Search Results for: general aviation inc

On Monday FAA Administrator Michael Huerta met with general aviation leaders to discuss improving safety. There were 259 fatal accidents in 2013 with 449 total lives lost. That represents virtually flat numbers over the past six years, though the nature of accidents is changing. For example, accidents attributed to controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) are […]

With one day left to go in the month, January 2014 is shaping up to be one of the safest ever in terms of general aviation fatal accidents and fatalities. Perhaps coincidentally, it was also one of the coldest months in decades. There have been four fatal crashes this month in the United States involving […]

The $1.1 trillion government spending bill passed by Congress includes money for the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI), an FAA plan to start the transition to high-octane unleaded piston aviation fuel by 2018. The appropriation for fuel research was slightly higher than the requested level through fiscal year 2014. PAFI is an FAA/industry partnership that […]

A few years back, a Cessna 172 pilot had trouble starting his airplane and decided to hand-prop it near the Typhoon restaurant at the Santa Monica airport. No one was inside the Skyhawk. The engine spun up, and the airplane made a solo trip across runway 21. In the process, it made a business jet […]

The lobby of the Hilton Hotel across from the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, is packed with conventioneers. They are making a joyous noise. I am looking for Phil Smith among the throng; we will be joined at the hip for the better part of a month as we progress through “Indoc” at […]

December 1, 2013, Yellow Pine, Idaho Beech B36TC Turbocharged BonanzaAt 1303 Mountain time, radar and radio communication with the aircraft were lost. The instrument-rated private pilot and his four passengers are missing at this writing; the airplane has not been located. Instrument conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan was in effect. While cruising at 13,000 […]

It was a spectacularly clear spring day in Lakeland, Florida. My wife, Cathy, and I were sauntering from exhibit to exhibit with four friends at Sun ’n Fun. The airshow had just begun. A fleet of Pitts Specials screamed by. We were just talking to Darryl Taylor of Van Bortel Aircraft in Texas about the […]

Flying takes a look back at the biggest events of the year 2013.

At around 1515 Central time, the airplane impacted terrain. There were no reported witnesses to the accident. The private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured; one passenger received serious injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan had been filed.

Gallup reported today that Congress’ approval rating has dropped to 14 percent, the lowest figure in four decades of polling. The recent battles over the budget and health care are driving the public’s exasperation with the House and Senate, and rightly so. But pilots shouldn’t be so quick to criticize. Never have we enjoyed a […]