True, if you are flying a low powered, single engine piston aeroplane, then Mach is not something you often consider, however, it is a really cool sounding aviation word, and understanding what it is all about, will certainly expand your knowledge base.
On landing you discover your aircraft has a flat tyre, or, during your pre-flight you find a loose aileron bolt – can you fix it yourself? Let’s explore what you can and can’t do…
Just when you thought winglets would be around forever, it seems innovation is alive, with ‘raked wings’ being the flavour ‘du jour’…
Nope, this is not VMC – Visual Meteorological Conditions that we are talking about, but rather flying speeds relating to twin engine aircraft. The key to understanding twin engine performance, is how they fly with two engines operating, and how the bitch switch gets turned on when only one engine is operating.
The key to the delivery of electrical power is the alternator (or generator) in most cases, so knowing what it does, and what to do if you suspect a problem, can be valuable when trouble shooting flashing lights and popping circuit breakers.
Having your CG either closer to the forward limit or closer to the rear limit, can have it’s benefits, depending on the stage of flight, let’s have a look…
