Washington State aircraft owners are rallying the troops to fight a new tax that could add hundreds — or even thousands — of dollars a year to their fixed costs. The proposed tax would levy a 1% excise tax based on the value of aircraft. Under the measure, a plane worth $100,000 would be taxed […]
Claire Walters dies at 86
Claire Walters, founder of the Palms to Pines air race, died Jan. 1. She was 86. Walters was a long-time member of the Ninety-Nines, the international organization of women pilots. At the time of her death she was the president of the Palms chapter of the organization. Walters began her aviation career in 1941. She […]
Avoid becoming a statistic
When you read accident reports, do you ask yourself why the pilot made the decisions that led to the accident or mishap? You also may have noticed there are some common threads in aviation accidents. So, how can you avoid becoming a statistic? Here are 10 tips: Use your checklist. There are certain items (such […]
ORK hangar owners cry foul over lease changes
Hangar owners at North Little Rock Municipal Airport (ORK) in Arkansas are crying foul over what they see as an attempt by the airport commission to take ownership of their hangars. “The way it worked in the past is that you leased the land from the airport but you were responsible for building your own […]
Save money on flight training: Start with a Sport Pilot ticket
Flying can be very expensive. It takes a minimum of 40 hours to earn a private pilot’s license under a Part 61 program. The average cost of obtaining a private ticket in the United States can range from $6,000 to $10,000. The Sport Pilot ticket, created in September 2004, potentially cuts that cost in half […]
Keep your skills after your checkride
Congratulations. You did it. You passed your checkride and now you are a private pilot. What’s next? For the first six months or so you’ll try to fly every week or so, but soon you’ll note that boring holes in the sky in pursuit of the $100 hamburger loses its thrill. The next thing you […]
Flying a Legend
When Legend Aircraft Co. unveiled plans to produce a modern version of the Cub, I admit I was skeptical. Usually, when you try to remake a classic, it falls short of expectations. The Legend Cub, manufactured in Sulphur Springs, Texas, manages to avoid the “remake” curse because, frankly, it is not a remake of the […]
Time running out to get new plastic pilot certificates
It’s not just the clerk at the grocery store making the “paper or plastic?” inquiry these days. The FAA also wants to know what your certificate is made of since, come April 1, the paper one won’t be legal anymore. In February 2008 the FAA announced the phasing out of paper airman certificates. The deadline […]
Phil Lockwood: The hardest working man in aviation
Phil Lockwood could be described as one of the hardest working men in aviation. He’s the head of the Lockwood Group, the parent company of Lockwood Aviation Supply, Lockwood Aviation Repair, Aero Technical Institute and Lockwood Aircraft, the makers of the AirCam and Drifter aircraft. In many circles, the name Lockwood is inexorably tied to […]