Exploring

At AirVenture this year—just before it, actually—the FAA released the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking encompassing MOSAIC, short for Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates. The...

It’s condition inspection time again for the ol’ box kite, hence my grumbling mood. It’s like this every year. I curse the zillion little...

Way back when I was working for NASA, I used to get mail addressed to “Dr.” Paul Dye, which always amused this college graduate...

Not a week (sometimes a day) went by during my Sonex career that I wasn’t asked about washer usage on threaded fasteners. Often, a...

We’ve all been there. The airplane is pulled out and baking on the hot ramp. Preflight complete. Passengers and bags are loaded and ready...

I’ll admit it, I like merit badges. I like certificates of achievement. I like the recognition that comes with doing something new and different....

It’s human nature to learn a new skill, work hard to “perfect” it and then settle into a peaceable existence just inside your comfort...

You may have noticed, but things have gotten sort of expensive lately. The daily stuff has a new bite to it and the once...

Time to talk about the “parts” portion of my column tagline. I’ve been a professional buyer for over seven years and while I still...

The body of this month’s column is part informational, part confessional and part Zen and the Art of Experimental Maintenance. One of the most...