At Oshkosh in 2003, General Aviation News met Tim Garrett, an aerospace engineer from Indianapolis and a private pilot who has Multiple Sclerosis. Hanging out at the Zenith Aircraft Co. exhibit, Garrett told us his dream was to build his own airplane and fly it to the big show. His plane, a Zenith 601 XL, […]
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The Dirty Bird Award
Most of the time airplanes at AirVenture are judged on the authenticity of restoration and cleanliness. Taigh Ramey, a vintage aircraft restorer and judge at last month’s show, decided to go to the other extreme with his newly-acquired Beechcraft C-45G. “We thought we’d go after the coveted Dirty Bird Award,” he said. Ramey recently bought […]
International Learn to Fly Day slated
The first International Learn to Fly Day will be held May 15, 2010. Unveiled at AirVenture, International Learn to Fly Day is aimed at those people who have always wanted to fly, but haven’t taken that first step. “We want to show people a path to how they can learn to fly,” said Tom Poberezny, […]
From runway to highway in four minutes
Attracting a lot of attention from AirVenture crowds was the MotoPod, a cargo pod that carries a specially modified motorcycle. According to developer David Shelton, the pod was designed to provide better ground transportation for pilots. “Once the plane is on the ground, it takes just four minutes to pull out the motorcycle and go,” […]
Bringing common sense to the table
While user fees are a threat, there’s an even bigger monster lurking for GA: TSA. “We not only have to be vigilant about user fees, but also about misunderstood and destructive regulations,” Rep. Tom Petri (R.-Wis.) said at a Congressional panel during AirVenture. Many of these regulations, from the Department of Homeland Security and TSA […]
Personal Air Vehicle debuts
Carter Aviation Technologies debuted its new Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) prototype at last month’s AirVenture. The second generation aircraft demonstrates Carter’s slowed rotor/compound technology, which is a combination of rotorcraft and fixed-wing aerodynamics that features vertical takeoff and landing with high-speed flight, according to officials with the Wichita Falls, Texas-based company. The company plans to […]
FAA and NATCA reach labor agreement
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA and its largest union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), have concluded a mediation process that has produced a landmark labor agreement. After years of strained relations, the joint decision to engage in mediation was an important first step, and today’s proposed agreement represents a milestone on the final […]
More job cuts at Hawker Beechcraft
Just hours after several of the state’s top politicians spoke at the General Aviation Jobs for Arkansas Forum, one of the forum’s hosts released a letter to employees about further cuts to staffing and benefits. According to a story in Arkansas Business: Hawker Beechcraft Corp. of Wichita, Kan., sent a letter to employees Wednesday stating […]
Senators defend aviation in Arkansas
From Forbes.com: More than 3,500 people work in Arkansas’ aviation industry, which was responsible for $1.4 billion in exports in 2008. Only agriculture – with $2.2 billion in exports in 2007, the latest year for which figures are available – is a bigger business here. Measured against individual commodities, aviation is the state’s top export.