Paul Bertorelli
Verified- Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Director, AVweb
- Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Director, Aviation Consumer
New York
As seen in:
AVweb,
Aviation Consumer,
Flying Magazine,
Motorcyclist Magazine,
KITPLANES,
African Pilot
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Articles by Paul Bertorelli
Guest Blog: An Open Mind And DEI
I wrote about so many accidents during my 30-plus year aviation journalism career that I can hardly stomach the feeding frenzy of “analysis” following the DCA accident on Wednesday. Least of all President Trump’s distressing press conference not even 12 hours after the accident. Still, if I learned anything during my career, it’s to keep an open mind against my own conclusions and prejudices. And that applies to DEI.
Citing Valve Damage, UND Drops Unleaded Fuel And Returns To 100LL Original
After an extensive trial, the University of North Dakota’s flight school has dropped Swift UL94 fuel and resumed use of 100LL. The school said ongoing maintenance monitoring of aircraft using UL94—almost exclusively Lycoming-powered Piper Archers and Seminoles—resulted in measurable exhaust valve recession. The school made the switch back to 100LL on October 27. Partly because students were interested in a less-polluting fuel, the school switched to Swift Fuel’s ASTM-spec UL94 in late June.
I Could Never Get Away With This Again Original
At the end of his legendary career, famed aviation pioneer Jimmy Doolittle titled his autobiography, “I Could Never Be So Lucky Again.” From down here in the flatlands of 21st century general aviation, Doolittle’s Olympian perch is a smudge on the horizon, but I nonetheless have mustered the unmitigated temerity to steal his idea and name my own book, “I Could Never Get Away With This Again.” Or I would if I were writing a book, which I am not because a three-volume history on pork belly...
Deconstructing The Cirrus Hate Original
Time can make all the difference. Sometimes it’s 30 seconds, or two weeks, or the 623 long days it took NASA to put Apollo back on track after a deadly fire. For my purposes here, it’s three years and a few months. That’s the time that passed between Cirrus just being one of those aviation companies the Chinese bought to an object of outright derision in our news coverage. My source for this conclusion is there for all to see.
Purity of Flight is Overrated
Last week, a friend texted me with a question: He had found a nice restored Cub, but like so many J-3s, it didn’t have an electrical system. It had a C-85 upgrade with the accessory case that can’t be converted to electric start. So hand propping would be the only option. “What do you think of the balance between purity and safety with something like that?,” he wanted to know. After giving this some thought for, oh, maybe 14 nanosceconds, I told him there’s really no balance here.
What It's Like to Race a Hydrogen Balloon Across the U S
Home Multimedia What It’s Like to Race a Hydrogen Balloon Across the U S Last week, 17 hydrogen balloons departed Alburquerque in the Gordon Bennett gas balloon for points east. In this interview, AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli talked to two pilots who flew the race, eventually landing in Georgia just west of Savannah. Noah Forden and Brenda Cowlishaw finished fourth, with a distance of 1382 miles in 65 hours. Note: We grabbed this interview on the fly, so to speak, so the first part is a bit noisy.
What Would You Do If You Had No Fear?
Don’t take counsel of your fears, goes the phrase, variously described as of religious or military origin. Its meaning is don’t be captive of that which frightens you and it is, if nothing else, a double-bladed axe. Fear can be both a healthy thing or a numbing source of paralysis or maybe something between. This came to mind as I was reading some of the unusual number of emails, texts and private messages sent to me after last week’s blog on Richard McSpadden’s fatal accident on Sunday, Oct. 1.
A Final Salute to Spad Original
Last spring, Richard McSpadden talked me off a ledge of sorts. Now, following his death in a crash on Sunday, I wonder if I’m not back out on it. I had called him to discuss some analytical work I was doing on comparing outcomes in emergency landings but the conversation soon drifted to what I was increasingly seeing as the pointlessness of this kind of work, made more so by the YouTube troll armies that have come to dominate this discussion.
