There is a story that circulates in the music business that suggests an interesting parallel to general aviation. The story takes place in the late 1960s when Jimi Hendrix and his band arrived at the BBC studios to do a soundcheck in preparation for a performance to be recorded later in the day. For those […]
Opinion
Questions surround NextGen
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA reported earlier this month that it had completed nationwide equipment installation for the NextGen aircraft tracking system. The announcement — like others in the past and probably those in the future — raises more questions than it provides answers, particularly for general aviation. The nationwide installation of the Automatic Dependent […]
Is there an STC for a primer system for my engine?
Q: I have been looking for a possible STC to install a primer system on a O-320-A2D. Would you know of one? JERRY BARNHILL, Longville, La. A: Jerry, after checking a few things out, I discovered that almost all of the O-320 series engines were delivered from Lycoming with a factory installed primer system. However, the […]
Fatigue: The pilot’s common cold
Returning from a short tropical vacation, I barely napped on the transatlantic red-eye. It was the night before my third airplane instructional flight. During the ground lesson, I thought I was hiding my jetlag pretty well from my instructor. It turns out he saw through my ruse and blindsided me with one of his own. […]
What do we want?
There’s a great scene in the movie, “Field of Dreams,” that sticks in my head. Kevin Costner’s character has taken the character played by James Earl Jones to a baseball game. Kevin plays an innocent who has an unlikely story to tell and a major favor to ask. Jones, on the other hand ,plays a […]
Max Conrad: The early years
When he died in 1979, Max Conrad was known the world over as the “Flying Grandfather.” A long-distance record breaker in light aircraft, most notably the Piper Comanche, Max was generally credited with more flying time than any other pilot — more than 50,000 hours. In 1954 he flew solo, non-stop from New York to […]
For Sale: 1945 J-3, 518 TT
“1945 J-3 Cub, 518 hours. 501-337-9939. [email protected]. $42,000.” That’s the ad as it appears in our classified section. 518 hours? Really. I called Tom Sabus, who placed the ad via mail, for a little more information. “I was visiting the Aerospace Education Center in Little Rock, Ark., when I found out the place was closing […]
Video: What fear of flying looks like
A brilliant 10-minute video profiles two women (An & Ria) who’ve never met, and never flown. One is excited, the other less so. Admittedly, a first flight via business jet is beyond the reach of most, but the emotional roller-coaster has to be much the same.
There will be paperwork
After leaving a phone message and receiving the requested call-back from a fully qualified staff member, I was able to make an appointment to visit a critical government facility here in central Florida. On the appointed day I motored over to the semi-secret location and rode the elevator to the floor where I had been […]