Vaughn College in Flushing, N.Y., has appointed Ken Kaplan to head its newly created Aviation Outreach Initiative. A pilot since age 16, Kaplan has been a publisher and trade show producer, chief executive of three businesses and most recently an executive with King Schools, a leader in aviation distance learning. In his new position, he […]
Camp returns to Elliott Aviation
Andrew Camp has re-joined Elliott Aviation as regional sales manager, based in Grand Rapids, Mich. Camp, who served as regional sales manager for Elliott Aviation from the company’s Omaha, Neb., facility from 2009 to 2010, has more than 21 years’ experience in the aviation industry. He most recently worked as a regional sales manager for […]
Poor fuel management leads to off-airport landing
This August 2009 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: Mooney M20F Injuries: 1 Serious. Location: Suffolk, Va. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, when he took off the fuel […]
Knock free
In one of my recent columns I stated that if an engine runs knock free on an 87 octane fuel, using a higher octane fuel will not benefit you in any way. I received several inquiries about whether this was for automobiles or airplanes. Basically it applies to both. In your automobile, if the owner’s […]
Avgas production lower than reported
While searching for recent usage stats for auto gas and ethanol production I stumbled across this table in the EIA data. I had never seen this table before when analyzing avgas stats. What an eye opener! The first thing that struck me as odd is that there is no avgas produced in PADD 1, which […]
Proposal to fix flaw in Sport Pilot rule
The FAA has posted to the federal docket a petition that seeks to fix a flaw in the original Sport Pilot Rule. The petition, signed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), and the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), seeks to fix […]
Race pilot performs aerobatic routine on alternative avgas
Matthias Dolderer, a Red Bull Air Race pilot and co-organizer of the Tannkosh airshow presented an aerobatics display Aug. 24 with his engine running on the new SwiftFuel 100SF — a first in aviation history, according to Swift officials, who note this was also the European debut of a single engine aircraft running on biofuel. […]
Hurricane Irene relief missions begin
Bahamas Habitat’s first response pilots are now delivering aid to the parts of Bahamas affected by Hurricane Irene. The organization had its first planes arriving on Friday, Aug. 26, shortly after the storm passed to the north, according to officials. The group has set up a main depot and coordination post at Fort Lauderdale Executive […]
Cutting the ribbon — airport style
Addison Airport, one of the busiest general aviation airports in the Dallas area, has completed a runway reconstruction project, as well as upgraded and improved approach and airport lighting, drainage and grading along the airport’s 7,200 foot runway. The runway received a new layer of asphalt and portions of the runway were reconstructed down to […]