I was reading your editorial (Knee jerks: The selling of fear in America, Nov. 3 issue) with interest and approval until the part about populists and socialist media – then I sort of choked. It is true that most of our fellow aviators are wildly conservative, and love to hear generalizations about socialist media, but […]
Opinion
Democratic control could bring change to user fee fight
WASHINGTON, D.C. — General aviation groups are cautiously optimistic about the changes in Congressional committee leaderships that will bring into power lawmakers who in the past have shown opposition to user fees. Democrats are expected to take a more negative view of changing how the FAA is funded, but reauthorization of the FAA is still […]
What he didn’t know
Reference the letter to the editor in your Oct. 20 issue written by Kim H. Wallis (Test pilots held to a higher standard?): Clearly Kim Wallis did not think through the Sport Jet crash scenario before he hit the send button on his computer. Without knowledge of prior traffic, pilots are routinely dependent upon air […]
We don’t need more red tape
The FAA doesn’t see patients on a day-to-day basis, so they should leave medical certification procedures up to the AMEs who practice their trade! In the process of medical recertification the FAA should only act as an appeal agency to make the final decision on whether airmen fly or not. As ironic as it seems, […]
What about Tie-Downs?
At Romeo State Airport: $70,000 for design work for terminal area site preparation: $56,000 federal, $12,250 local and $1,750 state; $492,500 for construction of a new entrance road and site preparation for a new terminal building: $394,000 federal, $86,187 state and $12,313 state and local. Federal and state funding for “luxuries” like layout plans. Roads, […]
Still Learning
Well, Tom, I learned a couple of things (I’m almost 60 and started flying in 1965) from your article “Old School Flying.” 1. I never knew it was illegal to prop an airplane. 2. I’d never heard of the crank in the middle of a Piper instrument panel. Back in the 1960s, we had a […]
Old school flying
Your article on “Old School Flying” in the Oct. 20 issue was great! You know my affinity for the classic airplanes so this article really hit home. I went with a friend to pick up a new Legend Cub and fly it home a few months ago and it was a fun trip, flying low […]
When the media attacks
There probably isn’t an airport in the world that didn’t get a visit or a phone call from its local newspaper or television station in the wake of the crash of an SR20 in New York City on Oct. 11. The crash killed Yankee relief pitcher Cory Lidle, 34, and Tyler Stanger, 26, a flight […]
Between a rock and a hard place
Several years ago I pursued a special issuance for my medical and received same. It was a long and tedious process but I was persistent and won. I was able to fly for several years and then out of nowhere I suffered a stroke that rendered me blind. It’s a good thing I wasn’t in […]