What to Think About SAF Original
While I was researching this week’s video on aviation’s role in greenhouse gas emissions—and especially SAF—one phrase kept recurring in my overstimulated brain: window dressing, albeit sincere window dressing. On the light side of general aviation, the attitude is that the warming planet thing doesn’t really exist, so let’s not even talk about it. And of those who acknowledge the data and accept the reality—maybe a third to half of our audience–don’t want to talk about it, either.
Decarbonize Aviation? Good Luck to Us
Home Multimedia Decarbonize Aviation? Good Luck to Us With weather disasters lined up like airliners on final to LaGuardia, news on climate change is a constant. And with aviation the most energy intensive form of mass transportation, it’s in the cross hairs as an emitter of greenhouse gas. In this video, AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli examines the role of electric airplanes and, more importantly, sustainable aviation fuel. Bottom line: Don’t expect miracles.
Checking in on AI
Back in August, as I was plodding away on that universal symbol of the futility of modern life, the treadmill, I was simultaneously enriching my brain by listening to a podcast. It was some New York Times columnist prattling about how amazing artificial intelligence has become, specifically ChatGPT. She assigned it the task of writing a column in her style and professed to be gob smacked at the results. Perhaps, I thought, I’m drifting behind the power curve on AI.
Cirrus Unmasks the New SR10 (But Nor for the U.S.)
Clean sheet airplanes don’t come along very often, but Cirrus revealed one this week, a three-seat trainer to be called the SR10. But…there’s a catch. The airplane was developed jointly in the U.S.and China under contract with Cirrus and will be aimed squarely at the Chinese and probably foreign markets. In this interview with AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli, Ivy McIver, the Cirrus’ director of the SR line gives us the details on the Rotax-powered SR10.
Cirrus Has Option to Sell New Rotax-Powered Trainer
With the training market still booming, Cirrus has in the wings a new trainer model, the SR10. Slightly smaller than the entry-level SR20, the airplane has three seats and is powered by the Rotax 915 iS, according to the type certificate approved by the FAA in April of this year. But it may not be pushing the sales button anytime soon.
NASA Report: No Aliens, But More UAP Investigations Needed Original
In a long-awaited report this week, NASA said its investigation of unidentified anomalous phenomena or UAPs revealed no evidence that numerous sightings are of extra-terrestrial origin. But the agency also said it will take the lead in further investigations and will share what data it finds with more transparency.
Poll: How Would You Rate the Quality of ATC Services? Original
In this blog space, it’s rarely ill-advised to oppose any new regulation and as an evergreen topic, grinding on existing ones from time to time is always good sport, too. So I’ll take a breather here from slamming in detail the Air Tour and Sport Parachuting Improvement Act of 2023 found in the Senate’s version of the FAA Reauthorization Bill.
Less Regulation, More Personal Responsibility
In this blog space, it’s rarely ill-advised to oppose any new regulation and as an evergreen topic, grinding on existing ones from time to time is always good sport, too. So I’ll take a breather here from slamming in detail the Air Tour and Sport Parachuting Improvement Act of 2023 found in the Senate’s version of the FAA Reauthorization Bill.
Pilot Killed In Gender Reveal Stunt
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on AVweb.com. The pilot of a Piper Pawnee was killed Saturday, Sept. 2, when the aircraft broke up during a sharp pull up for a gender reveal stunt in Sinaloa, Mexico. Video of the crash shows the aircraft approaching the expectant couple spraying pink powder or fluid, signifying the birth of a girl.
Paul Dye: What It Was Like to Bring the Shuttle Home From Orbit
Home Multimedia Paul Dye: What It Was Like to Bring the Shuttle Home From... Former NASA Senior Flight Director Paul Dye describes the Space Shuttle as the most amazing winged aircraft ever built. Who could argue the point? In this in-depth video review, Dye explains what it was like to bring the Shuttle home from orbit after a multi-day mission. Don’t forget, the Shuttle was the largest glider ever built and one capable of flying at Mach 25.
