I think Ben Visser was spot on in his Sept. 7 piece, The definition of insanity, when he cites the old 80/20 rule regarding 100LL use. I believe it is indeed 20% of the GA fleet, the Navajos, the Barons, the Cessna 400 series, etc., that are burning 80% of the 100LL produced. But I […]
Success of Edge speaks for itself
In the story Wonder Woman: Patty Wagstaff Commands the Skies in the July 20 issue, writer J. Douglas Hinton asked: “We’ve noticed that some of the better known aerobatic pilots, such as Kirby Chambliss, have switched to the Edge and others, the French CAP. What’s your take on that?” Wagstaff replied: “Every airplane is a […]
The Largest OSH Formation?
Meg Godlewski’s article in the Aug. 24 issue, Formation flight honors Van’s RVs, quoted Stu McCurdy as stating that the 35 ship RV formation flown this year was the largest ever at Oshkosh. He is not even close to correct! In 1999, the T-34 Association put up a 61-ship formation, and I am quite sure […]
Bush TFR ‘kills’ a fly-in
Some of the pilots flying to the annual Hagerstown Fly-In in Maryland in antique airplanes without radios found themselves in unexpected trouble Oct. 7. At least a dozen flew into airspace they didn’t know had been restricted for a visit by President Bush to a memorial service for firefighters. According to the FAA, an unusually […]
FAA wants aircraft equipped for ADS-B by 2020
The FAA has issued a notice of proposed rule making that spells out initial equipment requirements for the Next Generation of air traffic control. The proposal would require all aircraft flying in the nation’s busiest airspace to have satellite-based avionics by 2020, enabling controllers to track them using Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B), which is […]
Flock of bizjets in development
Demand for new business jets, and VLJs in particular, is strong and growing, according to speakers at an AOPA Expo forum earlier this month. One speaker listed 22 new jets in development – not all of them VLJs, however – and seven more that have been certified recently. The panel was in agreement that the […]
Student pilot wins Sporty’s sweepstakes plane
Otto Sorg of Dexter, Michigan, is the winner of Sporty’s 2007 Sweepstakes Aircraft, a Cessna Skyhawk SP equipped with a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit. Sorg, a software analyst, took delivery of his airplane in late September, accompanied by his wife, Linda, and his flight instructor, Theresa Whiting. Sorg’s interest in airplanes developed as a paratrooper […]
Diamond polishes up two new gems
Diamond Aircraft introduced two new versions of its DA40 DiamondStar at this month’s AOPA Expo: the DA40 XLS, its top of the line, loaded model with a new “platinum” interior; and the DA40 CS, a four-place, constant speed version that can be customize with a range of options to tailor it to individual needs.
Linbergh Foundation seeks partners
The Lindbergh Foundation recently launched the “Lindbergh Partners” program, aimed largely at aviation companies, which provides corporations with opportunities to become part of the Lindbergh legacy. “The Lindbergh Partners program is an effort that achieves two important objectives,” said John King, co-chairman of King Schools and recently elected chairman of the board of the Lindbergh […]