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 and aviation journalist. As an engineer and a pilot, I believe that logic, combined with the amazing ability […]
Opinion
Earning a seat at the table
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. In December 2008, my home city of Winter Haven, Florida, cut the ribbon on a new terminal building at Gilbert Field. With millions of dollars invested and a golden […]
Is GA a menace?
WASHINGTON, D.C.—“Private Plane, Public Menace” is the title of a feature article written by Jeffrey Goldberg for The Atlantic magazine. How did an article with such a title appear in such a prestigious magazine? As the magazine is published here in Washington, I decided to try to determine why. After two and a half days […]
The OX-5 era
Dennis Parks is Curator Emeritus of Seattle’s Museum of Flight. After the end of World War I, surplus warplanes were dumped on the market at a fraction of their original cost, leaving manufacturers with little demand for new aircraft. Without a doubt this availability of cheap aircraft hindered the development of new aircraft in the […]
Call for no user fees in budget
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Although he is no longer chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) is still active in seeking elimination of user fees for general aviation. He is circulating a letter urging President Obama not to include general aviation user fees in the budget for Fiscal year 2112. Costello remains a […]
A FlightPrep fan
LETTER TO THE EDITOR I’ve read with considerable interest on this and other sites about the FlightPrep patent enforcement efforts and some concerns that have been expressed by the flying community. I’m not quite sure I understand what all the fuss is about, but then, I come at the issue with a perspective that is […]
Semi-expert testimony
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. Opportunities to represent the aviation community come from all over the map, and they’re almost always unexpected. More often than not, I agree to participate in the process when […]
In a new era, will public support be there?
Drew Steketee was president of BE A PILOT, senior vp-communications for AOPA and executive director of the Partnership for Improved Air Travel. He also headed PR and media relations for Beech, GAMA and the Airport Operators Council International. Recently, the regional authority for long-beleaguered Queen City Airport outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, committed to fixing problematic underground […]
Why teaching the young to love flying is important
LETTER TO THE EDITOR When I was 8 years old, I loved to watch the Stearman crop duster airplanes spray our fields for insects. I would marvel at these crop duster pilots flying under telephone lines and pulling back up into the air with the roar of the big engine. Then I got to meet […]