From The Editor - Never Ending Learning Process

By Steven D. Werner

Trainer planes come in all shapes and sizes, as do pilots. But all aviators seem to be dreamers. Fourteen-year-old Jonathan Strickland set a goal, worked hard and made his visions a reality. We traveled with Jonathan to Canada, where he soloed both a Cessna 152 and Robinson R22 on the same day, becoming the youngest person ever to do so!

Senior Editor Bill Cox reports on the Liberty XL-2, a two-seat trainer powered by a FADEC-controlled Continental IOF-240B. The roomy aircraft has a conventional stick, but brakes are controlled via a finger lever on the center console. For more advanced students, the Piper Seminole is a popular choice among entry-level multi-engine trainers. Students and instructors love the aircraft’s gentle handling
characteristics; schools love its easy maintainability.

Even if you already have every rating you’ve ever wanted, you can still train to keep your skills sharp. Budd Davisson walks us through the Practical Test Standards as he challenges pilots to perform checkrides on themselves. And if you’ve got the pre-checkride jitters, you’re not alone. We take our checkride in a Cirrus SR22 and realize that it’s normal to be nervous before meeting the FAA examiner.

Also in this issue, author John Ruley reviews Microsoft Flight Simulator X, which features aircraft from a J-3 Cub to an Extra 300 and a Boeing 747. With several airplanes, the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit is an option.

In continuing our increased coverage of light-sport aircraft, we bring you the Czech-built Skylark. The all-metal aircraft has a large cabin with a forward-sliding canopy and conventional stick.