ORLANDO, Fla. — After a positive meeting with the FAA, the entrepreneurs behind Hoverfly Technologies are moving forward to create a new industry association and a flight school certification program for aerial robot operators across the nation. Hoverfly, which develops remotely piloted aerial robots that enable nearly hands-free flight and effortless video capture in the […]
Alcohol and IMC bad combination
Aircraft: Cessna 310. Injuries: 3 Fatal. Location: McComb, Miss. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The 3,500-hour pilot, age 52, and two passengers arrived at the airport about 3:20 a.m. after going to a bar. The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing or file an instrument flight rules flight plan. IFR conditions prevailed at […]
Redbird Skyport experiment takes off
Consider this: If you get a job flying for the airlines, you will have weeks, even months, of training in a simulator before you are allowed to touch an actual airplane. Does that give you an idea of the value of simulator training? In October 2011 Redbird Skyport opened at San Marcos Municipal Airport (HYI) […]
Ask Paul: How do I know if this AD applies to my engine?
Q: I’ve heard there is an AD that prevents various Lycoming engines from being signed off as airworthy if the TBO is exceeded. I’ve also heard it doesn’t apply to engines manufactured prior to 1970. If the engine was original in the 1960s but remanufactured after 1970 would this AD still apply or would all […]
Study says FAA could save $1 billion
As the FAA prepares to close 149 air traffic control towers as part of more than $600 million in spending cuts required by the sequester, a new Reason Foundation study shows how the FAA could save $1 billion a year by consolidating air traffic control centers and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities. More than […]
OpenAirplane enters beta
Rod Rakic, OpenAirplane‘s co-founder, boldly proclaimed, “the only thing that can save aviation is aviating,” at last summers AirVenture. OpenAirplane desires nothing less than to “make renting a plane as easy as renting a car.” “This weekend we started beta testing the the OpenAirplane app. We completed the on-boarding of our first Operator,” noted Rakic. “We signed up […]
Erickson Air-Crane commits to $6,000 Whirly-Girls scholarship
PORTLAND, Ore. — Erickson Air-Crane has committed to a $6,000 annual scholarship through the Whirly-Girls International. The annual scholarship will fund a full External Load/Vertical Reference Course at Western Helicopters in Rialto, Calif. The course includes ground instruction and up to 6.5 hours of external load training in an MD500 helicopter. “We are committed to […]
Osvil ‘Ozzie’ York dies at 92
Osvil “Ozzie” York, a pilot for more than 60 years who was well-known in the helicopter community, passed away March 25 in Tulsa, Okla., following a brief illness. York, 92, had recently driven from his home in Oklahoma to attend the annual meeting of the Twirly Birds — of which he was a long-time member […]
Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics named Trig Avionics service center
WICHITA — Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics has been named the exclusive U.S. Service Center for Trig Avionics, serving Trig customers in all of North America. The agreement further expands Mid-Continent’s avionics capabilities to include Trigs’ TT21, TT22, and TT31 transponders, TY91 and TY92 VHF Comm radios. Trig Avionics, located in Edinburgh, Scotland, joins a network […]