Recent content by C Michael Hoover

Wing leading edge thermal anti-icing was discussed as far back as WWII, and was IIRC test flown by the Germans, though a 2 minute search did not find a cite for that. However, Boeing received a patent in 2002, and a German paper discussed as late as November 2019. IMHO trying it on Raptor...

I shut down Baltimore Washington International one morning at about 7:00 AM in low IFR conditions. I lost all electric when the alternator field connection failed at the alternator. As I broke out at about 200'AGL I couldn't find the airport,so I guessed that the four-lane beneath me was the...

You must have us confused with somewhere else. The north end of the runway ends with a drainage swale and then a field full of cattle and a few wildly braying donkeys. Biggest danger off the North end (if you clear the fence) is cows munching on your fabric or fiberglass. RVs are much safer here.

I am fortunate to live in paradise, aka X05, Pilot Country in Pasco County FL. We are a strange set-up. The runway and some shade hangers and a large hanger, the fuel sales, the ramp and some bare acreage is privately owned by a single individual. The taxiways/roads are owned and maintained...

Sorry Flywheel, I must disagree. PM doesn't do maths!

Washington Dulles (IAD) was a training tower back in the early nineties before United made it one of their hubs. Traffic was really light. Manassas airport is the GA airport 11 miles south and is pretty busy. One afternoon I was in Dulles' class B just southwest of IAD with Manassas in sight...

Wow! Only 38 hours and 8 minutes and Raptor will be fully sorted aircraft. /sarc off. The real fear for me is that PM will get more confidant and increase power, altitude, range from airport, speed, or some combination and something will break (redrive, engine, and control system are...

As Peter makes more flights, his confidence will increase. And that folks, is the real danger. He will get the pig faster and higher so when the inevitable happens it will hurt more. I don't see anything good coming from this.

As my brother (an RV-7 builder) always said; "If you don't have the time to do it right, how will you find the time to do it over."

It is apparent to almost of us here that completely independent of the myriad of engine issues, there are significant aerodynamic / aero control issues to be resolved. Maybe one of the YT / Go fund me "fans " can find a good used >500 cu in Lycoming or Continental and convince PM to do what so...

So, I watched the last two Raptor videos. In one Peter talked a bit about his efforts to keep the engine cool. Not being a thermodynamics expert, I have a question that someone may be able to answer. Peter is going to add two gallons of additional coolant to the reservoir. It seems to me...

If the concept of a 5 seat, 300 knot, pressurized 25k ft aircraft for $130,000, then, NO it is not valid. Those performance figures at that price point are valid on one day a year. April fools day. Now if your desire is to make a really wide 5 seat, poorly performing Velocity clone, then go...

What Peter proved to the intelligent ones among us (I count myself among the legions of the semi-intelligent) is that the entire project is a complete failure. That he made it to an altitude of ~350ft and half a pattern is either dumb luck or God's providence, depending on your point of view...