I did it. I finally obtained my Multiengine Commercial rating. If it is true that “getting there is half the fun,” then I had a whole lot of fun. My multiengine odyssey began just over two years ago, when I saved up $4,000 for the rating. The first challenge was finding an ME instructor. You […]
Opinion
User fee battle just the beginning: airlines want even more from GA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The user fee/fuel tax issue is consuming much of the time and energy of aviation advocates here but, win or lose the battle, general aviation will continue to have difficult struggles with the airlines for months — or perhaps years — to come. That was obvious from statements made by officials at […]
THE ART OF POLITICS
In reading the article by Charles Spence in the Jan. 5 issue concerning EPA’s fuel rules (“Capital Comments: The latest on NAVAIDS, user fees and fuel rules”), I am reminded of a comment by the famous film comedian of the 1930s and 1940s, Groucho Marx. He said of government, “Politics is the art of seeking […]
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 […]
A SO-CALLED P-38
As a World War II Tac Recon pilot with the 64th TRG, 9th AF, ETO, I caught the misidentification of the so-called P-38 that Bill Lear Jr. was flying on page 46 of your Jan. 19 issue (Art Report: “Bill Lear and surplus WWII aircraft — what’s the connection?”). No gun ports on the nose, […]
Can I install a constant-speed prop on my engine?
I have a Lycoming O-360-A3A in my Cherokee. According to the Type Certificate Data Sheets (TCDS), this engine is similar to an -A1A, except without provisions for a constant speed prop. Nevertheless, it is equipped with a hollow crankshaft, and there is a pad on the accessory case for a prop governor. A friend told […]
A GREAT AIRPLANE
I was glad to see someone appreciates a great airplane (Rare Norseman makes its airshow debut, Jan. 5 issue). As I remember it was designed by Robert Noorduyn, who had been a design engineer for Bellanca. I have seen one in the Canadian Museum at Ottawa and at the Bush Flying Museum in Sault St. […]
Overcrowded skies, too few controllers? The same story has been told countless times over the years
I wonder how many times in the years since I earned my pilot certificate in 1969 I’ve read an article — in a non-aviation newspaper — about the crisis that will occur in the coming crowded skies and the absence of an adequate number of air traffic controllers to handle all of those aircraft. It […]
RETRO THINKING PUBLIC OFFICIALS
Re: A legend lives on: The Avro Arrow remains a source of national pride for Canadians in the Jan. 5 issue: Many of us in the United States were equally dismayed when the Northrop jet-powered flying wing bomber was scuttled in the same manner as the Avro Arrow. Several aircraft were completed and the production […]