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LeRoy Cook

LeRoy Cook
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Contributing Editor LeRoy Cook is an experienced journalist with writing credits in just about every aviation publication that counts. He brings a wealth of knowledge and perspective to his flight reviews.
A CFI talks a pilot through the checklist — a step toward scraping off years of rust and getting back into the air. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]

Returning to Flying

LeRoy Cook - 0
"I haven’t flown for quite a while," starts the conversation. “I was wondering if you could brush me up a bit and get me...
After nearly 75 years, the basic Tailwind design remains sound. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]

The Wittman Tailwind

LeRoy Cook - 0
Still viable in an age of uber-expensive composite homebuilts, the Wittman Tailwind continues to attract builders seeking maximum performance on minimum cost. Plans for...
Ten hours of dual instruction in a tailwheel-equipped aircraft is usually required for proficiency. [Credit: AdobeStock]

Learning How to Drag Your Tail

LeRoy Cook - 3
“I want you to work on a taildragger checkout with me; can we get started this afternoon?” I get that a lot. Pilots see...
The alternative to bending down as the propeller is pulled through the compression stroke is to keep the back straight and bend the knees slightly, stepping away in a crouch. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]

Manual Starting Methods

LeRoy Cook - 1
Practical techniques for hand-propping and other manual engine starts when an electric starter isn't available.
[Credit: AdobeStock]

Instructional Inflexibility

LeRoy Cook - 1
Flight Instructors tend to be the least flexible of all pilots.
The fixed-gear twin Cessna 336 almost sunk the design type. Only 195 were sold. Cessna upgraded it to retractable in 1965.

Forgotten Flops

LeRoy Cook - 2
Many proposed, prototype, and production airplanes died at birth in aviation's golden age.
[Credit: LeRoy Cook]

Logging Time

LeRoy Cook - 2
Recording flight time in a proper form is a time-honored ritual in aviation.
[Credit: LeRoy Cook]

The Wild Traveler

LeRoy Cook - 6
A blend of Cessna, Piper, and homebuilt.

A Little Snow

LeRoy Cook - 0
There's Snow-how much can you handle?

Everyday Test Flying

LeRoy Cook - 1
Advice on the Routine Test Flight.
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In Case You Missed It

All About Avionics: Autopilots

Stein Bruch - 0
Want to be fresh at the end of a long flight? Experimental-only autopilots beat their certified counterparts. They're usually less expensive, more capable and far more user-serviceable (if you know what you're doing). By Stein Bruch.

Spare the Wait and Carry On

Kerry Fores - 0
What began, for one homebuilder, as a cross-country odyssey to AirVenture turned into an...
starmaster

Powering a Mystery

Scott Spangler - 1
Lockheed Conestoga/Kudu + Chevy V-8 = StarMaster.

3D Printing to the Rescue!

Dave Forster - 2
Saving a $1,000 headset by making a new earcup bracket.
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