About 100 years ago the place we recognize as Tampa International Airport, one of the largest, busiest airports in Florida, was nothing more than a strip of grass on a farm.
Opinion
Human Factors: Break out the booze
If you think it’s OK for you to drink when you fly, that you can handle it, you are wrong. And if you know someone who drinks before flying, or drinks in-flight, you need to intervene.
Personalize your aircraft performance table
It is a great A/B test tool. Mark your performance before and after installing a new propeller, for example, to see the impact.
Why doesn’t somebody do something?
As pilots, aircraft mechanics, aviation business owners, and interested residents, it is in our best interest to offer ourselves for public service. Establish an airport advisory committee that puts effective and beneficial utilization of the field at the forefront of its agenda. Discuss development of the airport as an asset to the community — a place where learning, recreation, business, and personal fulfillment all converge for the betterment of the residents and visitors to your area.
Uncomfortable parallels deserve consideration
The question each of us must ask ourselves is this: Do I really want to be minimally qualified? Would my friends and family be comfortable flying with me if they knew I was actively avoiding situations where I would have to prove my worth as a pilot?
Avgas from the Wright brothers to today
There is still a lot of confusion about the transition to a new unleaded avgas, especially around the differences between fuels approved through the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) and a specification from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). It may help to look at the history of specifications for avgas.
A cleaner way to change your oil filter
“The tool’s sole purpose when used along with manual or pneumatic vacuum pumps, is to extract fluids such as engine oil, diesel fuel, and hydraulic fluids from spin-on filters prior to removal.”
Living in era of technological breakthroughs
For all the fear, negativity, and derision we hear in the news and on social media, I continue to believe we live in amazing times. Our lives are immeasurably improved by access to increasingly inexpensive, more reliable, more capable technologies.
Progress at Van’s Aircraft
Bankruptcy is tough. I’m glad to see Van’s is making progress.