Lewis University flight instructor and 2010 alumnus Leif Holmstrand recently returned from launching the aviation dreams of 15 high school students enrolled in the Legacy Flight Academy in Tuskegee, Ala. The two-week program was held at Moton Field, Ala., the initial flight training location for the Tuskegee Airman.
Black Sky Training offers hypoxia training
Black Sky Training will begin offering a specialized series of courses for general aviation pilots. Psychological training, including recognizing and reacting to hypoxia, will be given in one of the only privately owned and operated hypoberic chambers in the U.S.
Breitling contest winner earns his pilot’s license
Swiss watch manufacturer Breitling is congratulating Facebook photo contest winner Jeremy P. Hampton from Overland Park, Kansas, on completing his 11-month training program necessary to officially receive his pilot’s license, the grand prize for the contest the company sponsored just over one year ago.
Norway flight school orders Skycatchers
Cessna reports it sold three Skycatchers at AirVenture 2012 in Oshkosh. Executives with Pilot Academy of Sandefjord, Norway, noted that the effort to facilitate EASA certification by moving the Skycatcher into the primary category with the FAA played a large role in the decision.
Precision Flight Controls debuts two training devices
Precision Flight Controls introduced two new products at Airventure: An FAA-approved Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD), the CRX-MAX, and the GT (Glass Trainer), which is pending FAA AATD approval. [Read more…]
Going back to school gets specialized
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport may not be a name that trips off the tongue particularly well. But maybe it should be. Because word has leaked out of the high security vault in that corner of the Florida panhandle that going back to school is going to be a whole heck of a lot more interesting for a bunch of high school students this year – thanks to a company named Island Air Express and a guy named Ron Jarmon.
Will Generation Y be pilots?
Several recent, seemingly unrelated reports pose issues in our hopes for a new generation of pilots. Boeing’s July announcement that half a million airline pilots will be needed worldwide by 2031 made big news. But many of us have heard such news before. And this time, there are new caveats and wrinkles.
One that caught my eye was a Frontier Group study “Transportation and the New Generation” cited in MOTOR TREND. It said the share of 14- to 34-year-olds without a driver’s license was up to 26% in 2010 from 21% in 2000. MOTOR TREND worries that young people are weaning themselves from cars and driving. Compared to the mechanically minded “motorhead” generations of yore, this could be more than just a trend toward big-city mass transit or close-in suburban living. At the least, it’s a symptom of generational poor incomes and gas prices that affect flying and flight training, too.
Chesapeake Sport Pilot offers flight training to wheelchair aviators
Chesapeake Sport Pilot in Stevensville, Maryland, now offers flight training to pilots who require hand controls rather than traditional aircraft foot controls to fly. This training is made possible by a specially outfitted CT LS light sport airplane that is being leased to Chesapeake Sport Pilot by Joseph D’Aguiar.
SAFE Pilot Proficient Project deemed a success
More on 650 aviators participated in the new Pilot Proficiency Project spearheaded by the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) at AirVenture. Conceived by SAFE, presented in partnership with Redbird Flight Simulations, and hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), SAFE member-instructors presented 14 forums, while all 58 simulator training sessions in the Redbird FMX were filled as well, with daily slots booking completely within the first two hours each day, while more than 50 pilots received instruction in Redbird’s Crosswind Trainer. Pilots who participated in the project also qualified for WINGS credit.
Jeppesen debuts e-learning program for GPSMAP 696
Jeppesen now offers computer-based training for the popular Garmin GPSMAP 696 avionics.