Search Results for: general aviation inc

After his airplane was reported overdue and missing, it took three days for searchers to locate the underwater crash site using side-scan sonar, and cable news breathlessly reported every development. This media event practically begged viewers to ask themselves, If someone with JFK, Jr.s resources cant fly a well-equipped small airplane, what chances do I have, or the person I met last night at that cocktail party? So, what to tell your in-laws or dinner-party guests, thats both accurate and reassuring?

Arguably the most challenging of all the Wright Brothers multiple successes involved mastering roll control. Pitch and yaw came relatively easy, but absent the ability to command a roll for a coordinated turn, aviation could go nowhere-at least nowhere near the intended heading. Their solution-wing warping-allowed for affirmative roll control and completed their mastery over all three axes.

Way back in the mid-1980s, when I purchased a 1946 Cessna 120-the same week I earned my private pilot certificate-I received my taildragger checkout from Mr. W.E. Dierking in Higginsville, Mo. Dirk had taught U.S. Navy cadets in Waco biplanes during WWII, and he sure taught me a lot about flying! One of the techniques Dirk suggested was to take off with the fuel selector on the left tank (there was no both position in the 46 Cessna), fly for an hour, and write down the time aloft.

If the U.S. general aviation industry has its way, a new FAA framework for certificating aircraft and components-including the ways new equipment is installed on in-service aircraft-would be in place by the end of the year. Thats one of the goals expressed in a joint statement supporting a proposed rewrite of the agencys Part 23 rules, those under which small airplanes are certificated and equipment for them is approved.

After my purgatory in West Chicago and three mostly great years in the Indianapolis FSDO, the FAA offered a transfer to Cincinnati. It was a bittersweet decision, and my boss, Jay Peterson, rather obliquely suggested I might want to stay put. He understood I was anxious to get back home, but he also knew the […]

When we look down at the wheels of airplanes, we generally see something round. Imagine the surprise when the gate personnel at London Heathrow Airport identified one of the 22 wheels on an Airbus A380 was essentially a perfect square. The A380 had just landed at Heathrow, and the British Airways flight had arrived after […]

Europes major general aviation show, Aero Friedrichshafen, opened in April with a focus on new technology. Prospective Icon A5 owners have been waiting years for their amphibious LSA, but this spring, many buyers balked at the 40-page contract they were asked to sign. In April, the Senate passed a new FAA funding bill that satisfied many general-aviation advocates, but the bill must still be reconciled with the House bill, which would shift control of ATC to a not-for-profit corporation, with scant support in GA groups.

Advisory Circulars are perhaps the least-read material published by the FAA, quite possibly due to their bureaucratic-sounding name. But if youre willing to go on a little scavenger hunt, youll likely find in-depth information on some of your favorite topics. There are hundreds of ACs, from how to build an airport to the inner workings of airworthiness standards. Of course, most of these have limited appeal, but if you just want some good nuggets about operating in the system, there are plenty of pilot-friendly items, too.

The Purdue Research Park Aerospace District in West Lafayette, Indiana, announced a partnership that will make the university a sales, maintenance and training center for Italy’s Tecnam, a maker of general aviation piston airplanes. “There is a tremendous challenge of pilot scarcity in U.S. aviation. One of our most important endeavors is to train and […]

Ahead of a public hearing on the FAA’s proposal to overhaul decades-old light aircraft certification rules several general aviation groups are signaling their strong support for the changes that aim to spur innovation, cut costs and improve safety. A coalition of general aviation groups encouraged the FAA in a joint letter to finish work on […]