A May 31 story by Sarah Childress on the Frontline website is titled, “It’s Getting Easier to Fly Drones in the U.S.” The story links to a few videos posted by the Mesa (Arizona) County Sheriff’s Office showing how they use their UAS. Childress also links to the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s “Lists of Drone Certificates” […]
Opinion
Flying someplace different(ly)
A seaplane trip to Bimini? I took the bait and learned a lot, had a good time and spent more than I should. But getting away to an island is the perfect case for general aviation. And Bimini is closer to the Florida coast than any Bahamas island. I got the chance to ride along […]
C150 owner saves $800 annually with autogas
Mark “Prigs” Priglmeier, an officer of EAA Chapter 551 in St. Cloud, Minn., contacted us recently on the use of autogas in his C-150F: “I started using autogas in my 1966 C-150 at about 500 or so hours prior to my engine rebuild at just over 2300 smoh. I have had no issues. The engine […]
The marriage between piston rings and cylinder wall
Getting back to the main point, if you don’t remove the piston from the cylinder, then you don’t have to worry about disturbing the marriage I spoke of, and honing and installing new rings is not required.
Controllers say realignment OK if they are part of plan
WASHINGTON, D.C — Congress is taking a look at the FAA’s plans and efforts to consolidate air traffic control facilities and the controllers’ union says it supports the changes, but only if safety, efficiency, and service are improved. Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told the House Aviation Subcommittee that facility […]
FAA study: GA airports a national asset
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly 50 years ago I wrote a magazine article titled “Airports are for people who DON’T fly.” The FAA’s recently released 18-month study of GA airports has information documenting that claim, which people who don’t fly should know. The study tells of the many different functions at these airports that advance the […]
Pipistrel finalizes a new LSA trainer
Engineers at Pipistrel must not sleep in too often. This company, which won the NASA efficiency challenge several times — in 2011 taking home a $1.35 million cash prize — just unveiled a full-size version of a sleek four-seat design called the Panthera. Now on the other end of the spectrum comes its Alpha Trainer, […]
Airshows, spectators, and the inimitable Fred Rogers
If you’re reading this post, you can be fairly sure that you’re an aviation enthusiast. You might be a pilot, but you might not be, too. Believe it or not, there are massive numbers of people scattered across the globe who are aviation enthusiasts, yet who don’t personally feel the need to grasp the controls […]
FAA forecast: Spot on or improbable?
As the Light-Sport Aircraft industry ramps up for a summer of flying and the season’s biggest celebration of flight, AirVenture Oshkosh, I am still analyzing the FAA’s recently issued 20-year forecast for aviation, which shows growth prospects for LSAs, while predicting a decline in the total number of piston-powered aircraft. Viewed from a distance, this might […]