Home Authors Posts by Ron Wanttaja

Ron Wanttaja

Ron Wanttaja
39 POSTS 15 COMMENTS
Ron Wanttaja is a retired space systems engineer. Over a 40-year career, he helped design, build, test, launch, and operate 18 spacecraft, up to and including the International Space Station. He has owned a Bowers Fly Baby since 1996 and flew the original prototype for seven years before buying his own. He is married to romance novelist Lisa McAllister and lives just outside of Portland, Oregon.

Homebuilt Accidents: Captains vs. Fledglings

6
How does pilot experience affect the accident rate?

Homebuilt Accidents: Emergency Landings

6
Pilot skills become critical when the engine quits.

Homebuilt Accidents: The Pilot’s Condition

2
Bushy-tailed optional, bright-eyed mandatory.

ADS-B and the Little Guy

8
ADS-B installation may be avoidable for many small homebuilts.

Where Have All the Homebuilts Gone?

8
Thousands of E/A-B aircraft have been removed from the rolls, but most of them haven’t existed for decades.

Homebuilt Accidents: Fire!

0
Quite possibly, your eyes glazed over‭ ‬a bit when you saw the title of this‭ ‬article‭. ‬Quite possibly‭, ‬you’re poised to skim forward a...

Homebuilt Accidents: Focus on Van’s

6
The RV series has an excellent safety record.

Homebuilt Accidents: BuzzKill

0
Crashes while maneuvering at low altitude have a high mortality rate.

Homebuilt Accidents: Fatal Factors

0
Pilot decision-making is a greater factor in fatal accidents.

Homebuilt Accidents: Evaluating Engines

2
Statistics show traditional certified engines have the best reliability.

In Case You Missed It

The Creative Homebuilder

0
Gear-leg drill jig.

2013 Engine Buyer’s Guide

0
For homebuilders, power is a top-of-mind issue, and engines are among their most important decisions. From the familiar Lycomings and Continentals to the options in radials, here’s what the traditional aircraft-engine market offers.

Staying Late

1
In magazine land—a parallel universe to the real world—I’m writing this between Oshkosh and...

Archive: June 1995

0
A turbocharged Pelican was on our cover of this issue. Inside, LeRoy Cook reported...