Dating back to 2009 when I created the FlyUnleaded.com website to publish those airports that offer mogas, I have monitored the AirNav avgas statistics and published them in a table at the bottom of the Airports With Mogas page on my website. Back in July 2009 AirNav reported that there were approximately 132 airports that […]
Opinion
Doin’ the bureaucratic boogaloo
Let’s try a thought experiment together, just you and me. First, we’ll set the scene. You own a company. A big company with thousands of employees, a budget big enough to choke a team of Clydesdales, and a customer base that numbers in the tens of thousands. Sadly, most of those customers are at least […]
A wider waistline thanks to aviation
Thanksgiving is upon us. Then comes Christmas and the New Year and an encounter with that dirty lying scoundrel known as the bathroom scale. I will gain weight over the coming weeks. You may well add a few ounces to your frame as well. Thank aviation for that bonus of winter girth. Thank it all […]
Tragedy and TV news
Nov. 22 marks 50 years since JFK’s assassination changed the nation. Nov. 25 ended four days of shock with his sad funeral, modeled after that of Lincoln. The nation was bound together as one around its TV sets all weekend. The Kennedy era had fostered modern TV news and my interest in aviation’s reputation. For […]
A ‘baaad’ rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This could be the beginning of something big: The FAA has followed recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board and announced a program to check the weight of pilots in order to produce safer flight. The announced reason is that overweight people have a tendency to be more liable to suffer sleep […]
When pigs fly…
After a boffo debut last year, SUN ‘n FUN reconvened its “When Pigs Fly South BBQ Challenge” Nov. 15-16 in Lakeland, Florida. Expectations were high. But crummy weather muted the event, which drew 51 competitors this year. BBQ pros hailed from as far as Columbus, Ohio, Kansas City and Las Vegas. During set-up one worker […]
BMI could trigger additional scrutiny with proposed policy
The FAA is targeting pilots (and controllers) with a “proposed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) policy.” Pilots and controllers with a Body Mass Index (calculate yours here) with 40 and higher, will be the initial target. Federal Air Surgeon Fred Tilton wrote in recent medical bulletin those pilots “will have to be evaluated by a physician who […]
Everything changes
It doesn’t take long to realize that everything around us changes through the years. By the time we’re in high school we notice that friends have moved away even as new friends magically arrive in town. The familiar old drug store becomes a realtor’s office, then might be torn down to make way for a […]
Why can’t we be more like China?
“China gets ready for takeoff,” [subscription required] is the cover story of the Nov. 18, 2013, of Fortune magazine. The article centers on Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China‘s efforts to bring the C919 to market. For perspective, the C919 is remarkably similar to the Airbus A320. So we’re not talking GA here. But in the […]