Aircraft: Beech Sierra. Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious. Location: Wheeling, Ill. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The airplane, which had been operated by a flight school, was sold to a private individual. The purpose of the accident flight was to ferry the airplane to the new owner. The plane’s engine had been overhauled and […]
North Carolina community college’s aviation program takes off
Back when he was just 5, Zachary Harrell would race outside each time the local crop duster flew by his home in outside the little town of Seven Springs, N.C. “He flew over my house purposely playing with me,” the teenager recalls. “It was from these roots that I knew I wanted to do something […]
Happy Birthday, ASTM
The group of folks, mostly volunteers, who have written the ASTM standards used to “certify” Light-Sport Aircraft celebrated their 10th anniversary in Atlanta at the end of October. The people who did, do, and will labor to make these industry-devised standards are woefully under appreciated yet they have achieved so much in a short 10 […]
Will you take the PLEDGE?
The Texas Aviation Association Foundation has launched the PLEDGE program, aimed at reducing the GA accident rate. Board members of the TXAA Foundation noted they have been working hard to develop a program to help reduce the number of accidents that continues to plague the general aviation community. “Although the accident rate for scheduled commercial […]
Buried Spitfires set to take to the sky
A lost squadron of Spitfires buried in Burma after World War II could fly over Britain within three years. According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, digging for the hoard of at least 36 Mark XIV fighters will begin in January at a remote airfield. Should the efforts succeed, a number of the […]
Georgia Business Aviation Association offers scholarships
The Georgia Business Aviation Association (GBAA) is offering two scholarships for maintenance technician continuing education opportunities next year. One scholarship will cover a five-day Practical Aircraft Electricity Course at CAE SimuFlite’s Dallas Learning Center, valued at $3,990. The other will cover a Principles of Troubleshooting Course at FlightSafety International, valued at $3,750. The scholarships will […]
How old is your airplane…really?
The average general aviation aircraft is more than 30 years old. However, a number of factors contribute to an aircraft’s true age, which may not be the same as its age in calendar years, according to officials with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute. Learn how to recognize the signs of aircraft […]
EAA makes finding transition training in homebuilts easier
The Experimental Aircraft Association has debuted an online listing of Letter of Deviation Authority (LODA) holders for instruction in experimental aircraft. The list, categorized by state, includes CFIs who are authorized by the FAA to offer certain types of instruction for hire in their experimental aircraft for the purposes of type-specific training. FARs otherwise prohibit […]
Poor decision kills two
Aircraft: Mooney M20E. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Colorado Springs, Colo. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot, 25, was a United States Air Force B-1B pilot. He also held multiple pilot certificates for airplane, including those of instructor. He had logged 913 hours, including 58 in the Mooney M20E. The Mooney was not equipped […]