No airplane is ever in zero gravity! Physicist spend their time thinking about black holes, dark matter, dark energy, string theory and time. They do not think about why they are weightless in orbit or why they are weightless in an airplane named “Zero Gravity.” Physicist deny that there is a centrifugal force! Therefore, I […]
Opinion
Famous flyer: Morgan Freeman shares his passion for flight
Like many pilots, flying got Morgan Freeman into trouble when he was in high school. “I started flying at my desk in school,” the award-winning actor said during a visit to AirVenture this year. “My English teacher would see me ‘flying’ an F-86 Sabrejet at my desk and ask, ‘Morgan, what are you doing?’” Like […]
COWS AND AIRPLANES DON’T MIX
I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to fly my 1946 Luscombe 8A about an hour before dark. I put in five gallons. I had maybe two or three gallons in it already. I figured I would be in the air only about 30 minutes, so I reasoned I was good for about one […]
Will going green cost pilots a lot of green?
WASHINGTON, D.C — Pilots and aircraft owners might find that efforts to go green will cost them a lot of green. Planning over where, when and how to build wind turbine farms is little known among many general aviation users, but can have a major direct effect. Federal agencies are wrestling over development of wind […]
Is a factory rebuilt engine reliable?
I probably will buy a C-172 with a new — actually rebuilt — O-310-H2AD engine. Do you know if this engine is reliable? Does it meet the latest factory changes? The seller is asking a lot for this aircraft, but it has a “”new”” engine. MICHEL de LEEUW The Netherlands From the information you provided […]
CROSSFIELD’S DAUGHTER EXPRESSES GRATITUTDE
To Tom Norton: I am Sally, Scott’s daughter, child number five of six. Now that I am done crying, may I say how very grateful I am to you for writing that article (“NTSB: Lack of weather update killed Crossfield; Final report cites ATC failure to advise, Crossfield failure to ask,” Oct. 19, 2007 issue). […]
KERSHNER’S FAMILY PROUD OF WHAT HE ADDED TO AVIATION
Ace Aerobatic School, founded by William K. Kershner, closed on the day of his death, Jan. 8, 2007. Catherine Cavagnaro, highly thought of by my father as a pilot and aerobatic instructor, has her own school, Sewanee Aerobatic School. I was honored to deliver my father’s Aerobat, N7557L, to the National Air and Space Museum. […]
Central Oregon: A hotbed of GA activity
One of the perks of this job is that I get to travel. Mostly it’s to fly-ins and conventions such as AirVenture, Sun ‘n Fun or AOPA Expo, but sometimes I get to make a trip to meet and greet the players in the aviation industry. May of this year took me to central Oregon. […]
Expect big battles in Congress next year: User fees, runway safety and overworked controllers just the beginning of the conflicts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democrats in Congress recently attacked the FAA over runway incursions and air traffic controller conditions — and were immediately rebutted by the FAA and a Republican member of the aviation committee, an indication there will be strong conflicts next year. Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, […]