QUESTION: I just purchased a Safari kit-built helicopter. The factory has configured the kit for the O-360. The engine is mounted vertically using a conversion kit supplied by the manufacturer. My question concerns which version of the O-360, in your opinion, would be best suited for this application. Would you recommend turbo charging or electronic […]
Opinion
Sharing a plane not a new idea
Great article about sharing aircraft (Share a plane, without all the hassle, Feb. 3 issue), but the idea is not at all new! We have been doing this for over 53 years here at East Hill Flying Club in Ithaca, N.Y. Started by Mohawk Airline employees with a PA-11, we now have six aircraft and […]
Oil demand a killer for air shows?
The day is soon coming to the aviation community that air shows will need to be drastically limited. The allocation of an increasingly precious commodity can no longer be used for entertainment. Global oil production is nearing its peak. Oil is a finite resource and cannot be economically pumped from the ground forever. The transition […]
Outstanding service should be recognized
I enjoyed Mark Grady’s column on FBO service (Bad business: Are some airports hurting GA? Jan. 20 issue). It’s nice to see that sometimes “what goes around, comes around.” However, the other side is that service above and beyond should also be recognized. I’d really like to put in a recommendation for the Redding Jet […]
A cub made in China?
I have been reading a lot about the Cubcrafters’ complaint (Cub vs. Cub, Dec. 2, 2005 issue). I have read in history books that the Wright brothers were very concerned that someone would copy them and they filed for patents and tried other avenues to stifle competition. This competition is what makes better products and […]
A loving memory from a long-time reader
I am renewing a three-year subscription to General Aviation News. Here is a little bit of history I wanted to share with you. In 1959 my wife sent in a subscription to the old Northwest Flyer for my birthday. She used my first name and middle initial, which is Robert P. I have always gone […]
I like… getting ready for fly-in season, touch and goes and the search for perfection
I like fly-ins. The anticipation and the excitement of the journey are nearly as tantalizing as the event itself, especially the first fly-in of the season. The foremost chore on my preparation list is to try on my shorts. We have all learned the hard way that this is not something we should leave to […]
The state of the industry
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The future of general aviation looks bright but major issues will be faced this year. That was the assessment of the state of the industry by James Coyne, president of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), at that group’s annual luncheon for Washington journalists. Saying the business and charter sides of general […]
Novel idea: Loening builds amphibian that outperforms its predecessors
By PETER M. BOWERS. Aeronautical engineer and manufacturer Grover C. Loening came up with a novel idea for a military amphibian in 1923. Using the same engine, his amphib could outperform the standard two-seat observation planes that the U.S. Army and Navy were using. There had been plenty of previous amphibians, but they were clumsy […]