Flying November 2023

WE’D BEEN SHOOTING around Mackinac Island in Michigan all afternoon, but as the day progressed the forecast VFR conditions rapidly changed into IMC. Some serious storm clouds developed while we cruised back to Grand Rapids, which eventually required us to divert en route twice after changing altitude several times to try and duck under the worst of the turbulence. Eventually, we landed at West Michigan Regional Airport (KBIV) in Holland, joining a ramp rapidly filling with other IFR aircraft sheltering from the storms. As they say, if you don’t like the weather in Michigan, hang around a sec, it’ll change—unfortunately this time only to become worse. But we had a good Plan B, and C as it turned out, and the changeable weather made the photos for the Destinations feature…

WE LOST ONE of the truly good humans among us in the aviation family on October 1. And it happened in an accident that strikes me—ahead of any official report from the National Transportation Safety Board or otherwise—as a confluence of objective hazards and bad luck. In the accident at the Lake Placid Airport (KLKP) in New York, Richard McSpadden was in the right seat of a Cessna 177RG Cardinal, with pilot and former New England Patriots star tight end Russ Francis in the left seat. The Cardinal had just lifted off when a so-far undefined emergency caused them to initiate a return to the ground. Though the pair survived the subsequent forced landing into trees, they both died soon afterward. McSpadden, 63, was a senior vice president for the Aircraft…

FLYING MEDIA GROUP (FMG) recently acquired AvBuyer, a leading business aircraft listing marketplace and large business aviation media brand. For 25 years, AvBuyer has been providing aircraft owners and operators with key information so that they can make better-informed buying decisions across all areas of business aviation operations. AvBuyer includes AvBuyer.com, one of the most active business aircraft listing marketplaces, and AvBuyer Magazine, a publication with market intelligence that is distributed to FBOs all over the world. FMG also acquired GA Buyer Europe and GA Buyer Africa, which offer classified listings and marketplaces that cover the European and African general aviation markets. In addition to providing a liquid marketplace for dealers to match with prospective buyers, AvBuyer is a leading market intelligence provider in the business aviation community.…

Ah, the Irony! Did you intend the irony of putting together “Trust but Verify” [by Richard Scarbrough] in the same issue [Issue 941] as Dick Karl’s “Getting to Know You”? In the first article, Scarbrough pointed out the importance of thoroughly documenting your aircraft purchase with definitive contract terms and inspections. In the second article, Karl bought his aircraft with “no lawyers, no brokers, just two guys agreeing to transfer ownership.” Trust, but don’t verify! Richard Friedman via email Editor’s note: Why, yes, the two approaches to aircraft ownership did not escape our notice as we compiled the issue. There’s room for a little of both, depending on the situation. Black Holes Meg Godlewski’s article in the October 2023, Issue 942 edition brought back a similar memory 50 years ago.…

Most singles can glide eight times their height above the terrain. If you’re at 7,500 feet and the local elevation is 700 feet, you’re about 1 1/4 miles above the ground, so don’t pick a place to land outside a 10-mile radius. Don’t count on achieving the longest possible glide—better a nearby cornfield than a distant runway. Slow to your best rate-of-climb speed. If the prop doesn’t stop of its own accord, let it windmill. To reduce drag from the windmilling propeller, open the throttle fully and set a constant-speed prop to the lowest possible rpm (vernier all the way out). If you’re landing in the rough, turn off fuel to the engine. Slide your seat as far back as you can while still holding the yoke, and make your…

MACKINAC ISLAND AIRPORT (KMCD) in Michigan is close to home for me, and it’s one I visit a few times a year. Many pilots who fly in the Midwest have this historic tourist destination on their GA bucket list. The runway isn’t long—a mere 3,501 feet—so depending on your aircraft performance, it might be shorter than many runways you use regularly. That being said, once you arrive and park, your aircraft may be the last motorized vehicle you use until you leave an island where time appears to have stood still. Enjoy the horse and buggy or bicycle ride into town or to the historic Grand Hotel. But before you get to relax, you just might find yourself in need of an approach to this airport where clouds often develop…