A Covallis, Ore., man got more than he bargained for when his parents gave him a flat-screen Toshiba television. He knew the set came with a built-in VCR, DVD and CD player, but what he didn’t know was that the TV was sending out a signal identical to that of an Emergency Locator Transmitter. The […]
To infinity and beyond
How do Americans feel about space travel? A new study on space exploration found that 69% support the space program, according to Dittmar Associates, which interviewed 1,000 people across the country. Some highlights of the study: – About 65% approve of returning to the moon, but just 18% support sending humans to Mars. – International […]
Eclipse flies United
Eclipse Aviation has formed a strategic relationship with United Airlines to provide training. The idea is to provide “a level of professional training normally available only to airline pilots,” according to Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn. Originally, Eclipse had intended to develop its own training program, but concluded that United could “translate airline style training into […]
Flying High (Book Review)
Can a hyperactive, teetotalling, non-flying entrepreneur, whose first business went bankrupt and who was fired by a top company, do anything significant in the airline business? If your name is David Neeleman, the answer is a high-flying “yes,” as told in the new book “Flying High, How JetBlue Founder and CEO David Neeleman Beats the […]
A toy shop for all ages
Carl and Joy Proetschel didn’t have much luck when they tried to find gifts for a young son whose third word was “airplane.” “We found things here and there, but it took a lot of looking and there just wasn’t one good source,” Joy said. “After a lot of frustration, Carl said, ‘Why don’t we […]
‘My First Log Book’ – a gift for all ages
My First Log Book, with “…and Activity Book” as a too-easily-overlooked subtitle, is one of those great ideas for children who fly, whether via general aviation or the airlines. Not only does it encourage children to write about their travels and the things they observe along the way, but it includes activities such as mazes […]
George — A new autopilot makes the trip easier
In June, I flew my plane 38.4 hours, of which 37.3 were all cross-country. I was in IMC for 15.9 of those hours and shot two localizer, two ILS, and two GPS approaches — and all six were to within 100 feet of minimums. My personal airline had a 100% dispatch reliability and on time […]
In the zone
My Cardinal RG recently returned to service after a pretty extensive annual inspection. The 12 months leading up to that annual were good because not one trip was canceled due to maintenance problems and only one trip was delayed. In fact, on that particular trip, to Mt. Washington, N.H., I actually had two “mechanical” problems. […]
Canadian Connection
What better way to end another great year of traveling in my Cardinal RG than a December business trip to Canada? (Yeah, I know, a better way might have been a trip to the Bahamas.) Wheels up from my Rowan County, N.C., airport (RUQ) base at 1 p.m., with an OAT of 55°, and 3.5 […]