In North Platte, Nebraska, they celebrate NEBRASKAland Days in June. Driggs, Idaho, pulls out all the stops for Summerfest in July. In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, they mark the joys of summer with Thunder in the Valley, and Salley, South Carolina, hosts the Chitlin Strut in November. The point is this: Regardless of where you live, there […]
Opinion
Mississippi Senator seeks to require ethanol-free gasoline
Mississippi State Senator Michael Watson has just introduced Senate Bill 2137, “An act to require retail dealers and distributors of gasoline to offer for sale or use nonethanol-blended unleaded premium grade gasoline.” When asked for his motivation, the Senator from Pascagula, on Mississippi’s Gulf coast, replied: “Being from the coast, I continue to hear about […]
Senate passes FAA extension; schedules hearing on long-term authorization
Passage by the Senate of the 23rd extension of funding for the FAA keeps programs going until Feb. 17. The House had passed its short extension Jan. 24. Both Houses will now get busy on a full-term authorization. A short extension time was given after conferences resolved the primary issue that had prevented the two […]
‘Crumbling paint a bigger threat’ than leaded avgas
“More lead goes into the air here at Boeing Field than anywhere else in Washington state,” says KUOW’s John Ryan reporting from Ruby Chow Park under the flight path of Seattle’s Boeing Field (BFI). In his story on KUOW titled, “Flying The Leaded Skies: Small Planes Still Pour Lead Into America’s Air,” Ryan takes us […]
The crazy man of the air: C.K. Hamilton wows crowds in 1910
Aviation burst upon the American public in 1910 through a frenzy of air meets, contests, daring flights and maneuvers. Over the year, 100 regularly organized meets and exhibitions were held. New records were set and broken almost every week. During that one year, the art of aviation made such extraordinary advances that there are few […]
Sebring’s record crowds, brisk sales & sunny skies
The eighth running of Sebring just finished and a resounding success it was on nearly all counts. A few dour faces noted exhibitors were off a rather modest 5% (according to officials) but in every other category, smiles were broad from most attending or exhibiting at Sebring 2012. Read my full run-down of the show […]
The problem with the press
Periodically I give readers a peek into the political world I inhabit. The intent is to provide some context for the battle ahead of you if you try to buck the tide in even the slightest way. Bringing radical new ideas to the table, like making the most of your local general aviation airport by […]
Ask Paul: Why is my spark plug oil-fouled?
Q: I have been noticing an intermittent miss on the left mag during mag checks on the O-235L2C in my 1981 Cessna 152 (about 670 SMOH that included new Lycoming cylinders and pistons). About 30 hours ago when I cleaned, regapped, and rotated the plugs, I found that the lower plug on the #4 cylinder […]
Recreation time?
Strange as it seems with many millions jobless today, it wasn’t so long ago that theorists pondered what Americans would do with all their free time. The idea played its part in the 1970s transition of at least one pioneering GA brand from family ownership to conglomerate subsidiary. The ever-more-prosperous 1960s meant good times for […]