By DAVE HOOK. Now that we’re past the first day of spring it’s time to start planning for two important seasons ahead: Hurricane and wildfire. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), hurricane season begins May 15 for the Eastern Pacific and June 1 for the Atlantic. Both end on Nov. 30. For […]
Opinion
Say again?
I get no joy out of admitting this, and I certainly mean no disrespect by discussing it publicly, but almost every week I get at least one email that makes no sense to me at all. I feel bad about that, because the person who sent the message almost certainly had something specific in mind. […]
Visiting family
It’s no exaggeration — Atlanta traffic is bad. Even though we live 60 miles north of the city, my family lives three hours south. There’s no way around it. If I want to visit them, I must travel through a sprawling congested mess. The interstate straight through the city is often snarled and the loop […]
Gearing up for Sun ’n Fun
Sun ’n Fun 2012 is about to begin. Billed as the “Spring Break for Pilots,” the central Florida airshow is revving up in numerous ways, thanks partly to the show’s new leader, John “Lites” Leenhouts (and yes, everyone really does call him “Lites,” his Navy pilot nickname). His team is refreshed and ready for a new […]
The FBO fuel sales model is broken and anti-competitive
In almost every article about the future of leaded avgas, this statement appears, “… only one fuel will be stocked by the FBO system.” This particular quote comes from a reply by Mac McClellen to Todd Petersen in Mac’s latest Left Seat blog on the EAA’s website. You will also find it in almost every […]
New autogas supplier for Virginia and North Carolina
Reflecting the increasing demand for lead-free autogas at GA airports, Jernigan Oil of Ahoskie, N.C., announced this week its willingness to deliver 93 AKI autogas to any airport in the states of North Carolina or Virginia. Michael Harrell, owner of Jernigan Oil, explains: “I grew up in an aviation family. My father was a crop […]
Hiccups, gaffes, and bumps in the road
Last June I wrote a piece about an airline that had begun service into Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) here in central Florida. The column ran in this space. It was ebullient, hopeful, and waved a big flashy flag for the potential that comes from having regularly scheduled air service into a mid-sized and growing […]
Questions abound about user fees
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Over the past few years, several reports have been written about suggestions, proposals, and announcements that new fees would be placed on aviation. Most recent of them refer to a fee of $100 per landing for jet aircraft introduced in the President’s budget for 2013. Following published stories of these reports and […]
TICO Warbird Show suffers iffy weather, but still shines
The weekend wasn’t kind to the TICO Warbird Airshow. Showery weather plagued Florida’s east coast. Some complained online that warbird flying was thinner this year and a promised act didn’t appear. But for the dyed-in-wool military aviation aficionado, this was still a pure play. Any time of year, the Valiant Air Command (VAC) offers its […]