is this legal???????

[BigTruck]

 Wow!  Thanks for digging that up  :)

[skoker]

Did you actually see it fly? Cause it could just be sitting there waiting for maintenance.

True... looking at it again, I think it could be chancy flying it like that because of the exposed baffling... not really made to meet theslipstream head-on like that (?).

Sean, you think that is chancy, I seem to remember you flying around without the skin on top of the wing!!!!!!!!

[firemonte007]

Did you actually see it fly? Cause it could just be sitting there waiting for maintenance.

i didnt see it fly in like that...it is not a cessna that is normally at the airport so i thought it flew in like that.

[Splinter562]

I saw this Cessna at my home airport last night and i dont know if i would have flown this in like this...is this even safe? let alone legal to fly?

I am assuming this is your average Cessna (that is to say it has a standard airworthiness certificate and is not an experimental).

The FARs do not say you need to have a cowling to fly... however, that does not necessarily make it legal. To truly answer the question, you'd have to refer to the aircraft's equipment list. If the equipment list marks the cowling as required equipment, than you cannot legally operate without it. If the manufacturer determines that the aircraft cannot be safely operated without the cowling (due to cooling or some other reason) they may choose to list it as required in the equipment list.

What is probably a more common example of this is aircraft operating without a prop spinner. On some aircraft, the spinner is listed as optional equipment, so the owner may choose to remove it and still operate the aircraft legally. On other aircraft, the spinner is listed as required equipment, so that aircraft cannot be legally operated without the spinner.

The final line of defense in all of this is, of course, the pilot in command. The PIC is ultimately responsible for determining whether the aircraft is safe for flight. So, if the aircraft technically meets the requirements but you personally believe it is unsafe, it is illegal to operate the aircraft.

[Willit Run]

Did you actually see it fly? Cause it could just be sitting there waiting for maintenance.

True... looking at it again, I think it could be chancy flying it like that because of the exposed baffling... not really made to meet theslipstream head-on like that (?).

Sean, you think that is chancy, I seem to remember you flying around without the skin on top of the wing!!!!!!!!

[skoker]

Did you actually see it fly? Cause it could just be sitting there waiting for maintenance.

True... looking at it again, I think it could be chancy flying it like that because of the exposed baffling... not really made to meet theslipstream head-on like that (?).

Sean, you think that is chancy, I seem to remember you flying around without the skin on top of the wing!!!!!!!!