Next week, Fort Worth, Texas, will fill up with pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers, writers, reporters, business owners, spouses, friends, and all the assorted characters who travel along with the big aviation enthusiast road show. The draw is the AOPA Summit, an annual gathering of the faithful, the hopeful, and the not-entirely-satisfied who all have […]
Opinion
Canceling the Big Show
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s decision to cancel its annual convention and trade show made news this month. It certainly shows movement instead of “business as usual” under new president Mark Baker. I have some perspective to offer and a modest suggestion. Care to listen? When I showed up at AOPA in July 1991, […]
Exporting GA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — General aviation might be sluggish in the United States during these economic slow periods, but in the Asia-Pacific area, GA flying is getting a lot of attention — but not always for the most positive reasons. China, particularly, is flexing its muscles for all general aviation. Of course, there are many challenges, […]
Snowballs and dominos
It has been said, what goes up must come down. The statement is so obvious that it strikes us as a truism, something so apparent that it’s legitimacy is self-evident. Then again, not everything is as it seems. As an example, you may have noted earlier this month a small spacecraft named Voyager 1 departed […]
Pilots have new appeal rules
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pilots appealing to the National Transportation Safety Board about certificate enforcement will have new rules under which to conduct their efforts as the NTSB announced on Friday, Sept, 20, a final rule to implement several changes in their procedures. The new rules are based on public comments received by the NTSB as […]
Thank you for your service
If there is one constant in life, it is that change is inevitable. In the aviation industry, this often manifests as people leave one job to take another. Or, as in the case of JoAnn and Sandy Hill from Longmont, Colo., it can take the form of retirement after what most would agree is a […]
What’s causing Mooney’s rough-running engine?
Q: I bought an older Mooney with a Lycoming IO-360 with Bendix fuel servo. The engine starts to run rough once the last 1/2 inch of throttle is given. An induction leak cannot be located. Would a faulty sniffle valve be to blame? Any other possibilities? JAMIE RICHARDS A: Jamie, with regard to your older […]
Go west, old dude…
One of the great advantages of writing professionally is that we who scribble ideas down for others to read rarely have to face those others in person. We don’t have to worry about an errant idea sending you to the refrigerator to ferret out some overly ripe fruits or vegetables that you can hurl in […]
A Pink Aeronca? Not your imagination…Hers!
This is a tough one to write. But let’s take it from the fun part and get to bad news later. It’s about Elaine Huf, a lady who contacted me years ago about buying and restoring an Army/Air Force L-16. How it ended up pink is the fun part. Back when I was hunting L-16s, […]