Marc Cook
Marc Cook is a veteran special-interest journalist who started as a staffer at AOPA Pilot in the late 1980s. Marc has built two airplanes, an Aero Designs Pulsar XP and a Glasair Aviation Sportsman, and now owns a 180-hp, steam-gauge-adjacent GlaStar based in western Oregon. Marc has 5000 hours spread over 200-plus types and four decades of flying.
Quick Tip: In Praise of the Doodlebug
Nobody likes trying to remove dried bug residue. Unless you catch them while still, um, moist, insect remains will dry to have an impressive attachment to your airframe.
Crystal Balling — What Will Rotax Do Next?
My latest prognostication jag centers on what’s next for Rotax. And it’s driven by a feeling that there’s no time to waste moving up the horsepower ladder.
Flight Review: Falken Avionics iPad-based EFIS
By now, the Apple iPad has established itself as a strong utility player in many aircraft, most often running as a so-called electronic flight bag (EFB) to display moving maps, charts, weather and traffic. But Falken Avionics’ Flight View system has a different take on putting Apple’s tablet to use—as a primary instrument.
ForeFlight’s Reported Turbulence Feature Debuts
For pilots seeking a smooth experience, Reported Turbulence might not be the most used tool in the box but it’s a promising way to get additional data to help you form a more detailed mental picture of the ride ahead of you.
Van’s Bankruptcy Update with Clyde Hamstreet
An Oregon court approved Van's Aircraft's Chapter 11 bankruptcy recovery plan, and now the company can continue implementing elements of that and looking to the future.
New Ambidextrous Products from Pioneer Control Grips
Not everyone is strongly “handed” and there are some applications where a grip that feels right in either hand is, um, right for the job. That’s the thinking behind Pioneer Control Grips’ new ambidextrous grips.
Bending Your Brain
Humans are amazingly adaptable but sometimes we lack imagination. Here’s one example.
Light on the Horizon—Van’s Outlines Recovery Next Steps
Recovery expert Clyde Hamstreet breaks down the next steps in the legal process
Rotax Power, Lots of Speed: The Retractable-Gear TL Sparker Debuts...
This sleek retractable-gear, two-seat Experimental can use any of several Rotax engines, from the 100-hp 912 ULS to the 160-hp turbocharged 916 iS.
In Case You Missed It
Aero ‘lectrics
Don’t waste $250: Here’s all you need to know to install an inexpensive kitchen clock as a timer on your plane’s instrument panel.
Around the Patch
Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook reflects on the joy offered by low-and-slow flying machines and discusses the state of the kit aircraft market.
Wind Tunnel
Barnaby Wainfan examines the design factors that can mitigate damage in an accident and increase the chances of survival.