Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 61
Five days later, we got a chance to finish the flight check. Kirk came to Albert Lea so we could trade time-he wanted to fly my Lake Amphibian.Since the engine was still warm, it took no time at all to fire up and get ready for takeoff-except that we had to wait about 2 1/2 minutes for the glass displays to come up to speed. This time, we had a 15 knot wind blowing right down the runway.The RV accelerated quickly in the 50 degree temperatures, and we broke ground in about 500 feet with no specia... Full story
This isn't the first time I've flown the RV-10-but it is the one that counts! I don't count "flying" an aircraft unless I make a takeoff or landing in it-no "holding the wheel in cruise." Making a takeoff or landing lets you experience the aircraft over a wide range of speeds and configurations-different power loadings, and different glide speeds and angles. It gives a measure of aircraft feel-the effects of controls in handling crosswinds, for example. Owner Kirk Hiner and I had flown the... Full story
Lee purchased an Aviat Husky to tow gliders for his operation at Osceola, Wisconsin. He still loved to fly aerobatics, so he purchased a Great Lakes biplane. Lee was one of the first people in the U.S. to obtain all 7 categories of instructor ratings. Years later, there are still only a handful of pilots to have done so (Lee "outranks" me-I don't have the gyroplane ratings, though I HAVE flown them without passengers on my helicopter rating). With dogged determination, Lee kept after the FAA... Full story
Lee was born on December 17, 1933, 30 years to the day after the first flight by the Wright Brothers. He joined the USAF in 1951, and after being discharged in 1955, went to Parks College of Aeronautical Technology in St. Louis, graduating with a BS in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering. Lee was hired by Northwest Airlines in October 1958 and moved to Minnesota, and lived here ever since. Lee was one of those people who keep crossing our lives-like the characters in old Hollywood epics like "How... Full story
I've been flying with ADS-B IN for over a year now. I use a Stratus 2S receiver linked to Foreflight Pro on my I-pad. I chose to go the portable route, because I fly a variety of airplanes-from a King Air to a Kitfox. WHICH IS BETTER XM WEATHER OR ADS-B? Since most of my time is spent IFR and cross country, the system does a fair job of depicting weather data and precipitation. It's nice to have weather updated enroute. I also have a Garmin 496 with Sirius XM weather subscription. Which is... Full story
Like last year, this will likely be one for the record books—number of airplanes, number of attendees. We arrived the Saturday just before the Convention started—and like last year, the campgrounds were 85% full already. By the Monday morning start of the show, aircraft arrivals were limited to “show planes only”—and Camp Scholler campground was full. Every year, aviation pundits and prognosticators try to measure the health of the industry by the attendance at the “big shows”—a practice that i... Full story
This is #325 in unique airplane types I've flown. As popular as the Van's RV-series airplanes are among homebuilders, I've never actually logged PIC time in them-though I've flown them, I don't count it unless I make a takeoff or landing in the aircraft-no "holding the controls" while aloft. For this story, friend "Sonny" Martin and wife Barb brought their RV-12 to Albert Lea. Though both Sonny and Barb are retired IBM-ers, many readers will recognize Sonny as the lead tech of the former RC... Full story
After pre-takeoff checks, we started the takeoff. The aircraft just didn't want to get "on the step" of the floats-we were half-plowing-half step-taxiing. We aborted the takeoff to check for anything amiss-then tried it again. This time, we were able to get on the step-but the takeoff run was way long. Airborne, we flew to Warroad. I flew the entire way, and the aircraft felt normal. Kirk was OK with my making the landing at the Warroad airport-and the landing was good (most amphibian landings... Full story
Kirk Hiner keeps a hangar at Warroad, Minnesota. He uses his RV-10 to fly to Warroad at Bonanza speeds, transfers to the Rebel on floats, and flies to the Angle, eliminating the 1 ½ hour drive and the Customs hassle. (Like others, he may be able to fly all the way if the Northwest Angle public airport is ever completed). We were going fishing at the Angle, so I flew to Warroad separately, as Kirk would be staying longer than I would to get the cabin ready for the season (a handy way for m...
The Hiners had previously built a CH-300-and also completed a set of amphibious floats for it. Like every other floatplane operator, they were always looking for an aircraft with MORE-more range, more cabin room, more baggage room, and more performance. They found what they were looking for in the Rebel. After assurances that the previously-built floats would work on the Rebel, the deal was sealed. If the Rebel looks vaguely familiar, it may be because the design was partly scaled down from the... Full story
FLYING THE ZENITH 750 On the day that I flew the Zenith. The winds were directly across our main runway, gusting to 17. I own a Kitfox LSA, and I wondered what the ground handling would be like. I need not have worried-the nosewheel is steerable, and there was no wing-rocking like you would find in a Cessna 150 in those winds. There was nothing different about the runup, and in short order, we were ready to fly. Kirk suggested minimal flaps for this first takeoff in a crosswind-like my Kitfox or... Full story
The airplane is owned and was built by Jim and Kirk Hiner, of Kenyon, Minnesota. See the sidebar about the Hiners-it is an inspiring story about a father-son relationship-and their shared love of building and flying airplanes together. I've always admired the design of the 750-if not the looks of it. It isn't an ugly airplane-but it IS a utility airplane-and with utility airplanes, "form follows function". It features a unique wing set above the cabin (the better to make more room in the cabin... Full story
The takeoff was "taildragger standard"-by the time the power was fully in, the tail wanted to come up. Even with a 9 knot 45 degree crosswind, the Ximango tracked the centerline dueto its 9' wide gear and the powerful controls. I allowed the aircraft to accelerate in a levelattitude on the main gear, then applied back pressure. The aircraft flew off at about 50-I held that attitude as the aircraft accelerated. "Climb at the yellow triangle-best rate of climb speed" Greg coached. I dutifully... Full story
It was getting harder and harder to find a unique aircraft that I hadn't flown before, but since the start of this series, I've been offered the chance to fly some really unique aircraft. Taking them in sequence, this is the 324th aircraft I've had the pleasure of flying. The Ximango (pronounced "Zee-mon-go") motor glider is made in Brazil-an adaptation of the "stick and fabric" French Fournier motor glider-but modernized with carbon fibre construction. I had wanted to fly this little beauty...