Paul Dye: What It Was Like To Bring The Shuttle Home From Orbit
Home Multimedia Paul Dye: What It Was Like To Bring The Shuttle Home From... Former NASA Senior Flight Director Paul Dye describes the Space Shuttle as the most amazing winged aircraft ever built. Who could argue the point? In this in-depth video review, Dye explains what it was like to bring the Shuttle home from orbit after a multi-day mission. Don’t forget, the Shuttle was the largest glider ever built and one capable of flying at Mach 25.
Pilot Killed in Gender Reveal Stunt Original
The pilot of a Piper Pawnee was killed Saturday, Sept. 2, when the aircraft broke up during a sharp pull up for a gender reveal stunt in Sinaloa, Mexico. Video of the crash shows the aircraft approaching the expectant couple spraying pink powder or fluid, signifying the birth of a girl. When the aircraft pulls out of a shallow dive overhead, the left wing folds into the fuselage and the airplane rolls into a crash beyond the couple’s party site.
AVweb Rewind: Why Aircraft Engines Quit Original
Home Multimedia AVweb Rewind: Why Aircraft Engines Quit While modern aircraft engines are relatively reliable, they quit running often enough to be a measurable factor in the accident rate. In this video we published a couple of years ago, Paul Bertorelli examined why aircraft engines fail. Some are preventable, some aren’t. Poll Poll: Should eVTOLS Be Certified Under MOSAIC? No way. These aircraft are complex and unproven. Maybe they need their own carve out in MOSAIC.
Yeah, Fear Of Crashes Keeps More People Out Of Aviation Than We Admit Original
When I interviewed Randy Schlitter of RANS aircraft last month, I knew going in that his factory is sort of a poster child for serial production automation. As he explained in the interview, computer numerical control equipment is getting more affordable with each new generation and now additive manufacturing—3D printing—is also making inroads. But I had to call him back with another question.
NTSB Faults Crew Miscommunication For United's Altitude Loss Incident Original
The NTSB says miscommunication between the pilots of a United Boeing 777 caused the aircraft to plunge to under 800 feet over the Pacific Ocean after departing Kahului, Hawaii, on Dec. 18, 2022. The error caused the crew to mismanage the aircraft’s vertical flightpath, airspeed and pitch, the NTSB said. United Flight 1722 had departed Kahului enroute to San Francisco with 281 passengers and crew aboard.
The Biggest Aerospace Story Ever (Yawn)
While our gaze was momentarily distracted by the aviation party out in Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago, we missed the biggest aerospace story in history. In fact, it was the biggest anything in history, short of the emergence of life on earth. It was, of course, a credible witness telling the U.S. Congress that the government is in possession of and has been reverse engineering alien spacecraft. Oh, and bodies. Well, if not bodies, at least so-called non-human biologics.
Virgin Plans 100 Percent SAF Transatlantic Flight
With airlines ever under the gun to reduce carbon emissions, they’re sponsoring ever more ambitious demonstrations of sustainable aviation fuel. The latest comes from Virgin Atlantic and Rolls-Royce, who have announced a plan to fly a transatlantic flight on 100 percent SAF in November, 2023. Air bp and Virent, a biofuel subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum, are also partners in the demonstration.
Three Killed In California Helicopter Midair Original
Home Aviation News Three Killed In California Helicopter Midair Three crew were killed Sunday night in a mid-air collision between two Cal Fire helicopters fighting a blaze near Riverside, according to a Cal Fire spokesman. All three—a pilot and two firefighters—were in a Bell 407 being used as a command and observation aircraft. The second helo, a Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane with two aboard, landed safely.
GAMI Should Be Allowed to Sink or Swim On Its Own Original
Early in the week at AirVenture, GAMA’s Pete Bunce declared that the market would determine which of multiple unleaded avgas products would ultimately prevail. What he failed to mention is that GAMA, the other alphabets and the EAGLE industry consortium have been hell bent on keeping their thumb on the invisible hand’s scale. And they’re not reticent to use federal law to do it.
Reauthorization Amendment Allows Airports to Switch To Unleaded Fuels Only If Consensus Approved
Airports will have an easier time switching from 100LL to unleaded 100-octane fuels thanks to a last-minute amendment to the 2023 FAA Reauthorization Bill. The bill was just passed by the House and awaits Senate review no sooner than September. Original language in the bill, carried over from the 2018 bill, appeared to require airports [...]
