What’s in a name?

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We live in a rural community and I have been elected to the township board for the last few years. A couple of years ago, the board applied for a grant to replace all of the traffic signs in our township. We won the grant and received the new signs.

A few weeks ago, I got a call from a representative from the company that has the contract to install the new signs, and they wanted to set up an appointment for us to select new signs for our township.  I tried to explain that our township had already received the new signs.  The representative said that was ok — they would just go ahead and replace all of our new signs because it would not cost our township a cent.

I did not handle this reasoning well and immediately called several county and state officials and got it changed.  I am old fashioned and believe that wasting even federal government money is still a waste.

This immediately brought to mind the program to replace 100LL with an unleaded product.  Here the federal government and others are spending large sums of money to solve a problem that does not exist except in their minds, but will create real problems in general aviation with their “solution.”

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Revised sleep apnea policy responds to GA’s concerns

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For moderate to severe sleep apnea, the most common treatment is the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or automatic positive airway pressure (APAP) device

More than a year of lobbying work by general aviation’s advocacy groups on the FAA’s sleep apnea policy has brought considerable revisions to the agency’s original proposal, which would have forced costly sleep studies on pilots even if they had shown no symptoms of the disorder.

The new policy, which takes effect March 2, will not disqualify pilots from receiving a medical certificate based solely on body mass index (BMI). Pilots believed to be at risk for the condition will receive a regular medical certificate and be required to undergo a follow-up assessment. Those who are diagnosed with the condition must receive treatment to continue flying. [Read more…]

Can you guess the world’s most popular airplane?

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172Skyhawk

It’s not often we get general aviation news off The Motley Fool, but the investment website teased this headline recently: Can you guess the world’s most popular airplane? (Hint: It’s Not From Boeing or Airbus).

Blogger Alexander MacLennan, who writes about “Industrials, Airlines, and Financial companies,” opens his post with: “Aerospace manufacturers Boeing and Airbus may be among the best known aircraft makers but neither one makes the most produced or most sold aircraft in the world. That honor belongs to Cessna, now part of Textron, for the Cessna 172 Skyhawk; an aircraft that has produced and sold over 43,000 units and remains in production today. Between Boeing and Airbus, the most popular model is the Boeing 73,7 which has received about 12,600 orders and delivered just over 8,000 units.”

Letter: Dismantle the FAA’s involvement in medical certification?

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By Jim Posner, Poulsbo, Wash.

I have long thought that the FAA should NOT be in the medical certification business, at least for Part 91 operations.  Ever since my denial – despite letters from my doctors specifically stating that I am good to go – I have tried to understand why they should consider themselves more qualified to determine my fitness to fly than my own experts.  I am not a doctor nor do I have any medical training.  My primary care physician is a former AME-equivalent in the military so is very familiar with “fitness to fly” criteria. [Read more…]

Accidental trim activation leads to accident

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The private pilot and a CFI were on an instructional flight in a Cessna 172 near Peoria, Illinois. The airplane was equipped with an electric trim activation switch on the yoke.

According to the private pilot, during the takeoff shortly after rotation, the nose pitched downward and the plane bounced on the runway. The CFI took control of the airplane and attempted to abort the takeoff, but the plane bounced several more times before the nosewheel collapsed and the airplane slid to a stop. [Read more…]