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 […]
Not just for the big boys
The twin-turbine Bell 412 helicopter I fly for Baptist Hospital in North Carolina sucks a lot of Jet-A. This is why when we land at FBOs, the line crews have big smiles. And when it comes time to pay for that fuel, I just whip out the familiar white and blue Multi Service charge card […]
Cool running
Do you remember the days before digital watches or clocks? When we were asked for the time, the answer usually would be something like “It’s almost 2:30” or “About 1:15.” Then came digital timekeeping and the answers became “2:28” or “1:13.” When pilots began using Loran and ultimately GPS, the same thing happened with headings. […]
Personal Airline
For those of us who use general aviation to travel, conversations often come up comparing the use of our airplanes to the commercial airlines. This has become a major issue since Sept. 11 and the absolute mess the commercial airline system is in right now. The growth of fractional jet ownership organizations is one direct […]
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 […]