Search Results for: general aviation inc

Flying is a skill that requires knowledge in a wide range of subjects. And to stay proficient, you need to continuously study and experience these topics. One way our government giant, the FAA, is attempting to keep you out of trouble and keep your knowledge up to date is through its FAA Safety Team, or […]

Paul Poberezny was the founding president of the Experimental Aircraft Association from its creation in 1953, until he resigned in 1989. He then became Chairman of the Board, until 2010. Though he wasn’t the first person to build and fly his own airplane, he inspired tens of thousands of others to do what he had […]

Imagine you’re cruising high above an undercast, in smooth, clear skies. The GPS in your panel shows you making good time, with about an hour remaining to your destination. The Center frequency has been fairly quiet; you know there are a lot of other IFR airplanes out there, but everyone is settled into cruise so all you hear are the handoffs to the next sector or approach facility, or the occasional clearance for an approach into a rural airport. Then, without warning, your GPS advises it’s lost a usable signal. The magenta line by which you’ve been navigating direct to your destination airport disappears and you have no more groundspeed or position information. Everything else seems normal—it’s not an electrical failure, at least not to the airplane’s entire system—but you no longer have GPS navigation.

Ever wonder why we often refer to an airport as a “field?” One reason involves the relatively poor handling characteristics of early airplanes. What little was known about aerodynamics back in the day meant most airplanes were fairly unpleasant to fly and handled like the powered kites they were. Takeoffs and landings had to be into the wind, thanks to those abysmal handling characteristics. The airports in use then were, in fact, large fields, always allowing pilots to point into the wind for takeoff and landing. Thankfully, those days are gone, although those airplanes still can be fun to fly. Meanwhile, progress in designing both airplanes and airports has resulted in beautifully engineered facilities and machines capable of using them.

A lawsuit filed last week by the environmental protection group Friends of the Earth is drawing renewed attention to the debate over leaded avgas, prompting a number of aviation industry leaders to speak out in defense of the industry’s progress on the issue. The suit, filed against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), alleges the EPA […]

The Blue Ash Airport (KISZ) outside Cincinnati, Ohio, will close this summer, if the city of Cincinnati has its way. In a statement issued on March 8, city manager Milton Doheny revealed that “the city administration is providing notice to the FAA, the city of Blue Ash, and the current Blue Ash airport tenants and […]

In its latest annual industry forecast, the FAA predicts the number of general aviation piston airplanes will decline at a rate of 0.1 percent over the next 20 years, even as airline and business jet travel greatly expand. The forecast’s findings, presented at the 37th Annual FAA Forecast Conference in Washington, D.C., last week, project […]

The FAA is asking the public to weigh in on the criteria for six future unmanned aircraft test sites in the United States in anticipation of the larger integration of drones slated to take place in North American airspace over the next few years. The comment period, which officially opens on Friday, will remain active […]

Despite a tumultuous year that saw the company pushed to the verge of bankruptcy, Diamond Aircraft‘s sales increased by a healthy 33 percent last year, according to Q4 numbers released by the company. Diamond said it made a total of 185 deliveries last year, a substantial leap from the 139 deliveries made in the year […]

Although winter flying can be some of the most rewarding available to an active pilot, not all of us can work out the timing, the short days and the weather enough to go aviate in the cold and damp. Along the way, we’re suddenly not as good at this flying “thing” as we were a few short months ago. But the coming spring promises longer days and warmer temperatures. It’s flying season again, time to unlimber your airplane, even as you ponder your atrophied skills. You don’t need a BFR, and you’re not ready for an IPC, even if you may need one. You just need to get back in the saddle after a few months away. Find your airplane keys, or schedule your favorite airplane at the club/FBO, then put together a plan for the upcoming flight.