WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington political situation will make the climate for general aviation “”uncertain”” this year. That’s according to James Coyne, president of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), who stressed this at a recent meeting for the Washington, D.C., press. Uncertainty brings with it many issues that can cause concern, he notes. However, […]
Opinion
Diary of a mad Luscombe pilot
Every new year brings contemplations, convolutions and resolutions, most of which are held dear for a week or two and then thrown out with that final bit of holiday trash. Contemplations of the New Year sort can get deep and perplexing at times. One realizes the Earth is another year older and one’s backside is […]
What to do about a ‘slightly’ rough running engine
I always look forward to hearing what you have to say, so here is my question: I fly a 1954 Piper PA-22/20 with an O-320 (no suffix) Lycoming, with about 975 hours since major. I fly it 150 to 175 hours per year, and keep up with all the maintenance an old ship requires. The […]
How many wonderful stories are lost?
In your Dec. 7, 2007, issue, in the article about David Tallichet (“David Tallichet, restaurant pioneer and airplane collector, dies at 84”), I found one lonely sentence that really caught my attention. “He found another fleet of Martin B-26s in western Canada, where the whole lot had crashed on the way to Alaska.” What a […]
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. […]
‘ZERO GRAVITY’ DEBATE CONTINUES
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 […]