WASHINGTON, D.C. — Santa always has a special bag of goodies that he brings to the busy aviation folk here in the nation’s capital. Information about the contents of this year’s bag, like every other secret in this city, was leaked to the press. Fortunately, Santa considers General Aviation News a top news source, so […]
Opinion
Placing the blame
Cork Biemond makes a good point about the unfairness of the Sport Pilot driver’s license medical ruling excluding pilots who have previously been denied (Unelected bureaucrats pervert sport pilot) in the Oct 15 issue. He puts the blame on the wrong agency, however. Remember that the FAA approved the rule as it was originally written […]
Sport Pilot: A disaster waiting to happen
I fear that I may be one of the few pilots in the country who does not warmly welcome the announcement of the new Sport Pilot ruling by the FAA. My concern is not with aircraft that fall in the lighter-than-air, weight-shift, gyroplanes and powered parachutes categories. Rather, my fear resides with the proposed Sport […]
What’s up doc?
How important is your choice of Aviation Medical Examiner? Very important, it seems. I recently received two e-mails from a newspaper requesting information about a doctor who had lost his medical license, but continued to do FAA medicals. Apparently, the doctor lost his privileges at a couple of hospitals due to a head injury he […]
Simple Structure: The SA-1 was designed to be simple, almost to the point of being crude
By PETER M. BOWERS. A major design objective of the Naval Aircraft Factory SA-1 of late 1918 was to have as simple a structure as possible. This was achieved, but almost to the point of being crude in some areas. The structure, particularly in the fuselage, has some features well worth considering for today’s ultralights […]
Teresa Arredondo: Former chili picker worked her way up the aviation food chain
By RUSS HULET When Teresa Arredondo tells you that every day is a new challenge, she isn’t just repeating a cliché from pop philosophy. She has faced a lifetime of challenges and persevered through all of them. One of 10 children and fatherless at age 5, she quit school, came to the United States from […]
Radio Flyer, Part 3: It’s in the plane, but how do I really use it?
In the past two issues, I have covered the decision process leading to selection and installation of the UPSAT Apollo Full IFR system in my airplane. My installation includes the GX60 IFR GPS/COM and dedicated indicator and associated annunciator panel, SL30 Nav/Com and dedicated VOR/ILS indicator, SL15 stereo audio panel with marker beacon and ICS, […]
George — A new autopilot makes the trip easier
In June, I flew my plane 38.4 hours, of which 37.3 were all cross-country. I was in IMC for 15.9 of those hours and shot two localizer, two ILS, and two GPS approaches — and all six were to within 100 feet of minimums. My personal airline had a 100% dispatch reliability and on time […]
Diving into Flying
Like many other pilots in my age group, I acquired my initial interest in flying by watching the CBS television series, “Sky King,” which aired from the mid-’50s through the early ’60s. I had the good fortune to meet the star of the show, Kirby Grant, in 1975 and we immediately formed a close friendship […]