The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, or CAPS, is a whole-aircraft recovery system. It is intended to lower the aircraft and its occupants under a parachute in certain life-threatening emergencies. Its value is best understood as part of the aircraft’s overall design and the pilot’s training, rather than as a promise that every emergency will end safely.
Continue reading Cirrus CAPS: What the Aircraft Parachute Does
Owning an aircraft can make sense for some pilots, but the purchase price is only one part of the decision. An airplane needs maintenance, storage, insurance and oversight even when it is not flying. The earlier version of this article suggested ownership removed storage and repair costs and guaranteed financial advantages. Those claims were incorrect.
Continue reading Aircraft Ownership: Costs and Questions to Ask
An airplane flies because its wings and propulsion system interact with the air. The useful starting point is four forces: lift, weight, thrust and drag. In steady, level, unaccelerated flight, the upward and downward forces balance, as do the forward and backward forces. Climbing, descending and turning involve changes to that balance and to the flight path.
Continue reading How Airplanes Fly: Lift, Weight, Thrust and Drag