Plane & Pilot January/February 2022

Like everybody else, I watched the video of that “Star Wars”-looking, Hanna-Barbera-themed Jetson ONE motorcycle-quadcopter-speedster-space cruiser and thought it looked fun. But as I was smiling, I was also brimming with skepticism (okay, schadenfreude). I’ve been around aircraft for a while, and I’ve been a student of the history of sport and light aviation for almost as long, so I know that there are huge built-in obstacles at every step along the way for any company creating a new product that someone can buy and safely fly. There are nearly endless ways to screw up the design. There are even more possible ways to get tripped up in executing that design, all of which might be amplified by the concept being flawed to begin with. The regulators are in the business of…

ROLLS-ROYCE BLOWS AWAY ELECTRIC SPEED RECORD The record isn’t official yet, but the celebration has already begun. In November, Rolls-Royce’s Spirit of Innovation electric-powered clocked better than 387 mph, shattering the existing speed mark for electric-powered planes. Electric-powered aircraft are an emerging technology, so it’s natural that new records would appear, but this one is remarkable for how much faster it is than the previous top mark, around 213 mph for an electric-powered Extra 300, making the new speed mark 175 mph faster than the previous one. Which isn’t quite twice the speed, but not far from it. The company will also be issuing the claim for a climb record, of up to 3,000 meters (just under 10,000 feet) in around 3 minutes and 22 seconds. Spirit of Innovation is powered by a 400…

Cubcrafters founder Jim Richmond passed away on Sunday (November 21, 2021) at his home in Yakima, Washington, surrounded by his family. He was 67. While Richmond had retired from day-to-day work at the company, he continued to help guide CubCrafters’ direction until the end. Richmond avoided the spotlight, but the company he created had a profound impact on the world of backcountry flying, as well as injecting the Light Sport Aircraft segment with a spirit of innovation arguably unrivaled in the world of sport aviation with its introduction of the Carbon Cub 14 years ago. While a true LSA, the Carbon Cub combines great power and performance with rugged construction and classic good looks, essentially offering customers a J-3 alternative that does everything the original Cub did and much more. The…

Eclipse EA 500 Leadville, Colorado/Injuries: 1 The pilot reported that, while conducting a night landing on a runway contaminated with ice and patchy packed snow, the airplane overshot the touchdown zone. The pilot tried to fly the airplane onto the runway to avoid floating. The airplane touched down firm and the pilot applied moderate braking, but the airplane did not decelerate normally. The airplane went off the end of the runway and collided with several Runway End Identifier Lights (REILs) and a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and right wings. The pilot reported that he did not feel modulation in the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and felt that might have contributed to the accident. An examination of fault codes from the airplane’s diagnostic storage unit indicated no ABS…

ACROSS 1 TikTok handle for a lady creating wildly popular aviation video shorts 6 Pilot’s playground 8 Atop 9 Airstrip material, often 11 Tire pressure and monitoring system using sensors 12 Use a parachute 14 ____ Baron 16 Aluminum and titanium are important ones in aviation 18 TTx has one, SR22 technically doesn’t 22 Top grades 23 Major auto company 26 Daily weather statistic 28 Critical figure for pilots 30 At this time 32 Venture-backed aerospace company developing electrical vehicle takeoff and landing aircraft 33 Flew a racetrack pattern 35 It’s bad if the wing fabric did this 36 Manufactures 37 Aviation speak for waggle 38 Lucky charm DOWN 1 Slang name for the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, 2 words 2 Without this part of its name, a plane won’t fly 3 Depart 4 Examine a plane 5 Plunge forward 6 Revolving rods that transmit power 7 Aviators prefer the foot to this 10 Question 13 Milliliter, abbr. 15 Justice Department,…

Flight Outfitters Headlamp In challenging flying situations such as night or weather flying, leaving your hands free can be lifesaving. This dual-colored headlamp allows you to select the kind of lighting you prefer in the cockpit—either white or red—without tying up your hands. Preserve your night vision with an easy click of a button—no other unnecessary light colors to cycle through. Each color choice has a high and low setting to maximize battery life. It has an elastic, adjustable band for ultimate comfort on long flights, a pivoting attachment point and a focusing white flood light that allows for it to be used as a flashlight as well. Price: $29.95. Available at sportys.com. Modern Plane Tee The Ascend T-shirt is a fresh take on the design of the classic paper airplane. The perfect geeky…