As summer begins to heat up, that can mean only one thing to true-blue aviation enthusiasts. Yup, AirVenture is coming at us like a jet fighter. In mere weeks, the annual migration of tens of thousands of pilots will start to converge on the small town of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The population swells from 50,000 to […]
Opinion
No medical required
Is this country great or what? I can rent a 30-foot-long CruiseAmerica.com motorhome, with no prior large vehicle experience, load it with six of my friends and family, and plow on down the road. The company website is filled with ways to maximize the enjoyment of the rental, and very little about safety and regulation. […]
Broken Wing project debuts
Renegade Light Sport recently unveiled its Broken Wing project for wounded warriors. Officials with the company, which recently relocated to Saint Lucie County Airport in Fort Pierce, Florida, said, “We will introduce our injured military heroes to the freedom of flight using two specially designed and equipped SC07 Speed Cruisers.” Speed Cruiser offers a low […]
Make your voice heard
Each year, the FAA surveys the flying population seeking information on aviation activity and safety. The general aviation and professional flyer community responds but often recreational aviation details are sparse. You can help change that. The FAA hired an independent research firm called Tetra Tech, which wrote, “The FAA’s annual GA Survey is the only […]
First factory-built Van’s RV-12 delivered
Forty years and more than 8,000 airplanes flying easily makes Van’s Aircraft the most prolific kit aircraft supplier in the history of aviation. Does anyone in flying not know about the RV-series? What everyone may not know (or remember) is that Van’s entered into a deal with Synergy Air to fully build an initial run […]
Critical thinking
There is a important difference between critical thinking and being critical. Knowing that difference can be the deciding factor in whether you are successful at affecting change or become an ineffectual aggravating irritant. Now that I have your attention…it will come as no surprise to learn I have a tendency to critique almost every aspect […]
I do not consent to searches
By DAVE HOOK. When did American citizens give up Fourth Amendment rights just because they became pilots? Over the past year, there have been numerous reports of searches of private aircraft without warrants. The accounts described by the pilots also suggest that insufficient cause was given by the law enforcement agencies conducting the searches. This […]
The show must go on
GUEST EDITORIAL By PHILIP HANDLEMAN Sequestration is forcing the Pentagon to slash $41 billion this year on top of the $487 billion reduction in defense spending already mandated over the next 10 years. Resultantly, a cruel triage within the Defense Department has taken hold. Communities across America are waking to the reality that their scheduled […]
Is FAA demand double taxation?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Each year the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture Oshkosh attracts more aircraft, pilots, and aviation enthusiasts than any other aviation gathering in the United States, but this year EAA is facing paying the FAA an estimated $500,000 for doing its job. Payment is necessary, say FAA officials, because sequester has cut off necessary […]