GA advocacy groups recently joined with other industry groups to ask Congress to fully fund the Contract Tower Program as part of the FAA’s 2018 fiscal year appropriations bill. The March 9 letter to lawmakers asks for “not less than $159 million” in funding for the program. “The FAA Contract Tower Program has provided cost-effective and essential air traffic safety services […]
Deal gives free transponder with autopilot
Genesys Aerosystems is offering customers who buy a new S-TEC 2100 Digital Flight Control System between now and June 30, 2017, a free Lynx NGT-9000 touchscreen 1090ES/ADS-B transponder. “We felt that with the FAA’s ADS-B mandate on the horizon, this would be an unbeatable incentive for operators to get the best possible autopilot and ADS-B solutions […]
Inaugural U.S.-China GA Conference slated
The inaugural U.S.-China General Aviation Business Conference is slated for March 25-31, 2017, in California. China is poised to become one of the largest markets in the world for general aviation, organizers note. But China needs assistance, and that’s why representatives from Chinese government agencies, airport operations and academia will attend the conference. There are […]
New owner, new name for Smyrna Air Center
SMYRNA, Tenn. — Smyrna Air Center has a new owner — Jeff Hollingshead — and a new name: Hollingshead Aviation. Hollingshead Aviation is at Smyrna Airport (KMQY), which is about 30 minutes outside downtown Nashville. The new owner notes there are no landing fees. The FBO also features a dedicated pilot lounge with wide-screen smart TVs, […]
Disconnected fuel pump power wires lead to crash
The pilot reported that, after the Van’s RV-6A took off from the airport in Green Valley, Arizona, and reached an altitude of about 300 feet above ground level, the engine lost power. He then initiated a right turn toward the airport. Subsequently, the plane hit terrain and trees adjacent to the runway and nosed over. Post-accident examination […]
Fun flight
Jim Hefner sent in these photos, taken March 9, 2017, during a “fun flight to Monument Valley with lunch at Gouldings Lodge (UT25). After lunch I flew to Mexican Hat, then west over the Goosenecks and Lake Powell to Page, where I stayed overnight,” he said.
There’s a bigger story behind SUN ‘n FUN than you know
Three weeks from this very moment, thousands of General Aviation News readers will be found not at home, but in Lakeland, Florida, at the annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In and Expo. Their pilgrimage will begin shortly. Much is made of the economic impact this massive event brings to the city that says of itself, “Close […]
Should there be a mandatory retirement age for GA pilots?
While airline pilots have to retire at 65, there’s no mandatory retirement age for general aviation pilots. A new story in Air & Space magazine asks the question: Can you be too old to fly? According to the FAA’s Active Civil Airmen Statistics, in 2016 there were about 41,600 pilots over 70 with an active […]
Tecnam founder flies west
Professor Luigi Pascale, the founder, president and chief designer at Tecnam Aircraft, died March 14, 2017, after a brief illness. He was 93 years old. Luigi “Gino” Pascale was a native of Naples, Italy, whose passion for aviation began during the 1930s. He and his brother Giovanni, won many model plane races. The two brothers’ first […]