If you’ve spent any time at Sun ’n Fun, you’ve probably run into Pat or Vic Boyce. The couple are known around the grounds as “go-to” people. You need an answer? Pat will find it for you. Need someone to run the workshops or raise money for a state-of-the art telescope? Vic’s your man. Originally […]
Boom time for Florida’s Palatka Airport
“This is not an airport. This is a business center,” says Glenn Ball, manager of Palatka Municipal Airport (28J) in northern Florida. “There’s a difference.” Everywhere you look around the city of Palatka, something is being built. Marinas, restaurants and motels are going up on the St. Johns River shores. Inland, it’s industrial buildings ranging […]
On ‘Chemtrail’ and other irrationalities, including NORAD’s
If you’ve never heard of chemtrails, don’t feel badly. I thought I’d heard most of the nutty notions affecting aviation, until a friend suggested running a Google search on chemtrails. Try it. You’ll be astonished by the concept, to begin with, and the enormous number of pages devoted to it. In sum, chemtrails enthusiasts say […]
Lycoming ‘retires’ questionable crankshafts
Lycoming has issued Mandatory Service Bulletin 569, which effectively “retires” – to use Lycoming’s word – more than 5,000 crankshafts that the company suspects may be faulty. “Lycoming has continued to analyze crankshafts in service,” the bulletin states. “While there have been no failures in the crankshafts which are the subject of this Service Bulletin, […]
Fred Quarles is an axemplary Southern Aviator
“General aviation pilots are an untapped national resource,” says Fred Quarles. He reached that conclusion after organizing a phenomenally successful effort to rescue survivors of Hurricane Katrina, many of whom were facing imminent death. Quarles, who operates an international aircraft delivery service based in Charlottesville, Virginia, organized the rescue effort, called Operation Teacup, immediately after […]
User fees inevitable?
Last November, at AOPA Expo, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta claimed that the FAA’s funding problems wouldn’t be solved by user fees. “The fuel tax is the best way to finance the needs of aviation,” he told a standing-room-only crowd of pilots. But Mineta’s tune has changed. Late last month, Mineta told the Aero Club of […]
Down at sea: Personal beacon a vital piece of equipment for all seaplane pilots
Survival equipment is vital to anyone flying over water. Whether in a great ocean or large lake, a person – or even several people – in the water can be nearly impossible for searchers to find. The longer a survivor spends in water, even relatively warm water, the less his chances of survival. Being found […]
Sweets from the Smithsonian
Part of the fun of visiting an aviation museum is bringing home a keepsake – or two. At the Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C., an M&M candy dispenser is the big item this year, according to spokesman Mike Marcus. “We partnered with Mars Candy and have a limited edition collectors M&M dispenser,” he […]
Sticker shock at the avgas pump? Power Flow Systems may have a solution
Experiencing sticker shock at the avgas pump these days? Beyond cruising at reduced power settings to conserve fuel, what else can be done? Perhaps Power Flow Systems (PFS) of Daytona Beach, Fla. has the answer, providing more speed for the same fuel consumption or the same speed you now enjoy at a reduced burn. No […]