By WILLIAM HAMILTON Satire: Just as your aircraft reaches, say, 30,000 feet on your airline flight, say, from Denver to Chicago, the Captain says, “Hello. This is your Captain speaking. Welcome aboard Olympic Mountain General Airlines. Okay, I know some of you call us: OMG! But, seriously, passengers who studied urban sociology in college may […]
Opinion
AirVenture news: LAMA President’s Award, new Rotax engine
During AirVenture, the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association gave a press conference to a full house. LAMA officials reported the association enjoyed a terrific opening day in its mission of advocacy for Light-Sport, light kit, and ultralight aircraft. Partnered with the U.S. Ultralight Association (USUA), LAMA participated in two very productive meetings, one with EAA’s advocacy […]
Go green in 2015 – fly
They came in droves. From all corners of the globe they flowed into rural Wisconsin filling every hotel room for 100 miles. Houses were rented, tents were pitched, and brats found their way onto the grill. AirVenture was the event. Aviation was the draw. Solid connections between people was the end result. It was spectacular, simply spectacular, […]
You can help rekindle the magic of airplanes
I suggest you make plans to see Living in the Age of Airplanes. Better yet, take some non-pilot friends and go see it together. Then go out to dinner so you can talk about the movie. Living in the Age of Airplanes is from the director that made 2005’s One Six Right, Brian J. Terwilliger. […]
We’re all in this together
Yes, I know that headline is a tad cliche, but it’s true. We need each other… more than ever. In order to survive we need pilots, aircraft, fuel and airports. To thrive, we must add pilots, produce state-of-the-art aircraft, have a steady supply of fuel, and a healthy network of airports of all sizes. There’s […]
Growing GA is as simple as 1, 2, 3
The first flying club I ever came across was in Winter Haven, Florida. I was a newly minted flight instructor back then and moved to town for my first flying job. The club was based on a taildragger, a Champ as I recall, although time may have affected my memory on that point. It might […]
Check your bias at the hangar door
There is sometimes a vast disparity between how we see ourselves and how others see us. Generally, we’re kind to ourselves. We understand our inner angst, pat ourselves on the back for being so compassionate, and bear the scars of our emotional baggage with considerable grace. Then again, we may be perceived as bitter, wimpy, […]
In search of the $700 airplane
Obtaining an engine for a lightplane was the greatest challenge facing amateur builders in the 1930s. The prices for light airplane engines were prohibitive for most builders. The powerplant of the average small plane amounted to 60% of the cost of the complete plane. That led builders to look to other sources of power. Auto engines, being […]
No, your other VFR
By JEB BURNSIDE. When the weather’s bad enough to call it IFR, VFR-only pilots are grounded. Except when they’re not. The day’s mission was to re-familiarize with a long-trustworthy companion, a Cessna 172 owned by close friends, in which I had hundreds of hours flying throughout the eastern U.S. It had been a couple of […]