For the past 10 years I have been hearing from readers concerned about their airports. Usually it begins with a phone call from someone who is upset because “they” are trying to close the airport. Sometimes “they” have names. Other times they don’t. The names and locations of the airports change, but often the issues […]
Zenith responds to airworthiness freeze
The fatal crash of a homebuilt Zodiac CH-601XL last month has prompted the FAA to freeze the issuance of new airworthiness certificates for the design. The accident was the sixth attributed to an in-flight break up. The timing of the crash is poignant, as it came one day before the FAA issued a Special Airworthiness […]
Today’s Waco: A winning combination
An open cockpit airplane is fun, whether it was built last week or 50 years ago. But when you take a classic design and make it from modern materials, you have a winner all around. That’s the formula pursued by the Waco Classic Aircraft Co. in Battle Creek, Mich. “The Waco harkens back to a […]
Amelia Earhart: Out of this world
Items that belonged to Amelia Earhart are out of this world — literally. One of Earhart’s scarves was carried into space by astronaut Randy Bresnik aboard the shuttle Atlantis, which took off Nov. 16. Bresnik is the grandson of Earhart’s personal photographer, Albert Bresnik, who was hired in 1932 to document her around-the-world flight. In […]
Movie review: “Amelia”
With all the hype surrounding the new movie “Amelia,” I was prepared to encounter another aviation biopic that slaughtered the main character and violated the Laws of Physics when it came to aviation and what airplanes can actually do in the air. I am pleased to say that the Laws of Physics remained intact, but I […]
Celebrating Amelia
To tie-in to the release of the new feature film about Amelia Earhart, museums around the country are showcasing exhibits celebrating the life of the famous aviatrix. At the Museum of Flight in Seattle a temporary exhibit has gone up in the Great Gallery, a walk-through corridor with artifacts ranging from photographs and her flight […]
FAA issues SAIB on Zodiacs
Owners and pilots of Zodiac aircraft may want to keep them on the ground for awhile. On Nov. 7 the FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) on variants of Zodiac CH601XL and CH650 airplanes because of several in-flight structural failures. In response, Zenith Aircraft Co. has developed an upgrade package to address the […]
VGT pilots thwart ban on experimentals
Pilots in North Las Vegas prove you can fight City Hall, taking pro-active steps to stop a federal ban on experimental aircraft at North Las Vegas Airport (VGT) and participating on a committee that has come up with recommendations that will benefit pilots, the airport and its neighbors. The attempt to limit experimental aircraft at […]
FAA denies curfew at Bob Hope Airport
The FAA has denied a request to institute a night-time curfew at Bob Hope Airport (BUR) in Burbank, Calif. The airport is owned by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, which proposed a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. The FAA denied the request in part because the curfew would restrict commerce and worsen air traffic […]