The student pilot was on his first solo cross-country flight in a Cessna 150 near Matlock, Wash., when the weather started to deteriorate. He descended to a lower altitude to avoid clouds and proceeded toward the nearest airport. When he tried to level off at the lower altitude, the airplane continued to descend at a rate […]
Video: Cirrus ditches under chute in Pacific Ocean
According to DCNewsroom, on Sunday, January 25, 2015, “The Coast Guard launched crews aboard an HC-130 Hercules airplane and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Barbers Point,” to intercept a Cirrus SR-22 enroute from California to Hawaii that would be ditching – fuel starvation – in the Pacific Ocean “230 miles north east of […]
Picture of the Day: Early morning adventure
Dale Andersen sent in this photo of an early morning adventure. He describes the photo: “Two Aeronca Champs departing California’s Oceano (L52) Aerodrome heading for the backcountry to play.”
What’s in a name?
We live in a rural community and I have been elected to the township board for the last few years. A couple of years ago, the board applied for a grant to replace all of the traffic signs in our township. We won the grant and received the new signs. A few weeks ago, I got a […]
Revised sleep apnea policy responds to GA’s concerns
More than a year of lobbying work by general aviation’s advocacy groups on the FAA’s sleep apnea policy has brought considerable revisions to the agency’s original proposal, which would have forced costly sleep studies on pilots even if they had shown no symptoms of the disorder. The new policy, which takes effect March 2, will […]
GA groups file amicus brief in SMO case
The City of Santa Monica’s efforts to absolve itself from an agreement with the federal government are “obviously intended to restrict or end operations at Santa Monica Airport in violation of longstanding federal law and a specific contract it signed,” the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) argued in a federal appeals court filing Thursday, […]
Can you guess the world’s most popular airplane?
It’s not often we get general aviation news off The Motley Fool, but the investment website teased this headline recently: Can you guess the world’s most popular airplane? (Hint: It’s Not From Boeing or Airbus). Blogger Alexander MacLennan, who writes about “Industrials, Airlines, and Financial companies,” opens his post with: “Aerospace manufacturers Boeing and Airbus […]
Letter: Dismantle the FAA’s involvement in medical certification?
By Jim Posner, Poulsbo, Wash. I have long thought that the FAA should NOT be in the medical certification business, at least for Part 91 operations. Ever since my denial – despite letters from my doctors specifically stating that I am good to go – I have tried to understand why they should consider themselves […]
Buddypilots enters aircraft management market
Owning, renting or borrowing an airplane can be complex – from both sides of the relationship – but help is available. Canada-based Buddypilots Aviation has recently launched buddypilots.com to serve everyone from FBOs and flight schools to partnerships, sole owner-operators and even non-owner pilots and mechanics. I recently met with Thibaut Souyris, Buddypilots’ VP of Business Development for […]