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 […]
Opinion
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 […]
LSA sales brisk at Sun ‘n Fun
Sun ‘n Fun’s annual “Spring Break for Pilots” is over and it was indeed a break. Most visitors find the spring show a good way to kick off a new season of recreational aircraft flying and the Lakeland, Florida, event did not disappoint. Generally, pilots were plentiful and most appeared to have a bounce in […]
Another temporary extension for FAA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate and House are expected to not complete agreement on reauthorization of the FAA before the temporary extension expires April 30, so Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, introduced legislation Wednesday to again extend federal aviation operations and programs through July 3, 2010. “We […]
NextGen delays continue
WASHINGTON, D.C. — NextGen (the Next Generation Air Transportation System) is running into problems, causing delays, which mean the program might not be fully operational before the half-century-old radar-based system is scheduled to be replaced. Seven government agencies and offices are involved with the FAA in developing NextGen. The House Subcommittee on Aviation recently held […]
First: Ask the right question
When I was a relatively young instructor I had the good fortune to call a small uncontrolled airport in central Connecticut my home base. Meriden Markham may not make the annals of aviation as a hotbed of technical achievement, innovative design, or the home of a manufacturing marvel, but I learned more about teaching, and […]
GAFuels bloggers hold seminars at Sun ‘n Fun
GAFuels blogger Dean Billing sends the following report on his three talks held last week at Sun ‘n Fun 2010: There was a lot of media coverage of Sun ‘n Fun, but you will notice that none of it was about the fuel situation facing GA. There was only one group of pilots that presented […]