Innehållsförteckning för August 2021 från Flying

The Honda Aircraft Company announced on May 26 the new Elite S model, with a 200-pound payload increase, upgraded avionics capabilities and new color schemes. In a virtual launch, Honda Aircraft Company president and CEO Michimasa Fujino called the model “the next iteration of the HondaJet to expand operational capability. As a result of the innovation, design and engineering on the new Elite S, we are once again setting a new standard in business aviation.” The payload improvement stems from an increased maximum takeoff weight of 200 pounds. Fujino noted that a single pilot with 5 passengers would fly 120 nm farther or could choose to take an additional passenger with the new allowance. Upgrades to flight deck include improvements to the “pilot-machine interface,” according to Fujino, with new features…

“Yes. Just because the radar picture you see on your screen is delayed by five to 15 minutes doesn’t mean it can’t be used for smart in-flight decisions. Whether it’s from a portable ADS-B receiver or a panel-mounted SiriusXM receiver, datalink weather can help you understand the all-important “big picture” and make deviations far in advance of dangerous weather. Don’t pick your way through embedded thunderstorms based on your iPad screen; instead, change your route of flight to miss the entire weather system by many miles. If you’re not sure in which direction or how fast the weather is moving, animate the radar and watch the trend. Then, give yourself a wide margin and try to stay in visual conditions if possible. Even if you’re IFR, the most reliable way…

As I stood on the Textron Aviation ramp in Wichita, Kansas, for my first look at the company’s new turboprop flagship, the King Air 360, I slipped back in time to a different era and form of transportation: cars (muscle cars as they called them). My pal Lennie had just bought a brand-new, fire-engine-red Chevrolet Chevelle and, to my amazement, spent his first weekend with it stripping off many of the stock parts, mostly the ones no one could see. He changed out the wheels, lowered the front end, added a growly exhaust, and yanked the automatic transmission in favor of a four-speed stick. The 1960s marketplace offered a plethora of options to add horsepower and torque, while owners maintained the stock look of the original machine as much as…

Most pilots are introduced to tailwheel flying in small, two-place types such as the Piper Cub, Aeronca Champ and Cessna 140—airplanes that are perfectly suited to initial training and short pleasure flights. But as they build experience, more than a few pilots begin to recognize the limitations of these bantamweights and begin searching for an airplane that offers the satisfaction and fun of a taildragger with the flexibility and utility to unlock a wider variety of flying adventures. Lately, more and more are arriving at the conclusion that the Cessna 170 provides an optimal blend of qualities. Here, we explore what the 170 is like to own and what those owners enjoy most about it. DESIGN In 1948, World War II had come to an end, soldiers had returned home…

Martha’s Unusual Adventure I’m sure you’ve heard from many others about this. Please don’t punish us readers. Keep Martha’s column going. Yes, she messed up, but I as a reader didn’t. Removing her column is a punishment to me. I very much enjoy her column and find it a punishment to me that I wouldn’t be able to read her column. Let her eat crow in print—and let me read it. Rick Hunt via email I was a longtime Flying subscriber and now read every issue through an Apple News subscription. I recently read your statement regarding Martha Lunken, and it was disappointing. She should not be put on “hiatus”—she should be fired. There’s no place in your magazine for someone with such reckless disregard for safety and, at best,…

On June 3, the National Aeronautic Association announced that Garmin’s Autoland system has won the 2020 Robert J. Collier Trophy, demonstrating “the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year,” as noted on the NAA site. The Collier Trophy dates back to 1911, and it honors in 2020 “designing, developing and fielding Garmin Autoland—the world’s first certified autonomous system that activates during an emergency to safely control and land an aircraft without human intervention,” according to the NAA. Other contenders for the award illuminate the tough competition in the field for 2020: the Bell V-280 Valor, Boeing’s Confident Travel Initiative, Reliable…

The IS&S autothrottle is made up of a standby display unit that replaces the aircraft’s stock backup EFIS display, actuators, a system annunciator, the A/T state light, an “A/T ENG” indicator, and a status LED. It has two primary operating modes: torque and airspeed. The IS&S SDU includes standard pitch-and-roll, vertical-speed, airspeed, altitude, and nav data, as well as the A/T’s operational annunciations for speed and torque selections. The SDU also houses the A/T brain controlling the actuator assembly that physically moves the throttles with a gearless driveshaft mechanism that uses no physical clutch. Each of the power levers is controlled by a separate actuator/driveshaft assembly. ANNUNCIATOR The operating mode, either “A/T speed” or “A/T torque,” appears in white. The annunciator text (“A/T ENG”) in green indicates when the A/T…

The full breadth of general aviation aircraft offers something to suit every potential pilot—and that includes those who fall under special airworthiness categories. The rising popularity of experimental aircraft, such as the RV series from Van’s Aircraft, turns upon their high performance-to-cost ratio and a serious fun factor driven by models that range from fabric-covered biplanes to single-pilot jets. Warbirds may also fall into this category, often operating under an experimental-exhibition airworthiness certificate, to allow for continued flight demonstration and education. One of the barriers to entry for would-be pilots of experimental aircraft has been the need to find professional flight training in type. In general, experimental aircraft are not allowed to be used for commercial, passenger-carrying operations. For decades, type-specific groups have offered access to instruction through an exception…

Dawn patrol “My fiancée and I got up at 4:45 a.m. for a road trip from Eagleville, Tennessee, to Dubach, Louisiana,” said photographer Remington VanHouten. “We got out on the interstate and passed by a field with this balloon being blown up. At the same time, the sun was rising. I knew this was a opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I pulled over and watched as fire raised the balloons up slowly.” Once the balloons were airborne, VanHouten starting snapping away.…

THE GREAT AMERICAN radio and television comedian George Burns emerged in America during the vaudeville era and became known as a king of the one-liners del ivered in his uniquely subtle deadpan style—and always with an El Producto cigar between the fingers of his left hand. Before his death in 1996 at the age of 100, Burns was asked for the secret of his long life. His response was simple and to the point: “Keep breathing.” The strategy needed to stem the tide of loss-of-control accidents is almost as simple as Burns’ secret to long life. To avoid a loss of control, don’t exceed the wing’s critical angle of attack and avoid flying into weather that’s certain to cause spatial disorientation and an upset. A pilot should also maintain a…

In 1971, Goodyear blimp America touched down on the grounds of the EAA airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The show that year brought in 600 airplanes and an estimated 31,653 aircraft movements. For 2021, one of the more than 10,000 aircraft expected to fly in to the EAA AirVenture will be another one of Goodyear’s iconic blimps—Wingfoot Three—to mark the 50th anniversary of that first visit. “Christened in 2018, Wingfoot Three is the newest Goodyear blimp,” the company says. “It’s completing a nearly decadelong transition of Goodyear’s world-famous fleet to high-tech semirigid airships.” At 246 feet long, Wingfoot Three will be one of the largest aircraft on the field, a full 54 feet longer than America. We all look forward to seeing this—and so many new and historic aircraft alike—at the…