I regularly attend aviation events all over the country and have been doing so for around 40 years. I always enjoy seeing the numbers and variety of aircraft at these events, whether the event is primarily for sport aviation enthusiasts or features high-end business aircraft. Oshkosh and Sun ‘n Fun always amaze me by the […]
Opinion
Sharing information helps GA airports
Airports often face similar problems relating to safety and security but don’t know how others have resolved these problems or where to get specifics on the subject. Recognizing this, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) has a continuing project to gather information from many general aviation airports and share it with all airports to enable faster […]
What’s holding up FAA reauthorization?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House and Senate once again are trying to resolve sticky issues to pass a FAA reauthorization bill before the latest extension expires on July 3. Staffs from both sides of the hill continue to meet, with much going on behind the scenes. Several issues remain to be settled, but the biggest […]
Sporty’s course update impressive
I just watched the Advanced IFR DVD from the Sporty’s Instrument Rating Course. The quality of the video and interactivity made me wish this series had been around, in this format, when I was in flight training back in the, gulp, late 1980s. This isn’t a typical “ground school” video. Its use of high-end graphics […]
Flying on tandem wings
Among early design considerations were the layout, location and configuration of wings. Several early concepts included that of the tandem wing, including Langley’s first successful powered aircraft in 1896 (pictured, below). A tandem wing aircraft implies use of two full-sized wings mounted on each end of the fuselage. It might be considered a biplane with […]
Engine gurus online
Rotax gurus Phil Lockwood and Dean Vogel recently updated their “Rotax 912 Engine Introduction” DVD with a free nine-minute YouTube posting. On-camera, the dynamic duo cover the new AeroShell Sport Plus 4 engine oil, new oil pressure sender, 10% ethanol guidelines, details of the Rotax 912 2,000-hour TBO (Time Between Overhaul), plus a demonstration of […]
O Canada!
As winter thaws into spring and summer, some pilots may wish to fly their LSAs north into Canada. Now, thanks to our good friends at EAA, American pilots may finally do so. After a nearly two-year negotiation, America’s neighbor to the north finally views LSA to be as airworthy as a homebuilt experimentals. Northbound pilots […]
Ask Paul: Why do my serial numbers differ?
A: I have a narrow deck configuration in my 1964 PA 30-270. The first entry in the aircraft logbook, made on Jan. 3, 1964, shows radio installation and LE serial #S or L 606-55 and the RE L 640-55. However the engine log books show LE L 938-55 and RE L 909-55 and the first […]
FAA forecasts robust growth for LSAs…for a while
The FAA recently issued a 20-year forecast for aviation to 2030. According the agency, LSA sales will grow by 825 per year through 2013 and then taper off to 335 per year. Hmmm? One wonders why it should fall so dramatically and so soon? Except in a lousy 2009, the LSA industry has generously exceeded […]