After the widespread devastation Hurricane Irma wreaked on Florida in early September 2017, unmanned aircraft — commonly referred to as drones — have been invaluable in supporting response and recovery efforts in the battered Sunshine State. When Irma’s winds and floodwaters damaged homes, businesses, roads and industries, a wide variety of agencies sought FAA authorization […]
Movie plane to be auctioned
A full-size Stampe SV.4 Biplane, tail section and character figures from Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award-winning adventure sequel Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy will be auctioned off Sept. 26, 2017, in London. Can’t attend, but still interested? You can watch the auction online. The plane is estimated to sell for […]
Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics expands Youngstown campus
Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics cut the ribbon on its $1.3 million expansion of its campus in Youngstown, Ohio, Sept. 20, 2017. In 2016, PIA invested $1.3 million in its purchase of the site and construction of a new two-story teaching facility at its Hangar 3 site. This new facility includes electrical and welding classrooms, an aeronautics […]
Pilot blinded by sunrise loses control of 177
The pilot said that during the landing roll at the airport in Aztec, N.M., he was “blinded by the sunrise coming straight down the runway.” Unable to see, he applied power to abort the landing, but the Cessna 177RG departed the runway to the left and hit shrubs. He reduced power to idle and stopped […]
High flying at Reno 2017
Ace photographer Lisa F. Bentson captured these photos on the second day of the 2017 National Championship Air Races in Reno:
Back to Blakesburg
Come one, come all, from large to small — to Antique Airfield in Blakesburg, Iowa! The airplanes that fill the skies over Antique Airfield every Labor Day weekend are a treat to see and hear, and it isn’t unusual to spot a make or model you’ve not seen previously. Ever see an open-cockpit biplane in […]
Visiting an old friend at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
Early in 2017 the 1929 replica Pietenpol our Experimental Aircraft Association chapter had been helping to finish building was sold and shipped off to Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Lou Larsen had been working on it for about 15 years in his garage. For the last four years it was moved to the EAA Chapter 534 hangar […]
ATC proposal vote may be in October
The Hill is reporting that the House of Representatives will vote on privatizing air traffic control in October. But first it must approve a short-term extension of the FAA’s authorization, which expires Sept. 30, 2017. The story quotes Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as saying the FAA extension […]
New certification rule for GA now in effect
On Aug. 30, 2017, the final rule overhauling airworthiness standards for general aviation airplanes officially went into effect. The FAA expects the rule — which was published in December 2016 — will enable faster installation of innovative, safety-enhancing technologies into small airplanes, while reducing costs for the aviation industry. “With these performance-based standards, the FAA delivers […]