Aerodynamics
Avoiding Severe Turbulence
Thursday, April 12th, 2012The Cleveland skyline glittered, shards of light spraying out upon the lake on this clear and bitterly cold evening. The flight attendant was sleeping in the back of the plane all alone this quiet evening. We had no passengers on this repositioning flight so she was taking a break from the long day. Our groundspeed [...]
What Is A Constant Speed Propeller? Part 1: The Basics
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011A listener to The Stuck MicAvast recently asked how a constant speed propeller works. Before we answer this question we must understand why airplanes have constant speed propellers and the basics of how a propeller works. Why The Constant Speed Prop? The propeller converts rotational power from the engine into thrust. The rotational power is [...]
Stalls, Deep Stalls, and What We Can Learn From The Air France Accident
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011Blue skies with an occasional puffy white cloud and a slight breeze made this the perfect day to practice landings with my student training for his commercial pilot certificate. As my student taxied to the runway I opened my window and stuck my hand out scooping up the cool morning air. I kept thinking what [...]