June 2009
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Aircraft
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2009 Cirrus SR22 X Edition
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A New Cirrus With A New Boss
Flight Into Known Icing is added to the SR22
 Working under the code name “Project Kiwi,” Duluth, Minn.–based Cirrus Design has been laboring over the last 20 months in relative secrecy to certify its first FAA-approved Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI) system on its flagship aircraft, the SR22.
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Luscombe Phantom II
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Luscombe Phantom II: A Modern Time Machine
With its radial engine and timeless design, Luscombe introduces an LSA with attitude
I was glad my editor couldn’t see the little jig I danced after reading her e-mail asking if I was interested in flying a new taildragger from Luscombe called the Phantom II.
Proficiency
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First 500 Feet, Part I: Engine Failure!
What to do when the worst thing happens at the worst moment
by Budd Davisson
 Engine failure on takeoff is every pilot’s worst nightmare, but there’s one basic rule that applies to all in-flight emergencies, regardless of the situation: Keep your cool (easier said than done) and fly the airplane. Having said that, the most important aspects of survival can be summed up in two words: mental preparation and training/practice. Okay, that’s four words, but you get the point.
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Looking For 200 Knots
Forty years ago, the goal was 200 mph. Today, it’s 200 knots.
by Bill Cox
 Fast feels good. For those of us obsessed with clocking along at the velocity of a Lamborghini, speed is the kinesthetic equivalent of beauty.
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Ticket To Ride II
Part II: Practice, practice, practice, home study, and what? Time to solo already? Gulp.
by James Lawrence
Products
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Avidyne Entegra Release 9 Integrated Flight Deck
The next-gen glass cockpit arrives
 For all their dazzling screen displays and computational wizardry, glass cockpits can be complex to learn and challenging to operate. Avidyne, which introduced the glass cockpit to general aviation in 2003, aims to change all that with its Entegra Release 9 Integrated Flight Deck, which is now nearing FAA certification.
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June 2009 Readback
The Transition’s First Flight!
by The Editors
 The Terrafugia Transition proof-of-concept roadable aircraft successfully completed its first flight at Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, N.Y., on March 5. The Transition took off from runway 17; after 37 seconds, it landed and taxied to a full stop.
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Pilot Talk
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CSI Insurance: Excogitations On LSA Crashes, Part Deux
A discussion about LSA insurance rates
by James Lawrence
 Last month, Mike Adams, vice president of underwriting for Avemco Insurance (www.avemco.com), shared fascinating insights drawn from Avemco’s LSA claims data. Avemco’s conclusion: Incomplete dealer transition training for new S-LSA owners was the biggest contributor to accident claims. Avemco responded by requiring new owners to complete five hours dual and a flight review sign-off from a dealer rep to qualify for solo coverage.
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From The Editor: “Student Pilot, First Solo”
by Jessica Ambats
 Everyone remembers their first solo flight. And so when I heard, “Student pilot, first solo,” transmitted on the radio a few days ago at Van Nuys Airport, it brought me back to that chilly March morning when my instructor Liz DeStaffany hopped out of N2447B and I taxied the Cessna 172 to Santa Monica Airport’s runway 21.
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Glass Half Empty?
Life & our perception of it
by Budd Davisson
 I’ve been pacing around this semi-dark room, struggling for the words I want to put on this electronic page. This is the first time this has happened in decades. Usually, I just sit down and the words flow. During the week, something happens where part of my mind says, “Yeah, they’d like hearing about that.” But tonight, I’m struggling, and I only just now figured out why: I’m entirely too fixated on the “what ifs” of the new economic era we’re stumbling into. I’m not sure which is worse, the situation or the fact that I’m fixated on it. |
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Should You Reset A Circuit Breaker?
Revisiting and revising old ways of doing things
by Peter Katz
 The NTSB says it’s time to rethink something most GA pilots learned early in their training: If a circuit breaker trips while you’re flying, it’s okay to reset it after allowing a minute or two for it to cool, even if you have no idea what caused it to trip and cut off electrical power to a particular circuit.
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Smoke On!
Pushing my Edge to the edge over the Danube
It’s hot in this race plane…even at 1,000 feet…or is it just me? My mouth is dry and my heart is racing as I watch the competitor before me twisting his way through the track.
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The Proposal
An extra-special vacation
As a dating couple, Brian and I often had to be very creative about finding time to spend together since I’m an airline first officer and Brian is the operations coordinator for Team Oracle. In July 2007, we were happily anticipating a week off that we were going to spend with our dear friends (and fellow Cub enthusiasts) J.R. and Paige Bisset.
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Traveling By “Corporate” Airplane
A local breakfast flight emphasizes the value of corporate aviation
by Bill Cox
I’ve owned personal airplanes almost since I earned my pilot’s license 43 years ago. I didn’t buy my first airplane, a Globe Swift, specifically for business (in fact, I don’t recall ever flying it in conjunction with a story), but most of the half-dozen airplanes I’ve owned since have been employed primarily in pursuit of profit.
News
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June 2009 NOTAMS
Plane & Pilot’s Guide to aviation's most current promotional deals
by Staff
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Get 11 Issues of Plane & Pilot for only $14.97! That's 77% off the cover price!
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In our April 2009 issue, Jim Lawrence launched the first in his series of articles about LSA training in a Flight Design CTLS. This month, he takes us through solo. 
