Pilots at King County International Airport/Boeing Field (BFI) south of Seattle have been known to comment that they can get just about anything they need at the airport, except a free place to park while they pick that item up. That’s changed now that the county has altered its fees. “The first hour is free, […]
Feature
CAP celebrates 68th anniversary
The 58,000 volunteers of the Civil Air Patrol are marking CAP’s 68th anniversary Dec. 1. The all-volunteer, nonprofit organization was founded Dec. 1, 1941, less than a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led to America’s involvement in World War II. Its members soon proved their worth by conducting aerial patrols, vigilance that […]
Fundraiser pays for PAPI system at 6B6
A new PAPI system — paid in part by a fundraiser in the local pilot community — was commissioned Nov. 14 at Minute Man Air Field (6B6) in Stow, Mass. The PAPI System was the top priority in a 2008 pilot survey of safety needs at 6B6, according to pilots. Unable to afford the PAPI […]
Aviation advocate dies
Edward Stimpson, an aviation advocate who was instrumental in lobbying for legislation that limited lawsuits against aircraft manufacturers — credited for reviving the GA industry — died Nov. 25 after a long illness. He was 75. Stimpson, who served as president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association for 25 years, was a proponent of legislation […]
Air traffic glitch should have been minor
The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), the union that represents FAA technicians, has expressed “extreme concern” about the resolution process in reaction to Thursday’s outage of the Federal Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI). The outage occurred due to a corrupt router card for the FTI server at the Salt Lake Center in Utah and had a […]
Top 10 things FSS wants pilots to know
The folks who work for Lockheed Martin Flight Services recently issued a list of the Top 10 things they wish pilots knew. And with the recent announcement that the company is closing its Flight Service Stations in Columbia, Mo., Honolulu, Kankakee, Ill., Lansing, Mich., Nashville, Seattle, and St. Petersburg, Fla., beginning in February, knowing what’s […]
Diamond unveils deals
As part of its new end of year promotion, Diamond Aircraft is combining several incentives to spur sales. Between now and Dec. 31, Diamond will match your down payment (up to 10% of the purchase price) and help you find the financing that is right for you, company officials note. The company also will include […]
Glitch snarls air traffic
A nationwide air traffic control computer system outage this morning snarled air traffic. According to the FAA, the problem began around 5 a.m. (EST) when a router problem disrupted a number of air traffic management services, including flight plan processing. The problem was resolved at approximately 9 a.m. EST, according to FAA officials, who note […]
Guided self-fly tours of Europe launch
Slovenia-based Cavok European Airtours will kick off guided self-fly European tours in 2010. Three tours are planned for the inaugural season. The Adria, Alps & The Glorious Empire is a 12-day tour with 10 days of flying. The Mediterranean Spirit I is a 15-day tour with 13 days of flying, while the Around The Alps […]