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Too Much Technology
It’s not unusual for Thanksgiving to harbor some difficult flying weather, but there were some cold-and-clear times to encourage aviation this past week. I was complaining to a visiting pilot about the temperature, and their response was “Yeah, in Alaska we quit flying at 20-below.” Actually, they don’t use the term “below”, considering anything on the plus-side irrelevant.
Travelers seen were a Cessna Skyhawk, a nice 1966 Cessna Skylane, a Piper Warrior. and its elder counterpart, a Cherokee 140. Greg Rogers was down from Lee’s Summit with his 1959 Cessna Skylane. Also in was an interesting 1963 Piper Colt, a two-seat offshoot of the TriPacer that was built for four years as a primary trainer, before the stripped-down Cherokee was introduced. This one was so extensively modified as to defy recognition; the nosegear had been removed in favor of tailwheel configuration, the 108-hp engine was changed to a 150-hp Lyc, rear windows were added, vortex generators on the wings enhanced lift, and 8-inch tires and toe brakes aided ground handling. Not much was left of the original PA-22-108.
Out of Butler’s hangars last week, Jon Laughlin elevated his Cherokee 180, Jeremie Platt flew his Grumman Tiger, Gerald Bauer took the club Skyhawk out and Ira Roberts cruised in a Cessna 150. I instructed in a Cessna 182.
Nationally, another aspect of California’s war on leaded aviation gasoline has arisen. In the state’s haste to mandate still-evolving leadless 100-octane, the AOPA points out that nobody has tested to see if the two new fuels now coming to market can be mixed safely. All testing done so far has only shown that they can be mixed with regular 100LL gas, but it wasn’t determined if they get along with each other. Beware, they say, of Frankenfuel.
Bad-boy Boeing got another bashing in the pop-news last week; some 737 MAX airliners now have to take off with cabin pressurization shut down, until safely above bird-strike risk. The reason is the French-built LEAP oh-so-nonpolluting engines, which decouple the front fan if it’s hit by birds to keep the engine going. Good idea, but it’s been found that uncoupling the fan puts some drips of oil inside the air packs and pumps smoke into the cabin, despite the “no smoking” sign. Once again, technology has unintended consequences.
Previously, we asked where you could be flying in an Air Defense Identification Zone, or ADIZ. Those generally are designated around the borders of the U.S., wherein you need to be on a flight plan with a transponder IDing you as friendly, so you won’t be fired upon. For next time, which country just announced it will no longer mandate retirement for commercial pilots at a certain age? You can send your answers to kochhaus1@gmail.com.
