After almost 50 years in the kit aircraft industry, Sonex Founder and President John Monnett has announced his retirement from Sonex Aircraft, effective June 2, 2018. “I am retiring from Sonex Aircraft but not forsaking my passion for aviation,” he said. “I will continue to contribute where I can into the future, but will be leaving day to day […]
FAA offers series of drone webinars
FAA Safety Inspector Kevin Morris and a team of experts will launch a series of webinars June 5, 2018, on drone waivers. The series of free webinars will cover the most requested Part 107 waivers under the FAA’s Small UAS Rule. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and talk to FAA experts, agency […]
Paper or plastic? Sporty’s new Flight Gear kneeboards offers pilots a choice
Sporty’s has introduced two new kneeboards in its Flight Gear line. Both can be used with paper charts or an iPad. The Flight Gear Bi-Fold Kneeboard provides a solid writing surface and space for commonly used items, like checklists, nav logs, and sectional charts with a smaller footprint than many kneeboards, according to Sporty’s officials. […]
New editions of FAA Airman Certification Standards shipping soon
New editions of the Airman Certification Standards for Commercial Pilot Airplane, Private Pilot Airplane, Instrument Rating Airplane, and Remote Pilot will go into effect June 11, 2018, canceling the previous editions. The FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS) document, which will begin shipping in late June, is the guide for students, instructors, and evaluators to understand how […]
Ag pilot dies when plane hits wires
During an aerial application flight to apply fungicide to a wheat field, the pilot was flying the Rockwell S2R from west to east making a spray pass along the south edge of the field, which was bordered by powerlines. About 660′ from the west end of the field where the pilot started his spray pass, […]
Pictures of the Day: ILE de FRANCE
Frequent contributor Ted Luebbers sent in these photos from his recent visit to the French Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget Airport about 25 miles from Paris. He reports that at the museum he and his wife, Joan, found the “ILE de FRANCE” on display among a number of vintage French aircraft. “This unusual looking […]
Airspace has never been more valuable, and will never again be this cheap
Lately, I’ve had two images stuck in my head. The first is an Interstate highway overwhelmed by gridlock. The second is a graph of the population of the United States. As the population continues to climb, real estate continues to increase in value. Along with population increases come surface transportation challenges. Unless we annex Canada […]
Mission accomplished: #HonoringTheWASP
As the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) celebrated its 75th Anniversary Homecoming at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas, members of Women in Aviation International and others in the aviation community honored those pioneering World War II women who have passed by visiting and decorating their graves during Memorial Day weekend. A contingent led by WAI […]
See and avoid: Ag pilots vs. drones
With more than 1 million drones registered with the FAA, it is vitally important for unmanned aerial vehicle operators to be aware of agricultural aircraft operations this growing season, according to officials with the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA). Thankfully, a vast majority of drone users operate in a responsible manner, but since last year […]