Plane and Pilot

APRIL 1, 2025

I lined up on Runway 27. The longest runway at Palm Beach County Park Airport (KLNA) is 3,500 feet, plus fields and open spaces would be ahead of me. At 500 feet down the runway, the little airplane leaped into the air despite my plan to build more speed before taking off. I turned crosswind and attempted to shallow the climb.

Runway

Plane and Pilot

MARCH 25, 2025

Whether it is a short Cub flight to the north for Coopers Bar-B-Que, a true Texas pit grilling experience, or a quick hop over to a makeshift, 1,000-foot grass runway paralleling the road at the local winery, you are sure to be entertained throughout your training. Ill roll out on the runway and slowly bring the power in, I said.

Knot

Plane and Pilot

JUNE 26, 2025

Featuring a Jabiru 3300 120 hp, 6-cylinder, air-cooled engine, the aircraft was built to accommodate a 1,675 pound gross weight. When MOSAIC comes into effect, you can bring it to a service center, and we will write a new certificate of airworthiness and weight and balance. But the J-230D still packs an impressive punch.

Aileron

Plane and Pilot

MAY 3, 2025

You can see other Weick influences, such as the oil-damped tricycle landing gearall produced Cherokees are trikeswith a wide track to make crosswind landings more manageable. At least the Cherokee gave the pilot a better view of the runway from the patternno wing in the wayand lacked the high-wing Cessnas pitch change with flap deployment.

Approach

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 10, 2024

In order to be flown by a sport pilot, the resulting airplane must still meet the current regulations—1,320 pounds maximum gross weight, 120 knots max cruise speed, for example—but how it gets there is up to the builder. So the temptation is to fly too fast and float down the runway, which the RV-12 will do for quite some distance.

Airplanes

AV Web

JULY 1, 2025

Before anything else, these are single-engine, unpressurized two-seat lightweights with a max gross weight of 1320 pounds. Check that against the max gross of a Piper Malibu at roughly 4300 pounds, or a Beech A36 Bonanza at around 3650 pounds or a Cessna 150 at 1600 pounds gross. Same for gliders.

Gross Weight

Air Facts

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

NTSB ERA22LA169 describes a funny engine noise that prompted an earlier than planned turn to crosswind for an anticipated return to the airport. The instructor was able to complete the turn, but the airplane overshot the runway. From my point of view it was evident that we did not have enough room to safely land on Runway 17.

Gross Weight