Model Airplanes

With a general aviation buddy traveling along to bounce bad opinions off, we flew the Decathlon to Maine and the awaiting Tiger. The airplane’s appearance was disappointing, but I still had the mechanic continue with the inspection.

Despite a few minor issues and my increasing negative vibes, I flew the airplane with a young flight instructor. Attempting to discount the choppy air, I was not impressed with the handling characteristics, feeling as though our flight was being conducted from within a bubble with wings. I elected to pass on buying the airplane. So, now what?

Glad that I had checked off the Tiger box despite spending a few bucks, I lamented the next step. My friend suggested buying a Piper Arrow. Initially I scoffed at the idea, but after a second margarita, it made sense. Relatively fast airplane. Economical. Limited maintenance issues. And yes, the gear goes up and down. After a Google search, the game was on.

Unfortunately, a good Arrow is hard to find. Almost having given up the quest, I found an airplane with all the bells and whistles in Amarillo, Texas. Equipped with an Aspen system, a Garmin GNS 430, an S-Tec autopilot and a JPI engine monitoring system. But the airplane had damage history, nothing more serious than a couple of hard landings, which was typical, especially for an airplane aged more than four decades. Although the price was adjusted accordingly, I agonized over its purchase. Would the damage haunt me forever?

Article source: https://www.flyingmag.com/airplane-buying-tips

OGDENSBURG – A Mass of Christian Burial for 1st Sgt (RET) Donald F. Burns, 89, of Ogdensburg, will be held on Friday, May 3rd,2019 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral with Rev. Joseph Morgan as celebrant. 

Burial will follow the mass in Hillcrest Cemetery, Heuvelton.  Calling hours will be held on Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 from 3-7 p.m. at the LaRue Pitcher Funeral Home. 

Mr. Burns died on Sunday, April 28th, 2019 at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center surrounded by his loving family.

Arrangements are under the direction of LaRue Pitcher Funeral Home.

Donald F. Burns was born on August 21, 1929, in Ogdensburg, NY.  He was the son of the late Arthur and Lena (Matthews) Burns.  He was a graduate of Ogdensburg Free Academy and attended Clarkson University.  Donald served in the United States Air Force from 1946 until 1948 and went on to serve in the United States Army Reserve for 28 years.

On March 31, 1950, he married Barbara Paro at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg.   Donald worked as a chemist at Alcoa in Massena.  He was a member of the V.F.W., served as  a major in the Civil Air Patrol, and was a member of the St. Lawrence County Democratic Committee.

He served in the St. Lawrence County Legislature for 6 years, was a member  of the Maple City Prop Busters model airplane Club, and attained an Extra level license as  an amateur radio operator (WA2FDJ).  He was a recipient of the Silas Wright Award and the honor society at Northwest

Article source: https://www.wwnytv.com/story/40395608/donald-f-burns-89-of-ogdensburg

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered U.S. airlines on Monday to inspect Boeing 787s for lightning damage to systems that control the composite-plastic jetliner’s ascent and descent, heightening pressure on the planemaker as it scrambles to return another, more popular aircraft to commercial service.

The agency’s airworthiness directive follows more than a year of input on a measure requested by the Chicago-based planemaker after it learned that lightning might cause leaks of hydraulic fluid used to move ailerons, strips located on the wings that let the plane bank left or right, and elevators, flaps on the tail that move the plane’s nose up or down.

The order, which affects 82 airplanes operated by U.S. carriers, comes as Boeing works on a patch to computer software faulted in two overseas crashes of its best-selling 737 Max that killed more than 300 people. After the second accident, involving an Ethiopian Airlines flight in mid-March, the FAA followed its international counterparts in grounding the aircraft, a move that snarled flight schedules and halted deliveries.

The impact of the 787 order, designed to eliminate “airplane flutter” that might occur if the leaks were accompanied were other hydraulic failures, is less severe. Airlines will be required to conduct the inspections every nine months or 6,000 flight hours if their planes use power-control units susceptible to the lightning strikes.

[Related: Boeing finds second software problem on grounded 737 MAX airliner]

The FAA’s order makes mandatory a recommendation that Boeing had previously made to airline

Article source: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/business/faa-tightens-screws-on-boeing-with-new-inspections-of-787-model