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2 weeks ago | 
planeandpilotmag.com | Frank Ayers
Autopilots, once a relatively rare piece of equipment reserved for high-end GA singles and light twins, are everywhere today. Each of the major avionics manufacturers offer a sophisticated two-axis autopilot for around $10,000, installed. In aviation speak, anything in this price range should be considered a bargain.
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1 month ago | 
planeandpilotmag.com | Frank Ayers
Like so many of my generation, I grew up reading about the exploits of the golden age of air racing. The 1930s produced a series of civilian race planes that outran the fastest military pursuit fighters. The Granville Brothers Gee Bee R-1, Travel Air Mystery Ship, Supermarine S6, and, of course, Howard Hughes’ legendary H-1 set speed and distance records, pushing the boundaries of speed to nearly 400 mph. However, the technical advances during World War II changed all that.
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1 month ago | 
planeandpilotmag.com | Frank Ayers
I am willing to wager that every pilot has at one time or another asked themselves the big question: “Should I own my own airplane?”This is a complex decision often involving the collaboration of a spouse or significant other, flying partner, and, of course, a banker. And the inflation of the last few years has not made it any easier. However, to prove that all is not lost for the prospective airplane buyer, let’s look at the statistics.
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2 months ago | 
planeandpilotmag.com | Frank Ayers
The other night I was streaming Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and marveled at the way the movie’s special effects professionals took a host of relatively normal trucks and four-wheel-drive vehicles and made them all look like they came right out of a dystopian future. Then suddenly, out of the sky, swooped a most bizarre-looking flying machine. It was short, stubby, very tall, and had two wings and two tails.
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2 months ago | 
planeandpilotmag.com | Frank Ayers
We often hear that the key to a great landing is an equally great approach. And let’s face it, the key to that flawless approach is often a well-planned descent. Like so many things in aviation, the preparation for that silky-smooth touchdown often starts miles from the airport while still at our cruise altitude. In the airline world, descent planning and execution receives a lot of attention.
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Jan 12, 2025 | 
planeandpilotmag.com | Frank Ayers
Many years ago, while working my way through college pumping avgas at the local airport, I discovered that one of our university deans owned a diminutive two-seat, twin-tailed airplane—an Ercoupe. He was proud of his little bird, with its unique split sliding canopy, no rudder pedals, and a delightful art deco instrument panel. Long before he purchased his very own Boeing 707, actor John Travolta discovered this economical fun flier and began his remarkable aviation career as a proud owner.
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Jan 10, 2025 | 
planeandpilotmag.com | Frank Ayers
As I sat down to write this column, I had just returned from an amazing trip to EAA AirVenture. It was 19.7 hours of single-pilot IFR spread over three days, most of it between 8,000 and 10,000 feet, dodging cumulus buildups. I experienced dense morning fog, afternoon thunderstorms, and made a timely weather divert with the help of incredibly helpful air traffic controllers.
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Dec 27, 2024 | 
flyingmag.com | Frank Ayers
The airplane’s engine, propeller, and wings, which have struggled all summer against the ravages of high temperatures and density altitude, are now in their happy place. Push the throttle forward for takeoff, and you might as well be in an F-15 Eagle roaring down the runway. OK, maybe that is a bit much, but takeoff and climb performance in the colder climates is something to behold. And then once airborne, the snow-covered vistas below are breathtaking.
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Dec 8, 2024 | 
planeandpilotmag.com | Frank Ayers
What do you get when you take a gifted aeronautical engineering professor, a group of eager junior college students, and mix in a Howard Hughes connection? The result is a streamlined and efficient retractable gear monoplane, the Harlow PJC. The equal of anything in the air before World War II. This story begins in the late 1930s in Southern California. The Great Depression was winding down, WWII was on the horizon, and advances in aviation were coming in leaps and bounds.
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Nov 29, 2024 | 
planeandpilotmag.com | Frank Ayers
Those who fly in the beautiful snow-covered North know that the winter brings spectacular views and welcomed gains in performance. The airplane’s engine, propeller, and wings, which have struggled all summer against the ravages of high temperatures and density altitude, are now in their happy place. Push the throttle forward for takeoff, and you might as well be in an F-15 Eagle roaring down the runway.
