One of the great advantages of a blog is the immediacy it offers both the reader and the writer. Unlike a traditional article published in the hard-copy version of a publication, the blog format allows for rapid feedback from readers, in the form of comments and e-mails. In my case, I can tell you with […]
Feature
Flying the Kitfox LSA
One of the benefits of the Light Sport Aircraft movement is that it has paved the way for manufacturers of kit aircraft to enter the world of ready-to-fly designs. One of the more recent entries into the fly-away models is the Kitfox S-LSA from Kitfox Aircraft LCC of Homedale, Idaho. It’s designed to appeal to […]
Know when to crow
To at least some degree we pilot types have gotten a bad rap. More often than not I find that we’re characterized as whiners, babies, rich guys who want everybody else in town to pay for their playthings. And while I disagree entirely with that perspective, I can completely understand how we came to earn […]
CT LSA used to measure volcanic ash
A specially equipped Flight Design CT Supralite from a German company, UL GmbH is being used by the Duesseldorf Technical University’s Department of Volcanology to study airborne ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. To allow higher altitude measurements, the CT Supralite was equipped with an oxygen system. Supralite is a version of the popular […]
NextGen lab opens
The NextGen Integration and Evaluation Capability (NIEC) display area at the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center opened June 7. The NIEC is a research platform where scientists will use simulation to explore, integrate and evaluate NextGen concepts, including area navigation (RNAV), trajectory-based operations, flying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the national airspace system (NAS), […]
Coalition asks for avgas extension
Leaders from the general aviation and petroleum industries recently formed a coalition to work together and develop a process to reduce lead emissions from GA aircraft, balancing environmental benefit with aviation safety, technical feasibility, and impact upon the GA industry, according to a report at AOPA.org. The story notes that the group wants to ensure […]
8,200+ miles in an LSA
Michael Combs, who is flying around the country in a Light Sport Aircraft, recently returned to Kansas one final time after landing safely in Wichita, only 80 miles from where his journey began on April 8. The Flight for the Human Spirit has covered 30 states and has now exceeded nearly 8,300 miles flown in […]
Woopy and the ‘one-hour concept’
One of the best parts of attending AERO Friedrichshafen is to see how our fellow aviators from other countries tackle the universal topics of performance, safety, regulations, noise, cost, and fun in devising means to get airborne. This year, my personal favorite new aircraft was “Woopy Fly,” an inflatable weight-shift, electric-powered sort-of trike from the […]
Scenes of devastation: Flooding at M88
These pictures recently arrived in our e-mail box, documenting the devastation from floods at Tennessee’s Cornelia Fort Airpark (M88) near Nashville. It may takes months before the airport, which was already up for sale, returns to normal.