WASHINGTON, D.C. — FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told a Congressional subcommittee Wednesday, Feb. 27, the agency has put in a hiring freeze, cut travel and is preparing for furloughs of employees as sequestration appears certain to become effective March 1. Cuts in spending under sequestration take the FAA back to its level of spending in […]
Opinion
Go negative…or work together?
It is true that a pilot of one type aircraft may not know much about nor (therefore) care much about another type aircraft. Ultralight pilots and turbine pilots may not seem to have much in common. Sailplane pilots and crop dusters, likewise. Powered parachute enthusiasts seem on the opposite side of the spectrum from airline […]
Is it time to re-think TFRs?
“A TFR is a regulatory action issued via the U.S. Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) system to restrict certain aircraft from operating within a defined area, on a temporary basis, to protect persons or property in the air or on the ground.” So says AC91-63C, an advisory circular issued with the intent of illuminating the public […]
A five, or seven, year ‘loophole’… some context
President Obama has called for changing the depreciation schedule for newly aquired non-commercial aircraft from five to seven years. Jay Carney, the president’s press secretary calls the current two-year schedule difference a special tax loophole. As you might imagine, this has pushed the aviation alphabet groups into damage control mode. Being of limited ability to comprehend “Washington speak” […]
Fiscal problems lead to conflict, confusion and uncertainty
WASHINGTON, D.C. — March is a windy month. That is expected to be especially true this March in the nation’s capital, with much activity, conflict and confusion as lawmakers try to sort out the nation’s fiscal problems. All this activity brings to the forefront several issues that general aviation groups have been wrestling with for […]
Sequestration’s effects on general aviation
Any sequestration that goes into effect won’t be felt entirely until April 1 because furlough notices must be given one month in advance. Will sequestration last that long? Or longer? Few even hazard guesses at this time, but if it does, what will be the effect on general aviation? The Budget Control Act of 2011 […]
Republicans say claims of sequestration effects on aviation not backed up by facts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Announcements by members of the president’s administration about sequestration’s effect on the FAA and aviation are not backed up by facts, says Congressional Republican members of committees in both the Senate and House. “Before jumping to conclusions that furloughs must be implemented, the administration and the agency need to sharpen their pencils […]
Context is hard to find when the numbers are this big
We are all encouraged to “Write Congress” to support [fill in the cause here] from time to time. Often, the intention of the person seeking help is honorable. A post I just read on the Facebook page of Kyle Franklin from Franklin’s Flying Circus is a good example. It is a plea with the best […]
Pilot saves $1,500 annually with mogas
Last June, Cessna 150 owner Mark “Prigs” Priglmeier, president of EAA Chapter 551 in St. Cloud, Minn., estimated that he’d save around $800 annually using mogas. He just sent us the following description of the actual savings from 2012, which were nearly twice his original estimate: “For the year ending 2012, I burned a total […]