The rush is on in Europe, at least for the best-prepared of LSA producers. EASA, the European Aviation Safety Agency, has accepted ASTM standards as a means of certifying light aircraft in the European Union, but put its own stamp on this approval. Those wishing to sell an ASTM-compliant SLSA in Europe have some extra […]
Opinion
Mr. Murphy and his laws
I didn’t make the Lady Taildragger Fly-In held in Savannah, Tenn., the first weekend in June, and from the comments on the website and the texts from my friend and fellow pilot, Sharon Tinkler, it was a roaring success. Kudos to founder and organizer of Ladies Love Taildraggers, Judy Birchler, and Savannah-Hardin airport manager Montille […]
The Shuttle ‘has wings’ with the public, why not GA?
East Coast folks and TV viewers everywhere flocked to watch the Space Shuttles fly into Washington and New York recently. Some Washington friends took the day off. AAA even published safety tips to avoid distraction if you saw a Shuttle overhead while driving. The public was fascinated. So why is our flying now so seemingly […]
Shades of grey
General Aviation News columnist Dan Johnson recently wrote about LSAs vs. Cessna 150s. The post discusses the pros and cons of a new Light-Sport Aircraft versus the venerable Cessna 150. Dan was a long-time 150 owner and is “the man” when it comes to new LSAs, so he’s as much an expert on both — […]
The closing of Mattituck
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: I believe it was in 2003 that my brother told me about a program called the Mattituck Engine Workshop sponsored, as you can guess, by Teledyne Mattituck Services. It was free and all you had to do was to get there. The program took a group of people, put them in […]
GA gets attention in FAA administrator hearing
The FAA “completely understands the importance of general aviation,” Michael Huerta told a Senate committee Thursday, June 21, in his hearing for nomination to be FAA administrator. He has been acting administrator since the resignation of Randy Babbitt after his arrest for driving under the influence. In his opening statement, Heurta asked the rhetorical question […]
There are plans afoot
On Friday afternoon I enjoyed an interesting conversation with a big deal muckity-muck from one of the major aviation entities in the business. One of the things we talked about was how we can work together to get more people involved in aviation. We both had ideas, and we both saw merit in what the […]
Taking to the air
The history of aviation is a long record of man’s restless urge to emulate soaring eagles and swooping hawks, to escape the earth and reach the freedom of the skies. Even though the air had been harnessed for centuries with aerodynamic devices such as the feathers on an arrow or the shape of a boomerang […]
Electric Sports weight-shift trike impresses
AERO, held each year in the south of Germany, is one of those shows that has interesting aircraft in more nooks and crannies than even a crack reporter can find. Thanks to Tom Peghiny of Flightstar eSpyder and Flight Design USA fame, we have more from the German show about electric-powered aircraft. Enthusiasts of electric […]