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Readback: May 2017

Im not sure why you think general aviation is dying as you state in your Remarks in March. Kit aircraft are flying off the shelves and many are backordered. Deposits are even flying in for aircraft kits that arent in production yet. We have so much business instructing that we have to turn some away due to not enough pilots and aircraft in the fleet.

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • While some perceive general aviation to be thriving based on anecdotal evidence like kit sales, official FAA data indicates a decline in new student starts and GAMA data shows flat to decreasing new piston aircraft sales compared to historical peaks.
  • The unusually high 15,000-foot Minimum Safe Altitude (MSA) for RNAV approaches at KMTH is due to a 14,000-foot tethered radar balloon within a restricted area, which cannot be segmented from RNAV approach MSAs.
  • An NTSB recommendation following a fatal 1991 runway collision suggested aircraft line up slightly off-center during "lineup and wait" to enhance conspicuity, but this safety practice appears to have been largely forgotten.
  • A confusing instrument approach procedure that required VORTAC navigation before tracking the localizer was likely a design error, which has since been corrected by an amendment to the procedure.
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It’s Great Here

I’m not sure why you think general aviation is dying as you state in your Remarks in March. Kit aircraft are flying off the shelves and many are backordered. Deposits are even flying in for aircraft kits that aren’t in production yet. We have so much business instructing that we have to turn some away due to not enough pilots and aircraft in the fleet.

George, Tamayo
Llano, CA

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