Jim Hanson This is my 321 unique type of aircraft flown. As mentioned previously, there is no set standard for aircraft flown. It's up to the individual as to how he/she counts them. My criteria are that I must make a takeoff or landing, no holding the controls in cruise. By making a takeoff or landing, I get to experience the ground handling, the acceleration, the effect of controls over differing airspeeds, and the rate of climb or descent. I don't automatically count a suffix model, only... Full story
Every year, when I return from the EAA Convention (nobody calls it Airventure), people ask, "How was Oshkosh?" Usually they don't mean how was the city, and they don't mean how was the show? Most people mean "What did you learn there?" People have been going to Oshkosh since, well, since the EAA Convention moved there when the Convention outgrew Rockford, Illinois. The Convention had become so popular that it also outgrew its own self-proclaimed boundaries as a convention of builders of home-bui... Full story
Time to turn the fun up another notch, and shut the engine down! Paul explained that we had to let the engine cool and stabilize. The time to do so was minimized due to the liquid cooling on the Rotax. "Just bring the power back to idle and hold altitude," he advised. "When the airspeed gets below about 50, shut the ignition off and pull this big knob in the center of the panel to feather the prop." The clean airframe took nearly a minute to slow down. On feathering the prop, it got very quiet,... Full story
When flying any new aircraft, I like to study it first. I look it over carefully. In this case, I noted the long wings, the glider-like T-tail, the wide and roomy cockpit. Paul and I conducted a pre-flight, with Paul explaining what we were looking at. The aircraft is powered by an 80 hp Rotax 912 4-stroke water-cooled engine, the most common engine for LSA aircraft. Rotax makes a 100 horsepower version, and I asked Paul why it wasn't installed. "Reason number one is, you don't need it" he...
Most pilots enjoy flying different kinds of aircraft. Each aircraft has its own handling characteristics, performance, and even its own personality. In my aviation career, I've been able to fly a number of aircraft-320 to date. The person who has flown the greatest number of different aircraft is Royal Navy Pilot Eric "Winkle" Brown with 487 unique types flown. Brown, now 96, flew for the Royal Navy before WW II, was engaged in engineering and experimental test flying during the war (including... Full story
With a lull in the action at the runway, we toured the ramp at South Base. I was surprised to see a fleet of Skyhawks, and a T-42 Beech Baron. "Base flying club" said Haire, reading my mind. It's nice to know that these hot rocks types still appreciate flying for itself. I noticed a number of older aircraft on the ramp. Once again, Haire read my mind. "Those are destined for the new museum, whenever it gets built," he explained. "Unlike Wright-Patterson (the Air Force Museum) the museum here... Full story
The next day, I met Haire at Century Circle, a collection of Century Series aircraft located just outside Edward's West Gate. Haire is a retired Army Aviator, who flew Huey's, Cobras, and Chinooks. He paired us up with the Dutch photojournalists, and he asked what I wanted to see. I explained that I wanted to do an article about Edwards, then and now, the Right Stuff era, and what was happening today. He asked if I had visited Edwards before. I replied, "Sort of." Back in 1981, I was living in... Full story
Most pilots of any age have had at least a fleeting desire to visit Edwards Air Force Base. During WW II, it was the site of "Special Projects" and testing. Military personnel might be aware that something secret was going on at "Muroc" as it was then called, but information was only distributed on a need-to-know basis. During the war, flight testing was transferred from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio to the wide open spaces of the high desert in California. Captured enemy... Full story
The Problem Like so many things that we "know" to be true today, facts are fungible. What may have been good advice 20 years ago is not good advice today-yet these false "facts" remain in place until proven on longer to be true. Aviation is no different in this regard-"hangar tales" and hoary old myths are slow to change. As an FBO operator, I can't tell you how many people have told me "I always wanted to fly, but my teacher told me that I had to have 20/20 vision"-or "My teacher told me that... Full story
I go to Oshkosh (nobody in aviation calls it "Airventure") every year to cover what's new in the industry. It's a chance to try to gauge the health of the industry - to try to spot emerging trends - to see what products and programs get people excited. Some years are revolutionary, with new products introduced. Some are evolutionary - like baby elephants, products conceived years before are just now reaching the end of their gestation period. This was one of those years - very few NEW... Full story
Jim Hanson It's cold and windy outside, and the days are short. Not exactly great fun-flying weather-but if you want your "aviation fix" to help get you through until Spring - here's a suggestion. Visit the NWA History Centre. (Note: This is also a good place to go if the rest of the family wants to go to the nearby Mall of America). Never heard of it? Most people haven't - unless you are a former Northwest Airlines employee. I was unfamiliar with it as well, but I serve on the Boards of... Full story
