Jamie Beckett is a CFI and A&P mechanic who stepped into the political arena in an effort to promote and protect GA at his local airport. He is also a founding partner and regular contributor to FlightMonkeys.com. A curious thing happened when I stopped into my local FBO this past weekend. As I wandered past […]
Opinion
Top Democrat fights FAA bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bill to reauthorize the FAA has passed the House of Representatives, but the ranking Democrat on the aviation subcommittee continues to fight against it. This time, Congressman Jerry Costello has called on the National Transportation Safety Board for help. Costello wrote to NTSB officials, asking them for an opinion on a […]
What’s behind media frenzy over controller errors?
What brought about the heavy media coverage of the errors by air traffic controllers? Print and electronic media made this their lead articles for days. Members of Congress demanded answers from the FAA and Department of Transportation. The top manager of air traffic at the FAA “resigned” and at least two controllers have been discharged. […]
Damn tornadoes
But the damage brings out the best in people Tornadoes take on many forms, and are different beasts to different people. At the recent Sun ’n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla., the tornado was called an EF1. If you are John Burton, president of Sun ’n Fun, the tornado that hit LAL on March 31 […]
LSA companies expanding in two directions
New models range from single seaters to four-place planes Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, is an expert on Light Sport Aircraft. An amazing thing happened on the way to AERO 2011, Europe’s very popular show in the south of Germany. Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) companies — a large and growing flock of […]
Lack of sleep = bad decisions
Meg Godlewski is GAN’s staff reporter and a Master CFI. Americans are sleep deprived. We work too much. We watch too much television. We spend too much time playing computer games and engaging in social media. It cuts into the time we allot for sleep. And we pay for it. Lately, control tower operators who […]
More LSAs powered by Lycoming
Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, is an expert on Light Sport Aircraft. While the Continental O-200 engine — used in several LSA — attains Chinese ownership, Lycoming appears to be making a stronger push to enlist LSA manufacturers. One example at AERO 2011 was the upgraded Tecnam Eaglet, which airshow visitors […]
Autogas returns to Norridgewock
The GAfuels Blog is written by two private pilots concerned about the future availability of fuels for piston-engine aircraft: Dean Billing, Sisters, Ore., an expert on autogas and ethanol, and Kent Misegades, Cary, N.C., an aerospace engineer, aviation sales rep for U-Fuel, and president of EAA1114. The popular Central Maine Airport of Norridgewock (OWK) in […]
Passing it on
Deb McFarland is the proud owner of Lester, a 1948 Luscombe 8E, and part of the “Front Porch Gang” at Pickens County Airport in Georgia. Red Bouchie was born and raised in Oneida, S.D., and came from a long line of farmer-ranchers. In the days after World War II, everybody in those parts had a […]