This weekend, four intrepid travelers will set off from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA) headquarters in Frederick, Md., for the Sun ’N Fun Fly-in and Expo in Lakeland, Fla., in two of the smallest vehicles to take wheel and wing on America’s byways and skyways. It’s AOPA’s Road and Runway Rally, with the […]
News
How pilots recycle
Pilots will spend a not-so-small fortune on aircraft and avionics, but they are notoriously frugal when it comes to maintenance. This is often manifested in a reluctance to throw out anything that might be useful again someday. You probably know a pilot who has a part off of a (insert name of aircraft here), although […]
Pilots on antidepressants
Here’s an interesting wrap-up of all the news coverage of the recent FAA decision to allow pilots who use certain antidepressants to continue flying:
Flight for the Human Spirit on weather hold
The takeoff of The Flight for the Human Spirit is on a “weather hold” status until at least Thursday morning, according to Mission Control for the flight. “We’ve looked at the weather from every angle,” said pilot Michael Combs, “but you don’t have to look very far to know that it is too windy to […]
Momentum grows for B-25 gathering in honor of Doolittle Raiders reunion
As a tribute to the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders during their 68th reunion, the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, and Grimes Field in Urbana, Ohio, will host one of the largest gatherings of B-25 Mitchell bombers since World War II. Approximately 20 aircraft from around the nation are scheduled to […]
Five questions before you buy your first plane
All it takes is money, writes David Wyndham, VP and co-owner of Conklin & de Decker, a GA consulting firm, in his monthly newsletter “AIReport.” He notes: “There are some great aircraft out there and great bargains. Now is the time to buy. But, if this is your first foray into acquisition of an aircraft, […]
Sport SX debuts
GRT Avionics is debuting the Sport SX, the company’s latest development in Electronic Flight Information Systems (EFIS) for light sport and experimental aircraft. Choose from basic EFIS features, including AHRS derived angle-of-attack to state-of-the-art synthetic vision and color map. Company officials note “there are options for every budget.” The Sport SX is shipping from stock […]
First flight of Stinson Model O replica
The first flight of a full-scale replica of a 1933 Stinson Model O, or Senior Trainer, was made Wednesday, March 24, at the Scappoose Airport (SPB), just outside of Portland Ore. The plane is the result of 28 months of work by the craftsman of Evergreen Aviation Services and Restoration, a part of Overall Aircraft […]
FAA girds to prevent cyber attacks
“America is at war,” FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt told attendees at an agency information technology conference. Malicious attacks on the FAA’s computer system and industrial networks are occurring at an unprecedented rate, he said, adding that it is an evolving menace on an international scale. The FAA gets pinged every minute of every hour of […]