Reauthorization Amendment Allows Airports to Switch To Unleaded Fuels Only If Consensus Approved
Airports will have an easier time switching from 100LL to unleaded 100-octane fuels thanks to a last-minute amendment to the 2023 FAA Reauthorization Bill. The bill was just passed by the House and awaits Senate review no sooner than September. Original language in the bill, carried over from the 2018 bill, appeared to require airports to continue selling the same leaded fuels they offered in 2018 without respect to switching to unleaded avgas. California Rep.
Rep Jay Obernolte On Fielding Unleaded Fuels Original
The FAA’s 2023 Reauthorization Bill hit a snag when language in the bill appeared to require airports to continue selling 100LL gasoline. California Rep. Jay Obernolte explains to AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli how an amendment fixed the problem.
AirVenture 2023 Wrap-Up
A Bonanza pilot readies his aircraft before departing. If there was anything in particular that characterized this year’s AirVenture for me it was the emergence of a more positive outlook. Much of last year’s uncertainty about the supply chain and pandemic recovery efforts has faded and people were once again talking enthusiastically about the future of aviation rather than how to salvage what they could.
Continental Testing HVO for its Jet-A Engines Original
Home Aviation News Continental Testing HVO for its Jet-A Engines Sensitive to aviation as a source of green house gasses, Continental says it’s finishing up testing that will make HVO or hydrotreated vegetable oil a fuel option in its CD-100 series engines. There are three engines in the line, the CD-135, 155 and 170. All three are currently approved to use Jet-A. The company gave no date for the final approval of HVO, but bio-derived fuels are a growth industry for the diesel engine segment.
Light Sport Rule V 2.0: A (Qualified) Step Forward
Somewhere, in a hangar equipped with SolidWorks, an enterprising airplane designer is dreaming of finally putting a stake through the heart of the sclerotic Cessna 172. Fueling the fever dream is the just announced results of the FAA’s MOSAIC project to modernize the Light Sport Aircraft rule. We don’t have the final rules details yet, but the NPRM announcement suggests the thing is going in the right direction. For once.
New FAA Reauthorization Bill Would Prohibit Removing 100LL From Airports Original
Home Aviation News New FAA Reauthorization Bill Would Prohibit Removing 100LL From Airports The just-passed House FAA Reauthorization Bill would prevent airports from removing 100LL or offering unleaded fuels in lieu of leaded avgas under penalty of losing airport improvement grants.
40 Years Of RANS Aircraft—An Interview With Randy Schlitter - KITPLANES
Home Newsline News 40 Years Of RANS Aircraft—An Interview With Randy Schlitter Our colleague Paul Bertorelli over at AVweb spoke with RANS’ Randy Schlitter prior to AirVenture this year. Randy will concede there may be as many as 150 small aircraft manufacturers around the world, but not many are as prolific or creative as he has been in 50 years of running a company and 40 building airplanes. In this interview with he explains how the company has evolved and guesses where the industry is going.
Interview: 40 Years of RANS Aircraft Original
Veteran aircraft builder Randy Schlitter will concede there may be as many as 150 small aircraft manufacturers around the world, but not many are as prolific or creative as he has been in 50 years of running a company and 40 building airplanes. In this interview with AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli, Randy explains how the company has evolved and guesses where the industry is going.
Why No Love for the B-21? Original
When I was a budding juvenile delinquent growing up in the Texas oil patch, I was at least smart enough to get myself an aircraft identification book. I can’t remember the title, but I’d bet it was something like The Golden Book of Modern Airplanes. I had a lot of those Golden Books and I credit the series with my interest in both airplanes and pyromania. (The Golden Book of High Volatility Flammable Aromatic Hydrocarbons.) One of the airplanes in that book was the B-36 Peacemaker.
