ASTM’s F37 committee is composed of people with technical knowledge who achieved a challenging task: Start with a blank sheet of paper and create aircraft standards for the Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) sector. That this group did so in just a few years on the leanest of budgets is a credit to their dedication. These volunteers from […]
Opinion
Prime movers for airplanes
There comes a time in the life of every airplane when it cannot feasibly move under its own power. Ways of towing aircraft have been varied and ingenious since the early days of aviation. When tailskids ruled the day, hand-operated, two-wheel dollies could cradle the skid, permitting manual movement of the airplane over typical airfield […]
Getting an idle aircraft flying again
Q: We have a Piper Navajo PA-31-350 that has not flown in three to four years, but maintenance has been done on it continually. During intervals the engines were started and run up. What are the requirements as to the engines (or the aircraft itself) if it has not flown for three or four years? Are there any Service […]
Latest news on ethanol
By Todd L. Petersen The latest news regarding ethanol blending comes to us from a recent issue of Hemmings Motor News. H.R. 1314, introduced by Virginia Representative Robert Goodlatte, actually goes so far as to call for the elimination of the Renewable Fuel Standard. You may recall that the Renewable Fuel Standard, passed in 2005, […]
A peek at the other Friendship 7
Of the thousands of aircraft on display at SUN ‘n FUN in Lakeland, Florida, this week, one is of particular interest. While the Blue Angels thunder through their routine in the sky above and vendors from every corner of the continent display their latest and greatest wares, I will be at least a little bit distracted […]
A letter from prison
“I imagine it’s not very often you get mail from a prison,” Tim’s letter started. He’s right, we don’t get many letters from prison. We do have a dozen — perhaps more — General Aviation News subscribers who are currently incarcerated. “After getting a grace issue and letting my subscription lapse, I felt obligated to thank you,” […]
Hey, wanna go flying?
There’s nothing unusual about seeing two guys in the early stages of middle age, looking over a fabric-covered airplane before launching off to seek out a pancake breakfast or watch the sunset over the hills. Nothing unusual at all. Yet there was something about the two guys on the ramp at Orlando Executive Airport that […]
Taxiway landings
Harrison Ford landed on Taxiway Charlie at John Wayne Airport last month. Everyone who knows I am a pilot and an aviation safety columnist contacted me as soon as they heard about Ford. My mother even chimed in, certain the actor should be stripped of his license, as this was his fourth accident. I explained […]
Financing your flight training
Most of us who fly came to the decision organically. Nobody forced us to fly. We wanted to. We yearned for the opportunity. We flew in our dreams and looked up to the heavens whenever the sound of an engine passed overhead. The decision was ours and we pursued it, each in our own way. […]