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Going Direct by Robert Goyer

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About Robert Goyer

In Going Direct, Robert Goyer airs his thoughts on some of the most controversial aviation issues of the day.

Robert has been with Flying since 1994. During that time he was written and photographed hundreds of feature stories on a wide variety of topics. Read full bio >

Tort Reform and Profit Margins
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(Photo courtesy of Cessna)

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In my recent article on Cessna's seminal single, the 172 Skyhawk, I mentioned that the company had discontinued its piston sales in the 1980s in the midst of a soft market. A few readers emailed to ask (very nicely) if I'd forgotten the product liability link to Cessna's cessation of piston production. I hadn't.

A Hundred Years of Cross Country Flight
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The Vin Fiz

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When truly personal aviation came about after the end of World War I, less than a hundred years ago, the nation was opened up to its citizens in a way it had never before been. Arguably the beginning of this tradition is the first transcontinental crossing of the United States in an airplane, the flight of the Vin Fiz by Cal Rodgers a hundred years ago. Rodgers was a beginning pilot who was deaf and chain smoked cigars, even while flying in his open cockpit Wright biplane.

Sensor Sensitivity
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Illustration courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense
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I was intrigued by the capture of a U.S. drone aircraft by Iranian forces last month, who claim to have done it by spoofing the GPS signal that guided the drone, fooling into thinking it was landing back in Afghanistan when it was actually touching down in Iran.

I have to admit that what intrigues me is not the admittedly important military and political ramifications of the incident but the practical ramifications of it to United States National Airspace System (NAS) plans.

7 Great Things about Flying
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Let me start by saying that the easiest thing in the world to be is a pessimist, and in many ways, it's a cop out. Instead of focusing on what's right, set your sights on what's wrong, blame others and throw up your hands.

It's not the way I was raised to see the world.

AeroNav's Epic Fail: Blame it on Steve Jobs
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The FAA's AeroNav division held a meeting the other day for 70-some aviation app developers about its "plan" to launch a fee-based data dissemination system. Currently, app developers, and the general public for that matter, can get AeroNav's nav data for free.

DUI Fallout: What happens to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt now?
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FAA Administrator Randy
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This past weekend FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt was arrested for DUI in Fairfax, Virginia, after being stopped reportedly driving on the wrong side of Old Lee Road, a boulevard in Fairfax. Babbitt was reportedly alone and wasn't involved in an accident. Fairfax doesn't release blood alcohol content test results on those arrested for DUI; the maximum legal blood alcohol level in Virginia is .08.

A Gift of Flight
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Robert Goyer with his dad, Norm.

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A retrospective look at a blog Robert published two years ago at this time. His dad is still doing well and, at 86, contributing regularly to an online news letter and occasionally to Flyingmag.com.

At this time of year it's usually pretty easy to get caught up in the bustle and forget what the season is really about. But not this year. Not for me.

I come from an airplane family, and that's something I'm grateful for. I have one person to thank for this, my dad, Norm Goyer, who turned 84 last July and who works as an aviation writer today.

Arizona Tragedy: Superstition Mountains Crash's Sad Lessons
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Note: I wrote this piece shortly after the crash of a Turbo Commander last Wednesday in which six persished. Many details were still unknown--the exact model of aircraft that crashed was still in dispute--and I made clear that his was not a speculative piece trying to glean a probable cause but rather a personal reflection. As a pilot certain accidents affect me--and all of those of us who fly--differently than they do non-pilots.

FAA Aeronav Needs to Abandon Scheme to Charge for Data
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I posted a story last week about the FAA hatching a poorly thought-out plan to bring in revenue by charging charting companies for their use of FAA digital data. As part of this plan the agency would also prohibit individuals from obtaining the data. The story has generated a lot of response from pilots and developers, and nearly every one of them is deeply disturbed by the plan.

What the Diamond Deal Means
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Diamond Aircraft's D-Jet

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Single-engine jets? Diamonds in the rough, or albatrosses? That's the question that springs to mind as yet another North American aviation company gets snapped up by foreign investors.

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