On a bright and beautiful central Florida morning, my phone rings. Steve McCaughey of the Seaplane Pilots Association is on the other end, upbeat and chipper as ever. Since we both live in the same town and have a common fascination with waterborne flying machines, he’s offering me a ride and a room at AirVenture, […]
Opinion
Warrantless searches without consent: Now what?
By DAVE HOOK. Over the past month I’ve received more than 500 emails requesting I DO NOT CONSENT TO SEARCH stickers. The most common follow-on question I’ve received is: “If law enforcement doesn’t have a warrant to search my aircraft and I tell them that I do not consent to searches, but they search my […]
Mountain high
April 4, 2013, marked the 80th anniversary of the successful aerial assault on Mt. Everest undertaken by two Royal Air Force pilots, David Fowler McIntyre and Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, flying modified, open-cockpit, Westland biplanes to an altitude of 30,000 feet. It was a triumph for aviation, particularly for the skill and organization demonstrated by the British […]
NTSB concerned about go-arounds
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Transportation Safety Board wants the FAA to modify its procedures for directing traffic around major airports. This is to reduce the possibility of mid-air collisions when a landing aircraft must conduct a go-around. Five incidents involving departing aircraft and go-arounds were studied by the NTSB. In each case the crews […]
Jet market forecast to grow
The market for the sales of business jets is expected to grow over the next 20 years, according to a report issued by Bombardier Aerospace. The forecast estimates that worldwide, about 24,000 business jets will be delivered in the years before now and 2032. Sales this year are expected to remain about as they were […]
House Committee passes GA revitalization act
WASHINGTON, D.C.—An aviation committee in the House of Representatives passed by unanimous vote the Small Airplane Revitalization Act Wednesday, July 10 — the first step toward cutting certification costs on aircraft and equipment. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kansas) introduced the bill, which had 31 co-sponsors. The bill’s stated purpose is to “advance the safety and continued […]
House blocks light bulb mandate — is ethanol next?
According to The Hill, the U.S. House this week blocked implementation of light bulb mandates that are part of the same EISA 2007 Act that mandates the adulteration of our nation’s gasoline supply with ethanol. According to the article, “The House on Wednesday voted to block the enforcement of light bulb standards that many say […]
FAA could solve mogas confusion
My co-author, Kent Misegades, recently wrote an article about the confusion of some in airport management about allowing mogas operations on an airport. Sad to say, it isn’t just a few airport managers. There is widespread ignorance about mogas use in aviation that permeates the FAA bureaucracy, the aviation alphabets, aviation media, state aviation departments […]
The high cost of pointless reporting
On Sunday, July 7, an Asiana Airlines flight from Seoul crashed on the runway at San Francisco International Airport. The airplane impacted just short of the threshold, causing substantial damage to the airframe. The tail departed the fuselage before the airplane came to rest. A fire ensued. These are facts. I point this out because […]