Points for Pilots

It used to be that surface winds of the 48 lower states typically were moderate. Yes, there were exceptions. For example, Flagstaff, AZ almost daily has strong and sometimes very strong winds from the southwest.  But now rather frequently, winds even in the Dallas area are very strong and gusty. Hence it may be useful to review how we should handle that situation.  Taxiing While taxiing, two simple rules tell how to use the aileron and elevator.  If the wind comes at you from the front, position the aileron as if you were banking into the wind. At the same time, pull the elevator a bit as if you wanted to climb.  "Climb into a headwind" is a good sentence to remember the rule. If the wind comes from behind, bank away from the wind and position the elevator for a descent. "Dive away from a tailwind" summarizes the action. The rules require quick action when you are turning rapidly, since the direction of the wind shifts quickly and thus requires continuous adjustment...

Friend and airplane guru Jack remarked many years ago, "If you don't find anything wrong during your plane's annual inspection, you haven't looked carefully." We remember his comment every year when we inspect our plane, a Zenith 601HDS.  This year was no exception to Jack's rule: We looked carefully and found two critical problems. First, the brake lining had to be replaced for the two main wheels. That wasn't unexpected since last year the wear marks of the lining were still okay but also indicated that replacement was in the near future.  However, a major shock came as we cleaned the fuselage. The critical support bracket for the nose gear fastened with 13 rivets to the bottom of the fuselage near the firewall, wasn't attached at all: The entire set of 13 rivets had disappeared!  The repair: We drilled nine of the 13 rivet holes to the next larger rivet size and installed the rivets, then enlarged the remaining four holes to 3/16 in. and used AN3 bo...