Dave Hirschman

1 month ago | aopa.org | Dave Hirschman

When Richard, 71, recalls soloing an Aeronca Champ at age 14, his son tactfully interrupts. “You might want to round that up to 16,” Kirk says. “Just in case.”The duo is performing an annual inspection on a vintage Piper Tri-Pacer in Frederick, Maryland. Even though they’ve got vast experience working on flying machines ranging from helicopters to supersonic jet fighters, they prefer teaming up on antique, fabric-covered general aviation aircraft.

1 month ago | aopa.org | Dave Hirschman

It’s tempting to combine ferry flights with flight training—but such trips tend to hold surprisingly little instructional value. Cross-country flights can be extremely useful for new owners who want to build time and learn the nuances of the caring and feeding of new-to-them airplanes. And bringing new owners along on repositioning flights is an excellent way for them to see the capabilities and limitations of their new aircraft in real-world situations.

1 month ago | aopa.org | Dave Hirschman

The single red Safe Return button is inconspicuously placed on the ceiling of the SR22 G7+ cabin—yet it’s transformative. Pushing the button once in flight starts an elaborate sequence of automated actions that result in the airplane identifying the nearest suitable airport, making emergency radio calls to air traffic controllers, squawking 7700, flying an approach to an appropriate runway, landing, braking to a stop, and shutting down the engine.

2 months ago | aopa.org | Dave Hirschman

Crosswinds didn’t exist in aviation’s early days. Airfields in the first third of the twentieth century were literally open fields, sometimes with a windsock or tetrahedron in the middle. Pilots would simply note the wind direction and then take off or land into it. It was the invention of actual runways that created crosswinds—and they’ve cursed and confounded pilots ever since.

2 months ago | aopa.org | Dave Hirschman

Hubbard became a general aviation pilot and flew an Aeronca Champ, but he didn’t see a way to combine his passions for flying and public service until 2018 when he learned of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which operates a fleet of scientific research aircraft. NOAA crews fly a P–3 Orion into hurricanes to measure their intensity as well as a fleet of de Havilland DHC–6 Twin Otters, a Gulfstream IV, two Beechcraft King Air 350s, and a King Air 360.