comment  
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Airplanes at Wings Field

Wings Field is a wonderful small airport located just north of Philadelphia. Today they hosted an open house, featuring a number of modern aircraft. The following video takes you to see some of them.

Nice, eh? Absolutely. I learned to fly the Cirrus SR20 at Wings. Someday, I’d like to take the controls of one of the beauties featured in that video. In the mean time, I’ll be flying along at slightly slower speeds and lower altitudes, looking out for the traffic above. And by the way, if you get the chance to head off in one of them, don’t turn it down. You’ll love it! (Off to Aruba soon, so look for more exciting and interesting video from the island.)

Published in: on January 28, 2012 at 10:14 pm  Leave a Comment  
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