By JEB BURNSIDE. There are three basic types of people you meet in the typical FBO’s pilot lounge. If you’ve read many of my columns for General Aviation News, it will not surprise you to learn I like hanging around FBOs and pilot lounges. My enjoyment of this pastime stems from working as a lineboy at […]
Opinion
NORDO Ops: I had no idea I was an ‘idiot’
I have to admit, I’ve had a sneaking suspicion I was an idiot for some time now. Maybe I should join IA (Idiots Anonymous). “Hi. My name is Ben and I’m an idiot.” What would make me admit such a thing? The comment section of this very website, of course. The NTSB Accident Reports we republish […]
Brace for impact
For those of us who fly, the appeal of being airborne energizes us and primes the pump that pushes us through ground school, flight training, and testing. Should you make a career out of what most people think of as a rich man’s hobby, that education and testing never stops. My interest in aviation started […]
What’s your story?
Stories are all around us. All we have to do is look. Sometimes it is as simple as opening an envelope. You remember what an envelope is, don’t you? I open all the mail General Aviation News receives. Makes sense, since I’m the only one who picks up the mail. On the back of a […]
Sonex B, now available in red!
Pardon a little fun in the title. I recalled the line long ago attributed to Henry Ford, “You can have any color Model T you want, as long as it’s black.” Sonex Aircraft had so regularly brought bright yellow airplanes to airshows, folks could be excused for thinking that was the only color available. Of […]
Peeling back the layers of an aeronautical onion
Last week one of my kids jumped on a transport category aircraft and flew more than a thousand miles north, to New York City. She ate dinner in central Florida, but found herself on the island of Manhattan before midnight. While she was en route, I monitored her flight using an app on my phone. […]
Will exhaust system fit narrow and wide deck engines?
Q: Will the exhaust system for a Lycoming O-320 wide deck fit a O-320 narrow deck engine on an experimental? Vern Darley Peachtree City, Georgia A: Vern it sounds like you’re getting ready for a fun project, so hopefully this information will give you a positive start. The answer to your question is YES, the […]
Smells like desperation
“Let us be the solution to your New Year’s Resolution” was printed on the backside of a postcard I received in the mail. Huh? What resolution? After reading the other side of the postcard, apparently my 2017 resolution is to be an underpaid professional pilot. For kicks I clicked through to FlyCommutAir.com to see what […]
Rewiring the machinery
As a species, human beings are dissatisfied with the status quo. Thank goodness. Virtually all the great developments in technology, the massive leaps in scientific achievement, have come about because someone was fed up with their perceived limitations. They rebelled. They overcame. Often in the face of real physical and financial peril, they improved the […]