Pattern Wars: Part Deux
Sigh. They’re back. The modern resurrection of the pattern wars. As an inveterate FAA jailhouse lawyer, I already know the arguments. “Discouraged doesn’t mean prohibited.” “Advisory circulars aren’t regulatory, that’s why they’re called advisory.” “The FAA has no clue what’s really going on in traffic patterns.” And so on and on and on.
Electric Airplanes: Bailing Out
Given how much information hurls at us through our phones, our tablets and computers, not to mention the odorous miasma of cable news, you have to have either a heightened appreciation for the absurd or some kind of low dB auto filter just to make it to lunch. It’s not often that the deafening dissonance emerges from the sleepy world of general aviation, but we laid one on ya last week.
Poll: Do You Think the Boom Supersonic Airplane Will Succeed? Original
Yes, there’s a need for it.
Poll: Would You Buy Shares in a Small Airplane Company? Original
Ummm, let me think. No. Yes, if I were also buying the airplane. Have to be a very impressive company. Sure, a few shares for the thrill of it.
Cirrus Plans an IPO Original
When CubCrafters announced the novel idea of raising capital through a public stock offering last year, I think the general reaction was, well, that’s creative. Now along comes Cirrus with its own IPO plans, this time on the Hong Kong exchange, and it’s tempting to think we’ve got a full blown trend afoot here. But if reality is allowed to intrude, probably not.
Best of the Web: Early Analysis of Citation Crash Original
Home Multimedia Best of the Web: Early Analysis of Citation Crash In this brief video, AOPA Air Safety Institute’s Richard McSpadden runs through the likely scenarios that resulted in the June 4th, 2023 crash of a Citation in Virginia southwest of Washington, D.C. The pilot became unresponsive and F-16s dispatched to intercept the flight observed him slumped in the pilot seat.
Poll: Has Smoke From Forest Fires Impacted Your Flying? Original
Yes. Had to shutdown for a time. Somewhat. But it’s miserable to fly in. We’re in the smoky area, but no impact. No impact at all.
EAGLE and GAMI: Not a Transparent Process
Big league pitcher Gaylord Perry was famous for his goofy, hard-to-hit Vaseline ball, but he was equally renowned for his anemic bat. That led Giants manager Alvin Dark to observe of Perry, “There’ll be a man on the moon before he hits a home run.” In the third inning of a game against the Dodgers, Claude Osteen grooved a fastball that Perry knocked over the wall in Candlestick Park. It was around 1:45 p.m. on July 20, 1969.
Basic Med Three Year Report Card Has It Worked? Original
VIDEO Basic Med went into effect in May 2017 with high hopes. A recent FAA analysis of the program reveals that some 40,000 pilots have taken advantage of it. But the report also shows that Basic Med hasn’t really revitalized aviation in ways that some of hoped for. Veteran Aviation Medical Examiner Bill Blank wrote a report for MidWest Flyer Magazine and in this video, AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli talks to him about the analysis.
Electric Airliners? Don't Plan Your Trip Yet Original
“Don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle!,” was once the first idea every student learned—or at least heard—in Marketing 101. When the phrase was coined in the 1930s by Elmer Wheeler, it was accepted that there actually was a steak involved somewhere. Elmer would have swooned in the internet and social media age when even the sizzle is a figment of some bloodless, generative AI’s analysis of what’s certain to drive clicks.
How to Avoid Having a Skydiver for a Hood Ornament
Home Uncategorized How to Avoid Having a Skydiver for a Hood Ornament Pilots are often nervous about flying into or around airports with skydiving operations. There’s really no need to be, as Paul Bertorelli explains in this AVweb video. Just avoid the airport by three or four miles on the downwind side when transitioning and don’t overfly a dropzone airport if you’re landing there. Just fly a normal (not too tight) pattern. Thanks to Ed Scott at Jumpers Away for assistance in producing this video.
Poll: If You Had Your Choice In A New (Or Old) Airplane, Would It Be Center Stick, Yoke, Side Stick Or Side Controller?
Just for fun, this week's poll asks if you had a choice, would you rather fly with a center stick, a side stick, a yoke or a side controller.
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