WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite a united front by aviation groups and strong support from many in Congress, general aviation’s struggle over fuel taxes and a proposed $100 per flight user fee for business flights is reaching a higher pitch as the federal government intensifies its attempts to reduce the federal deficit. The Joint Committee on […]
Opinion
Turbulent times
“Occupy Wall Street” protests have made news, raised questions, and recently generated violence. They recall MY generation’s turbulent college years when politics and values took a sharp turn. During the era of “sex, drugs and Rock ‘n Roll,” I wondered how many were lost to the disciplined world of aviation. In my time, Eisenhower-era military […]
Touring Jekyll Island in an AirCam
My good friend and Air-Cam developer, Phil Lockwood, likes to hold fly-outs for his customers. More than 160 kits have been delivered and built; each fly-out has attracted several of these owners. Phil and his Lockwood Aircraft associate George Weber have invited me several times but I’ve had to miss earlier gatherings for owners of […]
The perfect storm
At this year’s AOPA Aviation Summit, EAA and AOPA jointly announced they will pursue driver’s license medical privileges for pilots wishing to operate GA airplanes with less than 180 horsepower with only two persons on board in day VFR. Combined with ongoing events in the LSA industry, it seems a “perfect storm” is brewing. The […]
Payette Airport adds autogas
Pilots in west central Idaho and eastern Oregon have cause for celebration: The Payette Municipal Airport (S75) in Payette, Idaho, added 91 AKI ethanol-free, lead-free autogas last month. Currently priced at $4.10, the fuel is more than a dollar less expensive than 100LL, both fuels being sold from the airport’s self-service fuel station. Mary Cordova, […]
A busy October concludes
For years, the aviation calendar used to go something like this: Oshkosh (now known as AirVenture) ended in the first days of August. Later that fall we had the AOPA and NBAA events and that appeared to be largely the end of shows until a new season launched. In fact, it was a rather long […]
FAA launches laser incident website
The FAA is taking more action to cut down on the growing problem of lasers being pointed at aircraft by establishing a new website to make it easier to report laser incidents and to obtain information on the subject. This year, through Oct. 20, pilots reported 2,795 laser events. That is an increase from less […]
‘Washing’ ethanol out of mogas – Part II
Back in November 2010 I wrote a blog about separating ethanol from E10 by a method that is commonly known as “washing.” Looks like pilots don’t get it. There has been an ongoing conversation on backcountrypilot.org about separating ethanol from auto fuel by “washing” it out with water — scroll down to the entry by […]
Coalition debunks claims by LightSquared on GPS issue
Continuing efforts by LightSquared to push for Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for the spectrum to use in developing a nationwide broadband telecommunication network are resulting in repeated misstatements and rewriting of history, according to the Coalition to Save Our GPS. Interference of the spectrum LightSquared wants to use, unless resolved, would affect the accuracy […]