Search Results for: general aviation inc

Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:’t07n2iN7TClvO6pAnDxrmg’,sig:’ZbvsBr5CFNfpGZ-REU4MFkio8Oo-RV43YKO1dLqVHC0=’,w:’650px’,h:’390px’,items:’693068786′,caption: true ,tld:’com’,is360: false })}); Maybe now Bill Shuster, Donald Trump, Elaine Chao and Sam Graves will finally give up on their plan to remove air traffic control from the FAA and hand it over to a nonprofit corporation. The four main backers of the proposal received some devastating news yesterday as […]

I’ve been reading this magazine for two-thirds of my life, ever since I was an eager-eyed lad of 12. Back then, the arrival of Flying‘s newest issue was a highlight of my month. I’d read Len Morgan first, then Gordon Baxter, then Mac McClellan, Dick Collins and Peter Garrison, and then everything else. I had […]

The mobilization efforts by advocacy groups fighting to defeat H.R. 2997 (the ATC bill promoted by Rep. Bill Shuster R-PA) and the effort to privatize the ATC system show no signs of letting up, despite the August Congressional recess. While progress to pass H.R. 2997 appears to have slowed somewhat, or at least the publicity […]

This is an old story, but it’s one I still think about often. In January 1960, I found myself in the right seat of an 85 hp Luscombe 8F on top of a thick layer of smog blanketing the infamous Los Angeles basin, the setting sun perilously close to the western horizon. The pilot, my […]

Most of us start our piloting careers in some sort of basic trainer. Some pilots flying purely for sport or recreation may stay with simple fixed-gear airplanes and stick to VFR conditions. Others learned to fly to travel somewhere for some purpose and on their own schedule. Nothing beats a personal airplane for that purpose, but trying to do it single-pilot in all-weather conditions can tax even the most capable general aviation pilots. As Dave Higdon explored in last months article, Entry-Level Travel, its possible to use simple fixed-gear airplanes for personal transportation, but a more-capable airplane makes it easier.

Stabilized approaches have gotten a lot attention lately, not only with those who fly airplanes, but also with the general public. The proliferation of video cameras has done quite a good job of educating people on how an otherwise airworthy aircraft can be flown into the ground. As the images play out on the screen, a disembodied voice inevitably will at some point attribute the carnage to an approach that was not stabilized.While the voice might not mention just what that thing that was lacking in said accident really is, people will at least remember the phrase the same way they remember words such as shark, fire, disco or myocardial infarction. The true meaning is vague, but they do know it is usually associated with something bad. With that in mind, lets add some clarity by reviewing what a stabilized approach is. Perhaps if we understand what it is, we can then fly it.

Everything that can be invented has been invented is a popular quote attributed to Charles H. Duell, commissioner of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from 1898 to 1901. Today, the quote often is used to ridicule those who refuse to embrace the latest technology or believe nothing new will be forthcoming. The thing is, Duell never said that. He said quite the opposite instead: In my opinion, all previous advances in the various lines of invention will appear totally insignificant when compared with those which the present century will witness. Yet, hes not remembered for that statement, only the former, erroneous one.

The battle lines have been drawn. The airlines want to privatize air traffic control, while general aviation interests remain steadfastly opposed. Linked with the plan to sever ATC from the FAA come real concerns about whether supporters are avoiding the most pertinent questions, such as how privatizing ATC will solve modernization issues, or whether Congress […]

I’m sitting on a remote dry lake bed in Utah, having a fabulous catered lunch consisting of a variety of scrumptious fresh berries, sandwiches and cookies. It’s as far from the hustle and bustle as you can get. The faintest wind gust is audible, and each step I take on the fine-grained sediment creates a […]

I submitted a PIREP yesterday that didnt get disseminated properly. Not only did it not show up during the 1.7 hours left in the flight, it wasnt listed when I checked after landing on the aviationweather.gov/adds web site for PIREPs in the previous eight hours. However, after submitting an inquiry about this to Lockheed Martin, it showed up the next morning (about 20 hours after the flight).