221–230 of 251 posts
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Why do you say the turbine situation is completely different? Turbine engines are if anything more reliable than piston ones.
Sorry, I meant different in that I know very little about it. My language was imprecise. With turbo{fan|jet}s I think there is an issue that its just difficult to construct aircraft with a single engine as opposed to wing or tail mounts.
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True. Or they bought the plane 20+ years ago and still own it. When I go to EAA meetings I'm the youngest by 15-20 years and I'm in my 30s. I don't think I've ever seen a privately owned certified plane that was newer than 25 years old. It's all around a bad situation for general aviation.
Same here. I'm in my late 30s and am by far the youngest at any pilot gathering I attend. I really don't know where the airlines are going to get the next generation of pilots from. Of course with the horrible pay and hours, I can't blame anyone from not choosing that career path.
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Most people I know who've done it are older and need a hobby and have spare money when their kids are gone and mortgage is paid off.
True. Or they bought the plane 20+ years ago and still own it. When I go to EAA meetings I'm the youngest by 15-20 years and I'm in my 30s. I don't think I've ever seen a privately owned certified plane that was newer than 25 years old. It's all around a bad situation for general aviation.
It is more of a microcosm of the economy than anything else.
People still fly Cesnas because they are very stable and were not built with planned obsolescence in mind.
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I always assumed "gliding well" is a fundamental principle of an airplane.
Just about any can glide, but not necessarily well. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider
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That's why I said "approximately". :) By the binomial series [1], the true value is 1-(1-p)^n = np - n(n-1)/2! p^2 + n(n-1)(n-2)/3! p^3 + ... So approximating it to just np corresponds to taking just the leading term of the series. Of course, this is only valid when p is small enough. To see how good the approximation is, we can compare it to the two first terms of the series, which is np - n(n-1)/2 p^2, or approxima…
Rule 99732: When you can't admit you were wrong, argue on technicalities!
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>I really don't know where the airlines are going to get the next generation of pilots from. The military. As usual.
Eh, I'm not so sure that'll happen. Military pilots aren't getting as many hours as they used to, plus it's actually a pay drop for them to leave and work for an airliner the way it is right now. Right now the airlines have managed to talk high school grads into taking out huge student loans and drop 100K+ on a for-profit school, then take a job making ~ 20. There's no way that's sustainable though.
Interestingly, though, the navy is has a glut of pilots right now.
Always (ALWAYS) file† a flight plan, and stick to it. If (when) something happens this will save you. Countless experienced pilots went on their own, had a trivial issue, landed at various vertical velocities and died because they were known to be missing but no clue where to be searched for. Also a proper flight plan includes timestamps, because it is not just a matter of position in space. Don't assume people will know, make sure of it.
BTW this is not just valid for airplanes but for any remote adventure you're undertaking, even on foot. A bruised ankle can mean death in remote areas.
† although preferable, it might not be to an official/local authority but to whoever cares enough for you to be trusted with your life.
In 1990-91 I was working on my Private Pilot's license. I lost interest around 38 hours or so and never finished, but it was fun while it lasted. Last flight was my long solo cross-country. Costs were around $50/hr for a Cessna 152 and about $45/hour for the instructor. This was flying out of BDR in southwestern CT. Looks like prices are averaging more than double now. Whew!
It's important to say that the general aviation population has gotten much smaller over the last few decades. It was a lot more popular 25 years ago when I flew much more than I do now. A number of aircraft manufacturers have stopped building small general-aviation planes for a number of reasons including liability and a reduction in public interest. I started flying about 1980. By 1992, 12 years later, about half th…
This was my favorite airplane from my old flying club: http://www.pbase.com/geary/image/120224799 That's my mom and me when I took her flying on September 3, 1977. I have the logbook right here that I carried on that flight. Sadly, this plane was involved in a midair in 1982, and the instructor and student pilot died: http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20020917X... It's weird, if you sell a car and th…
(mumble mumble aeroplane mumble)