Plane and Pilot

JULY 1, 2025

A witness reported that they saw the airplane lift off from the runway and remain in ground effect until it crossed the departure end of the runway. Probable cause(s): The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from trees after takeoff, during high density altitude weather conditions. He had no further memory of the event.

Density Altitude

Flight Training Central

MAY 6, 2024

Then in 1956 Cessna moved the tail-wheel on the 170 to the nose and the resulting high wing 172, with well over 40,000 copies, became the best-selling civilian aircraft in history. On the ground they offer clearance over many fences. Why the success of high wings?

Drag

Photographic Logbook

JANUARY 25, 2025

More vintage cred: a V-tailed Beechcraft Bonanza! Syracuse advised of lake effect snow creating a wall between us and Sodus. Gilead and I, both trailing Ed, ran into dramatically lowering visibility and requested pop-up IFR clearances. The Globe Swift taxied for departure while flashing us its distinctively toothy grin.

Runway

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 3, 2024

True, a slightly higher aspect ratio wing was desired, which in turn required a larger vertical tail and thus a little extra mass, but the size, approximately 20% larger than a Widgeon, was set. Otherwise the traditional high-wing, twin-engine flying boat layout suggested itself on practical grounds. The plane will fly itself off.

Airplanes