The article on page 6 in the Jan. 19 issue, Snakes on a Plane, got my attention. I don’t know of anybody who’d ever want to be in a cockpit with a snake — but me. During World War II, prior to going overseas to the ETO, I was flying P-39s during Texas Maneuvers. Somehow […]
Opinion
IS CLOSURE A DONE DEAL?
Re: Bowerman Field on endangered airports list: Washington’s Port of Grays Harbor wants out of the airport game, in the Dec. 1 issue: I’ve been a user of Bowerman Field since 1978. When I started using KHQM it was a very well maintained field with a full service FBO, several rental aircraft, flight instruction, AP/IA […]
Bush budget opens ‘Padora’s box’: As predicted, userfees and higher fuel taxes part of plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American airline industry is closer to getting what it wants — user fees for general aviation — now that President Bush’s budget officially calls for taxes and fees on users of air traffic control facilities, instead of the ticket tax on passengers and a fuel tax on general aviation. In the […]
AIRPORTS BEWARE
Remember the relief we felt within the aviation community back in 1998 when the state of Washington passed a law requiring all communities to develop zones to protect airports from encroachment by incompatible development? Here is a big red flag, folks. You had better check what your local governments have done, because we found that […]
IN SEARCH OF A BALANCED REPORT
Several months ago you did an article on the Symphony 160 (Symphony 160: The next generation trainer, July 7, 2006). I meant to write this back then, but it slipped my mind until reading about the company’s bankruptcy a few days ago (Bankrupt: Tiger and Symphony close doors, Feb. 2). I owned Symphony #29 (out […]
Waht’s your motivation?
What’s your motivation when it comes to flying? Do you fly because it’s something you enjoy? Do you fly because you are building your hours to get a better paying job? If you have a career in aviation, the answer to both of those questions is probably yes. When you lose that motivation it is […]
LEAVE OPINION OUT OF ACCIDENT REPORTS
In the Dec. 15, 2006, issue in the Accident Reports the headline reads “Contaminated fuel contributes to crash that kills two.” After reading the full narrative of the probable cause I found no reference in the report to suggest that “fuel contamination” was the cause for the tragedy. Your report also stated “there was speculation […]
Fair is fair
I am writing to express my concern over overt actions of Washington State’s Spokane International Airport Board and staff in negotiations with Spokane Airways regarding lease terms. In describing these actions, vendetta is perhaps too strong a word, but that is what comes to mind after perceiving (for better than a year) that the airport […]
Senators push TSA to ramp up GA security: ‘More robust plan’may be on the way
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Some members of Congress want general aviation to undergo the same security checks as airline passengers — and the head of the Transportation Security Administration told senators that TSA is “”looking at steps”” to improve its general aviation tactics, and added that “”a more robust plan”” is on the way. At a […]