Search Results for: wright

While most of us probably feel fortunate to be able to fly any kind of general aviation aircraft, most of us also have fantasies about owning and flying more expensive machines, including jets. A small number of us achieve that goal and obtain certification to operate small jets single-pilot. But the safety record of these operations is mixed. Some recent accidents point to gaps in the training and checking associated with single-pilot type ratings.

Remember those executive orders President Donald Trump issued early this year aimed at simplifying and cutting costs in government? My favorite was the one requiring agencies to repeal two existing regulations before creating a new one. Close on the heels of that came “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda,” which directed agencies to evaluate existing regulations […]

One of the staple features of cities of the future, if we can believe the artists and filmmakers who provide us with images of them, is the airborne taxi that whisks people from one strangely shaped building to another, heedless of the — presumably congested — streets below. These agile and convenient people­ pods, levitated, […]

It was only a matter of time before Ohio and North Carolina lawmakers responded to Connecticut’s latest proclamation and celebration of Gustave Whitehead. However, the subtlety is surprising. The German aviation pioneer was honored by two Connecticut towns last week, as local officials and aviation fans gathered to declare August 14 Gustave Whitehead Day, on […]

On Monday, officials from Bridgeport and Fairfield, Connecticut, once again staked their claim to the “First in Flight” and “birthplace of powered flight” bragging rights by declaring August 14 as Gustave Whitehead Day on the 116th anniversary of his alleged inaugural powered flight. Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim and Fairfield First Selectman Mike Tetreau were joined […]

For those who didn’t have the opportunity to read the April Jumpseat column, or for those who don’t recall, I conveyed a tale of woe regarding my airplane-buying experience. It had turned into a horror story. The 1972 Piper Arrow II I had purchased became a small nightmare when it was discovered by my observant […]

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.

Theodore Robert Wright III, a young serial entrepreneur and pilot who gained notoriety for chronicling his larger-than-life flying exploits in photos on Facebook and Instagram, now faces the prospect of spending much of the rest of his life in prison after federal law enforcement officials charged the 32-year-old with multiple counts of insurance fraud. Federal […]

Our coverage of the FAAs Compliance Philosophy (April 2016 and April 2017 and in this issue) begs the question of how generally well-intentioned and experienced pilots fall out of compliance in the first place. A little research shows that falling onto the dark side can be slow and insidious with undesired side effects, eventually capable of triggering an incident or accident. …

Which came first: the chicken or the Federal Egg Administration? Impossible to say. Physics teaches us that when Bernoulli found lift, his nemesis, Newton, said there must be an opposing reaction. So, when the Wright brothers flew, government pondered how to keep them from impacting all those other aeronauts. Little happened because of Newtons Law of Administrative Inertia: An agency at rest remains at rest until acted upon by an un-ignorable force. …