Humans have dreamed of flight for hundreds — if not thousands — of years. And today is no different from centuries ago. Want proof? BBC Culture’s Fiona Macdonald wrote a marvelous story about the making of the book, “Aeronautics in the Backyard.” “He [Zhang Dousan] retrieved an engine from the wreckage of a light aircraft destroyed in a […]
Opinion
Shock treatment
Once upon a time, the producer of a yellow LSA taildragger installed the industry’s most powerful engine, resulting in a performance leader. This gambit succeeded handily and the builder enjoyed several strong years of sales. Others looked upon this success and saw that it was good. So, of course, being aviation entrepreneurs, others worked to […]
Could STEM prevent the next Santa Monica fiasco?
To say my “Don’t Cry for Santa Monica” column struck a chord would be an understatement. Sadly, I fear it struck the wrong chord. (And, for the record, I support the efforts of the National Business Aviation Association and others as they continue to fight SMO’s closure.) A sampling of comments taking me to task… “Ben’s attitude […]
There’s a bigger story behind SUN ‘n FUN than you know
Three weeks from this very moment, thousands of General Aviation News readers will be found not at home, but in Lakeland, Florida, at the annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In and Expo. Their pilgrimage will begin shortly. Much is made of the economic impact this massive event brings to the city that says of itself, “Close […]
Of Wings & Things returns
This is the inaugural relaunch of a grand tradition, the wonderful and eclectic “Of Wings & Things” column created in 1972 by aviation historian and renaissance man Peter M. Bowers. For more than three decades, Pete blended a series of photographs with his encyclopedic knowledge of aviation to create an interesting story in each column. […]
Cool story, Bro
By JEB BURNSIDE. Any time two or more pilots get together, no matter the reason, the conversation eventually turns to flying. Even if one of them just got married, they’ll at least ask each other how their flight in went, and where they’re headed next. In fact, the only real exception to this rule is […]
6 suggestions for finding more power
Who wouldn’t like to get a little more power from their engine? A recent Ask Paul (aka Mr. Lycoming) column was a response to a reader wanting to know how he could coax a “tad more power” from a “150-hp, narrow-deck O-320”. In addition to Paul’s thoughts, a good many readers weighed on the topic on […]
Low power ADS-B for drone integration
“1.2 million drones were sold in the United States in 2016,” notes uAvionix’s Christian Ramsey. That’s a lot of drones. And the prevailing response from the full-scale aviation world seems to still be AHHHHHHH. Or words to that effect. Here’s the thing though. Not all of those drones will be airborne at the same time. […]
A woman’s place is…
Thanks to a stroke of good luck and a bit of favorable geographic proximity, I got to spend some time at the Women in Aviation Conference held in Orlando, Florida, last week. If you missed it, let me tell you, you really did miss something. This is no idle gathering of vacationers disguised as convention […]