We are one-twelfth of the way through 2024, and already, I cannot wait until spring and some real (fun) flying weather. Texas has been unusually cold this winter after being unusually hot last summer, so let’s hope for a mild one the rest of the way. Crossing fingers.
Here are a few historical aviation accomplishments that occurred throughout the years in February (courtesy of www.centennialofflight.net):
- 1921 – The U.S. Army Air Service establishes the first in an expanding series of airways – routes safely surveyed by the army civilian and commercial users linking towns and cities by air – by leasing land between Washington and Dayton, Ohio, to facilitate a stopover.
- 1968 – A standard Learjet 25 sets a new “time-to-climb” record by climbing to 40,000 feet in 6 minutes 29 seconds.
- 1979 – Former astronaut Neil Armstrong climbs to 50,000 feet in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in just over 12 minutes in a Gates Learjet Longhorn 28, breaking five world records for business jets.
- 1984 – Racing driver Henri Pescarolo and Air France pilot Patrick Fourticq land their Piper Malibu in Paris after a flight from New York, setting a speed record of 14 hours 2 minutes for single-engine lift aircraft across the North Atlantic.
In this month’s Twin & Turbine, we welcome back Dianne White with a new Position Report. If you need a concise review of everything from aircraft financing and markets to the latest in data-driven safety initiatives, look no further than Dianne’s Position Report.
Ed Verville takes through the intricacies of FAA instrument departures. Get the low-down on those SIDs, ODPs and maybe some “gotchas” that haunt the unpracticed. Ed has a great way of taking some pretty dry language and making it fun and understandable.
We get to highlight Pilatus this month. Grant Boyd takes us to the Pilatus Owners & Pilots Association and gives a front-row view of the association’s leadership, its priorities, and the relationships between the OEM and its customers. Later, Boyd provides a deep dive into the decisions leading Wally Obermeyer to his Pilatus and why he feels blessed to fly the Rockies in his PC-12.
When should you accomplish a precautionary engine shutdown in a twin? Thomas Turner delivers some intriguing answers to that question, along with how and when to facilitate an air start and cross-feeding. His insights are enlightening.
My Editor’s Pics takes us to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to see the elusive Piaggio Avanti. I take a look into some of the things that make this airplane unique and, in many ways, class-leading. The camera used to capture the Avanti is almost as captivating.
To close out February, David Miller takes us to the picturesque Southwest U.S. and what it’s like to operate high-performance airplanes around a balloon festival.
Enjoy, and thank you!
