WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA has proposed to substantially raise the qualification requirements for first officers who fly for U.S. passenger and cargo airlines. The proposed rule would require first officers to hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, requiring 1,500 hours of flight time. Currently, first officers are required to have only a commercial […]
Southwest Regional PAMA Olympics set
By DALE FORTON. The 2012 Fourth Annual Southwest Regional PAMA Olympics is scheduled for March 31 in Fort Worth at Tarrant County College’s Northwest Campus starting at 8 a.m. All of the 147 schools in the Southwest Region have been invited. The first Olympics was held at a PAMA National Symposium at the American Airlines […]
Stallion 51 celebrates 25th anniversary
Stallion 51 will kick off a yearlong “Silver Jubilee” commemoration at this year’s Sun ’n Fun International Fly-in and Expo in Lakeland, Fla., March 27-April 1. Sun ’n Fun will dedicate Friday, March 30, to Stallion 51 in commemoration of its 25 years. Lee Lauderback, Stallion 51’s president and chief pilot, will perform his signature […]
Insider information for student pilots
A new ebook, “Learning to Fly an Airplane: Insider information from a student’s perspective,” seeks to open up the flight training process and help people interested in becoming a pilot get the most value for their time, money, and effort. The ebook is not about how to fly, according to the author, Ted Seastrom. Instead, […]
Women in Aviation unveils lineup of conference speakers
The 23rd Annual International Women in Aviation Conference, slated March 8-10, at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas, will feature a variety of speakers, including Acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. Huerta will begin Friday’s General Session sponsored by the Helicopter Association International (HAI), EAA, GAMA, and NBAA. WAI will then present a panel of women […]
Becker Avionics debuts new emergency beacon locator
Becker Avionics has introduced its new airborne Beacon Decoder (BD) 406. The Emergency Beacon Locator or Beacon Decoder (BD) 406 provides a tool for Search and Rescue organizations. The BD406 is a fixed installation or portable receiver developed specifically to decode and navigate to 406 MHz Cospas-Sarsat capable beacons (PLBs, SPLBs, ELTs or EPIRBs) transmitting […]
Loose nut, poor decision smokes Piper
This February 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Piper Saratoga. Injuries: None. Location: Dolan Spring, Ariz. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: During the airplane’s last annual inspection, which took place five […]
General aviation user fee civility
User fees have reared their head in President Obama’s fiscal year 2013 proposed budget. Longtime General Aviation News columnist Charles Spence wrote about a letter 100 mayors sent to President Obama regarding the budget’s potential $100-per-flight fee. The comments that follow are interesting. Commenter “gbin” says: “I wonder how many of the mayors who signed […]
GAO: NextGen over budget and behind schedule
WASHINGTON, D.C. — After causing the FAA to limp along on 23 temporary funding extensions, Congress finally passed a four-year authorization last month. A question now facing FAA watchers is: Will this steadier funding mean a smoothing of the turbulence the agency has seen in developing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)? A report […]