Consider this brain-teaser if you will. What do Malcolm Gladwell, Heather Locklear, and you all have in common? Malcolm is, of course, the author of a bestseller “The Tipping Point.” Heather Locklear leapt into the national consciousness as a perky, blonde, ever-smiling actress in the 80s, and you’re already pretty familiar with yourself. So what’s […]
Opinion
Tecnam’s Tail Dragger keeps getting better
With five models currently meeting ASTM standards for SLSA, Tecnam has established itself as the leader in prolific design of Light-Sport Aircraft. Much of this design prowess owes to family patriarch Professor Luigi Pascale, known for his incredible output of designs over the years under the company names Partenavia and Tecnam. Even into his 80s, […]
A sweet deal
Psst. Hey buddy…you wanna buy a new Cirrus? I’ll make you a sweet deal… Jamail Larkins and his team at Ascension Air are anything but shady characters, but they will make you a sweet deal on a 2012 Cirrus SR22T GTS. How does $9,440 down and $2,043.18 a month grab you? At a recent Open […]
FAA clarifies who is an LSA manufacturer
Late last month, the FAA issued its anticipated notice of policy that clarifies who can qualify as a Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) manufacturer. You may wish to read the entire policy statement and, as government documents go, this one is fairly easy to read and comprehend. The agency also welcomes comments. Since this hit cyberspace, I […]
Ask Paul: Too much information about our engines?
Q: I have a factory reman Lycoming O-540 E4B5 with 300 hours and 2.5 years on it. At idle (1,000 rpm), my JPI is showing alarms on the #1 EGT for having a large differential — #1 EGT is only 600° while the rest are 1,200-1,300°. Above 1,500 rpm and higher everything seems fine with […]
One solution to the flight school dilemma
Anyone who has tried to borrow money in the last five years knows how tough it has become. Banks supported by government guarantees practically gave money away before the subprime meltdown but are now being much more careful. That’s a good thing, but it means even some credit-worthy customers can’t get the loans they need. […]
Is spin resistance a big deal? Well, yes!
On Memorial Day I had a chance to visit Icon Aircraft and spend some time with CEO Kirk Hawkins. We met seven years ago — just after the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) rule was released — near the beginning of his ambitions to create an entirely clean-sheet LSA amphibian. Recently, Icon released a video to […]
Mind your manners
Years ago when I was writing a weekly column for a local newspaper, a reporter asked me, innocently enough, “Where do you get your ideas from?” He meant well. As a reporter he wasn’t paid to be creative. His bread and butter came from being accurate. That was his comfort level and he did his […]
NTSB studies how to improve general aviation safety
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In spite of improvements to commercial and corporate aviation safety records, the general aviation accident rate has been stubbornly resistant to safety initiatives, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said as she opened a two-day gathering to evaluate the current state of GA safety and consider if something should be […]