SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON We all discuss the declining numbers of pilots in FAA‘s database. Despite widespread concerns, efforts to bring more people into aviation have fallen short. Several worthy projects have attempted to reverse the drop in the pilot population. Over the years, EAA’s Young Eagles program has put nearly a million and a […]
Opinion
A nationwide chain of airports
Flight & Flyers By DENNIS PARKS During the two years following Lindbergh’s success across the Atlantic, the United States saw the swift transition of aviation from an experimental posture to a recognized part of the world of transportation and commerce. Air mail had become an accepted fact and passengers could fly coast-to-coast. The Curtiss Company, […]
Ask Paul: Wide deck vs. narrow deck engines
The difference between a Narrow Deck (ND) and a Wide Deck (WD) configured engine is easily determined by checking the specific engine serial number.
First Midwest LSA Expo a success
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON Plenty of aviation enterprises face challenges, but one of the toughest has to be starting a new airshow event, such as last weekend’s Midwest LSA Expo at Mt. Vernon Outland Airport (MVN) in Mt. Vernon, Ill. Not only must organizers get myriad details right and try to satisfy a broad range […]
GA promotes itself
General aviation seems to be finally taking up the issue of public acceptance. The need for it was recognized nearly a half-century ago when manufacturers realized they were selling bigger and more expensive airplanes to the same people. The industry initiated a meager PR program and more aggressive selling, which helped sales pick up. Another […]
A first look at new LSA tandems
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON Here come the new tandems — and I do mean new! Suspending a full flight trial regime, U.S.-based MySky One took a long maiden voyage from Daytona Beach, Florida, to Oshkosh. Just last month, the Slovak Republic-based sportShark, from Shark.Aero, took its first flight. Tandems seat the occupants fore and aft […]
Buying time
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congress has once again failed to act on FAA reauthorization and been forced to pass another short-term extension to keep the agency in business. This latest extension, like the several before it, is for three months, expiring Dec. 31. The House was first to act, as it was when okaying the full […]
SeaRey flies high
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON The SeaRey from Progressive Aerodyne is an all-American brand making the move from a kit-only operation to one providing fully-built SLSA and, eventually, ELSA kits. SeaRey marketing man Darrell Lynds reported a spectacular Oshkosh: “We sold 11 kit SeaRey aircraft (the LSX) and four SLSA versions to be called the SeaRey […]
A new heart for an old girl
SHORT FINAL By DEBORAH McFARLAND As I write this, my own Lester is buzzing over my head. While I’ve always thought his throaty C-85/O-200 made a sweet sound, today I find the noise annoying but, in hearing it, I know that my place in heaven is assured. Any woman who lets her husband borrow her […]