Q: I am test flying my new RV-9. It has a new Superior O-320, dual p-mags and an MTV11 2-blade MT prop. When it has been running at cruise power for a few minutes or more (say 2,300 rpm x 23 inches or more) and then I reduce the throttle, I get a popping/crackling sound […]
Opinion
AirBP & EPIC part ways
AirBP and EPIC Aviation, the company who has sold BP’s aviation fuel in the past, have parted ways, according to this press release from AirBP. “BP’s global aviation fuelling business, Air BP, announced today that it has entered the U.S. general aviation business as a direct fuel supplier to Fixed-Base Operators (FBOs), business aviation companies, […]
Our fuels expert visits Swift Fuels
Swift Fuels has been working on a 100 octane unleaded avgas for a number of years. I have been, shall we say, less than enthusiastic about the company’s work for various reasons. However, as of late, the company seems to be making some real progress, so I drove down to Indiana to visit its facility. […]
‘FIFI’ kicks off month-long Florida tour
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 […]
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 […]