The Mooney M20K pilot said he was aware that the Low Intensity Runway Lights (LIRL) at his departure airport in Laurel, Maryland, were not operational when he departed on a local flight. When he returned to the airport later that night, he attempted to operate the LIRL, but only one side of the runway edge lights […]
Scenes from the Cactus Fly-In
The 59th annual Cactus Fly-In was held March 3-4 in Casa Grande, Arizona. Our good friend Glenn Brasch volunteered at the show and offered to take some photos. Glenn Brasch is a retired commercial helicopter pilot who developed a smart phone app, Airport Courtesy Cars, which is free in the App stores. It lists more than 1,750 […]
The Perfect Plane
By Theron Burton. Time was quickly ticking down to my day with the examiner for my private pilot check ride. I had mastered the steep turns, the frightening stalls and high performance landings and takeoffs. I felt confident that my PPL (private pilot license) would be in hand soon, so I began the next step. I […]
Court motion challenges deal to close SMO
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) joined with five other aviation stakeholders to file a motion March 6, 2017, before the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, requesting a stay against the FAA and an injunction against the city of Santa Monica, California, preventing any further actions to reduce the length of the runway […]
Women in Aviation conference achieves goals
The 28th Annual International Women in Aviation Conference, held March 2-4 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort In Lake Buena Vista, Florida, accomplished its goals to connect, engage and inspire, according to officials. “The accomplishments and the sophistication of our speakers this year was impressive. This year’s conference reflected the cutting edge of innovation and a passion for aviation,” […]
Badass pilot buys own fighter jet
While preparing stories for the upcoming SUN ‘n FUN Today — the daily newspaper of the fly-in put together by General Aviation News — we reached out to several airshow performers, including Art Nalls, who will fly his Harrier during the airshow. He sent me a link to this video put together by AARP which […]
Senators oppose privatizing ATC
Senate Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi) and Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), as well as Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Chairman Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), recently sent a letter to the leadership of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation opposing privatizing the […]
Life-saving oxygen from Pocket Smoke Hood
Resisting temperatures of up to 450°C (932°) and filtering out toxic air and heavy smoke for up to 20 minutes is why the Pocket Smoke Hood was created. “Have you ever felt smoke filling your lungs as you try to stabilize flight that requires an emergency landing?” asks Jim Chandler, owner of CoolTraveStuff. “Now you […]
Loss of control on climb out brings down CH-750
The pilot reported that during initial climb out in the CH-750, just after becoming airborne, he inputted a higher than normal angle of attack and subsequently the plane stalled and rolled to the left. He was unable to recover and the airplane struck vegetation and hit the ground near Palmdale, California. Substantial damage was sustained to the […]