Spring will bring a new terminal building to Connellsville Airport (VVS) in Pennsylvania. The project is the latest in a string of improvements the Fayette County Airport Authority has been slowly making to the pre-World War II airport over the past two years. The airport, located approximately 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, was opened in […]
Makeshift runway opens at Santa Paula Airport
In February, flood waters from the Santa Clara River tore a large chunk out of the runway at Santa Paula Airport (SZP) in Southern California. Now the taxiway has been closed to create a makeshift runway, allowing the airport to reopen. “Essentially, we got permission from the California Department of Transportation to build a 2,000-foot […]
TV news helicopters come under fire
This just in: Noise complaints at the Hayward Executive Airport (HWD) in the San Francisco Bay Area are now focusing on one segment of general aviation: helicopters used by news gathering organizations. At a recent public hearing, Hayward city officials listened to complaints from residents who are tired of being awakened by the sound of […]
New Glasair Sportsman- Putting it all together
When some people buy a kit plane, they grossly underestimate how long it will take to build their dream machine. They spend hours building jigs and doing prep work for a few precious minutes of assembly. Then there’s the cleanup process, which takes even more time. “And you feel like you are not getting anywhere,” […]
Progress continues on first RV-10
Jean and Ken Barto, proud owners of the first RV-10 kit to be delivered, report they are making excellent progress on construction of their aircraft. The Bartos took possession of the kit in the fall of 2004 and have been providing General Aviation News with regular updates on their progress. When we last heard from […]
FAA issues emergency AD for Cessna 400 wing-spar cracks
The discovery of fatigue cracks in the wings of a second twin-engine Cessna prompted the FAA to issue an Emergency Airworthiness Directive for two Cessna 400 series aircraft Feb. 21. The AD requires more frequent inspections for wing-spar cracks on the 402C and 414A models. According to AD, the most recent incident happened Feb. 11 […]
California’s Santa Paula Airport closed by flood
Torrential rains in Southern California have closed another airport. Officials at Santa Paula Airport (SZP) in Ventura County made the decision to shut down the privately owned field Feb. 22 after the rising Santa Clara River undermined a tie-down area, a helicopter landing pad and swept away 155 feet of the 2,650-foot runway. SZP was […]
There is nothing new under the sun… or is there?
Sometimes the scariest part of a night flight is taxiing back to the hangar – especially when the taxiway isn’t lighted. Airports, especially smaller ones, have to balance lighting needs with economic realities. Often that means using low-cost methods of marking taxiways for low-light conditions, such as placing reflectors on the surface or on short […]
From gliders to flight simulators, the Northwest Aviation Conference had it all
The fog was so thick the geese were walking and there was a new $5 admission fee, but neither seemed to keep pilots, mechanics and aviation buffs away from the Northwest Aviation Conference Feb. 25-27 in Puyallup, Wash. The show has been attracting pilots from all over the northwest for more than 20 years. If […]