The Commemorative Air Force’s star attraction, the B-29 “FIFI,” landed late in Daytona Beach March 1 because she flies “VFR only” these days. But she immediately swelled the hearts of World War II vets and awed general aviation flyers here more than a decade after her last Florida appearance. And there’s more to come. Sun […]
Opinion
Martin Field in Walla Walla adds autogas
Pilots in southeastern Washington are enjoying some of the least expensive aviation fuel in the country since lead-free, ethanol-free 91 AKI autogas recently became available at Martin Field (S95), just outside of Walla Walla. Doug Cheney, whose family owns the airport, describes the motivation to offer more choices to pilots: “Why are we doing this? […]
Flying the Allegro
LSA America builds the Czech-designed Allegro in America as one of the first companies (but not the last, I suspect) to cross the Atlantic. Ironically, this results in an aircraft less expensive than other LSAs that come from Eastern European countries where we once thought low wages and high aviation skills would upset U.S. airplane […]
195 members of House tell president: No $100 fee
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The president’s 2013 budget plan to charge $100 per flight to aircraft using controlled airspace was never expected to be adopted and it got another major setback when 195 bipartisan members of the House of Representatives sent Obama a letter opposing the fee. “The letter is another clear example that user fees […]
First responders and pilots: The follow-up
Now online: Powerpoint presentation for first responders It was the day after Christmas 2011 when I filled this space with talk of first responders. Specifically, I wrote about the self-interest the aviation community has in reaching out to work with first responders before something bad happens. If you wait until flames erupt from wreckage on […]
Cessna takes commanding lead in LSA market
The LSA Market Share numbers are complete for 2011 and we offer them below. But first, if you will permit, I wish to say a hearty thanks to all the visitors that helped ByDanJohnson.com achieve an all-time record month in January following a strong December. In the first month of the new year we broke […]
TSA comment period closes March 1
By DAVE HOOK. Do you know about 49 CFR 1552? This regulation deals with alien flight training and flight school security awareness training and is one of the few federal security regulations that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration requires compliance from general aviation. Are you interested in submitting your comments to the TSA and the […]
General aviation user fee civility
User fees have reared their head in President Obama’s fiscal year 2013 proposed budget. Longtime General Aviation News columnist Charles Spence wrote about a letter 100 mayors sent to President Obama regarding the budget’s potential $100-per-flight fee. The comments that follow are interesting. Commenter “gbin” says: “I wonder how many of the mayors who signed […]
GAO: NextGen over budget and behind schedule
WASHINGTON, D.C. — After causing the FAA to limp along on 23 temporary funding extensions, Congress finally passed a four-year authorization last month. A question now facing FAA watchers is: Will this steadier funding mean a smoothing of the turbulence the agency has seen in developing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)? A report […]