Google, the online everything company, is offering a prize that could reach $30 million to anyone who can send an unmanned vehicle to the Moon, land it there successfully, keep it running through the night, discover ice, transmit data back to Earth, and complete several other interesting tasks by 2012. Like Google itself, the prize […]
The “Greenies” are coming and we’d better watch out
I don’t want to seem like an alarmist, but the new environmental religion has become a threat to aviation, and the threat is very real. Ten protesters at London’s Biggin Hill were arrested last month while blocking access to private aircraft, which make up most of the traffic at that historic airfield. They were protesting […]
Third time the charm? Symphony to get new owner next month, but who?
A new owner for Symphony Aircraft, which filed for bankruptcy last year, is expected to take over operations next month. But the big question is who? A bid for the company, which has been in liquidation for the past year, was made earlier this year by a Canadian firm. If all goes well, that firm […]
A cure for traffic jams
Would you rather have a Cessna 172 orbiting above you or be parked in traffic on the interstate for several hours while law enforcement officers investigate an accident? The Wisconsin State Patrol has a pretty good idea what the answer is. The agency uses a 2001 Cessna 172SP for, among other things, accident investigation. According […]
Would you like mustard with that?
Each Saturday, Sporty’s Pilot Shop at Clermont County/Sporty’s Airport (I69) in Batavia, Ohio, welcomes visitors with a cookout. Guests are invited to chow down on hot dogs and do a little shopping. Since they started serving up the dogs in 1992, they’ve fed a lot of hungry aviators. How many you ask? Earlier this summer, […]
Seawind down but not out: One financial backer lost but alternative funding still being sought
Dick Silva, president of Seawind Aircraft, said on Sept. 13 that the company has suspended operations after losing one backer, but is seeking replacement funds. So far, about 70% of what is needed to resume operations has been committed, he told General Aviation News. Operations were suspended after the mysterious crash of the Seawind 300C […]
An Appreciation: William T. Piper Jr., a pleasant man of accomplishment
He was a son of William T. Piper, who made the Piper Cub a synonym for any airplane that was neither military nor an airliner, but he did not live in the shadow of his more famous father, having made his own, if less-known, name in aviation and beyond. Bill Piper Jr., a man of […]
Top 10 Pilot Mistakes: the view from the tower
What are the top 10 pilot mistakes? Ask any pilot or flight instructor and they’ll have their own lists. But what do air traffic controllers see as the biggest problems? Controllers laid out what they think are the top 10 mistakes at this year’s AirVenture in a Letterman-styled list: #10: Not Knowing Where You Are. […]
Are three parachutes better than one?Start-up company is betting on it
A family owned company is developing a emergency landing system for GA planes that uses three parachutes. The ASR TriChute Landing System features one parachute for the plane’s fuselage and a parachute for each wing. “The fact is, three parachutes are better than one,” explained Dario Manfredi, a finance executive who is the son of […]