Hangar Talk

It was a full plate: The plan for the week was to fly the first certified helicopter model, the venerable Model 47; a current design, the 407; and the next-generation helicopter, the Bell/Agusta 609 simulator — all while attending ground school and taking flight training in the 407, says author Michael Maya Charles (see " Flying a Fishbowl," page 86). "We got it done but it was a very busy week." Bell's instructors seem to have plenty of time for any student question, says Maya Charles. "When I asked about one of the life-limited parts of the Bell JetRanger's main rotor system called a TT Strap, instructor Kevin Brandt responded by taking me into a nearby classroom and building the main rotor — from scratch. Now I understand. I realized that these guys are doing this because they are truly passionate about helicopter flying. That makes a real difference in the students they turn out. It was great fun flapping my way through time for this article. Of course, nobody at the rotor school where I instruct will talk to me now — they're all a little green with envy."

In basic flight training, we are taught the definitions of VFR, IFR, and even MVFR, as well as the parameters that delineate each of these sets of rules. More often, though, in the real world of VFR flight, we need to be more concerned with whether we can actually see anything out the windows of our aircraft. In " Going PVFR," page 113, the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation's Michael T. Vivion discusses some of the ramifications of operating in what he refers to as PVFR, a potential trap that has been the downfall of many pilots operating in marginal weather conditions.

"In 40 years of writing about aviation, I've heard a lot of incredible stories," says author Jack Elliott. But when he first heard the rumor that two old friends of his, Dick Sollner, 76, and Bill Moore, 82, (old in more than one sense, says Elliott) were planning to fly around the world in Sollner's Twin Comanche, his first reaction was that someone was pulling his leg (see " Never Too Old," page 80). "Even when I heard it from my two old friends themselves, I found it hard to believe. That's an ambitious undertaking even for a pair of macho young pilots. The only thing you can be sure of is that events will occur that are not in your flight plan — I was not wrong about that."

Want to really get to know an airplane? Fly it at the edge of its envelope or in tight formation with dissimilar airplanes. You'll quickly find out how forgiving or demanding it can be. Editor in Chief Thomas B. Haines got to really know the new Adam A500 twin during an evaluation flight at the Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In in April (see " Get in Line," page 60). A Cessna L-19 ground looped and blew a tire as the A500 was on short final. Controllers closed the runway and told Haines to go get in line again. Forty-five minutes and three trips around Lake Parker later, mixing it up with everything from ultralights to light twins, and maintaining 100 knots, Haines felt like he knew the airplane well. "The A500 handled the slow speeds and tight maneuvering well. Pilots will appreciate that in harried situations," Haines says.