Home : Plane & Pilot : February 2005

February 2005

Aircraft

1958 Cessna 172 Skyhawk
2005 New Piper Seneca V by Staff
Origin Of The Skyhawk
The straight-tailed C-172 marks the birth of the world’s most popular general-aviation airplane
by Bill Cox Can it really be almost 50 years since Cessna introduced the first C-172? In a word, yes. Next year, the Wichita, Kan., company will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the C-172’s introduction, and the rest, as no one should ever say again, is history.
Seneca In The Fifth Generation
Long on fuel economy and lean on sticker price, New Piper’s twin carries a big bunch of admirers
by Douglas Colby Old home week, I reminisced, as I sat in the left front seat of the 2005 Seneca V. Well, perhaps not exactly. The panel of the new Seneca V has about as much resemblance to my old company airplane’s as does a new Ford Thunderbird’s to a Model T’s.

Proficiency

The 10 Commandments Of Aviation Safety

There are some things you should absolutely positively know about any airplane you’re flying before you even start the engine

by Douglas Colby

Safety has always been a tough sell. Ask Bruce Landsburg of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. Landsburg has been in the safety business for 25 years, having worked for FlightSafety in Wichita, Kan., before moving to AOPA. “The sad thing is,” says Landsburg, “much of the time, safety consciousness is a direct result of an accident post-mortem.”

Why Every Pilot Should Take Acro
Learning the basic maneuvers is more important than you think
by Pia Bergqvist
You may wonder about the benefits of aerobatics to general-aviation pilots, especially when most pilots’ main mission primarily consists of pleasure flights to try another $100 hamburger. After all, why bother with inverted loops when you can merely enjoy the view and have a pleasant flight? The answer is simple: Anyone who practices aerobatics becomes a better, safer pilot, and the skills you learn from a professional aerobatics instructor not only can be applied to your general-aviation flights, but also to saving your life one day.

Pilot Talk

Smarter Than A Tow Bar?
It hurts when even the simplest things make you feel stupid
by Budd Davisson What’s the tennis ball for?” asked one of my students. Almost every one of them ask the same old question. I answered, “That’s one of the IQ tests that came with my hangar. You can’t be issued a passing grade around here until you figure it out.”