A pilot has opened an ultra-private rehabilitation facility called Journey Malibu for pilots dealing with alcoholism and addiction. Among mental health issues for pilots, the most common problem is alcoholism, according to the center’s officials, which notes that any pilot who gets caught with alcohol in their system may see their entire career end on […]
ATP Oral Exam Guide updated
ASA’s Airline Transport Pilot Oral Exam Guide by Michael Hayes has been updated to reflect the latest regulations and procedures, including the proposed new regulations dealing with crew fatigue (Part 117). This study guide helps applicants prepare for the checkride by listing the most frequently asked questions by FAA examiners during the oral portion of […]
Interference with rudder pedal compromises landing
This May 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: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: None. Location: Caldwell, N.J. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: During the approach the airplane drifted to the left side of […]
Selling the best airport in the world
Jamie Beckett is a CFI and A&P mechanic who stepped into the political arena in an effort to promote and protect GA at his local airport. He is also a founding partner and regular contributor to FlightMonkeys.com. As the introduction to this column stipulates, I’m a CFI and an A&P. But an increasingly larger portion […]
Warbirds, airshows and autogas
The GAfuels Blog is written by two private pilots concerned about the future availability of fuels for piston-engine aircraft: Dean Billing, Sisters, Ore., an expert on autogas and ethanol, and Kent Misegades, Cary, N.C., an aerospace engineer, aviation sales rep for U-Fuel, and president of EAA1114. Few aspects of an aviation event attract greater crowds […]
Backup plan for FAA reauthorization introduced
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan committee in the House introduced a bill to again provide a short-term extension for the FAA if agreement cannot be reached for a long-term reauthorization before the present funding program expires May 31. If needed, this would be the 19th short-term extension and carry the FAA through to June 30. […]
JQF: Home to NASCAR’s air force
A fleet of planes owned by NASCAR drivers has put North Carolina’s Concord Regional Airport (JQF) on the map, according to a report from the Independent Tribune in Concorde, which quotes aviation director Dick Lewis: “NASCAR traffic accounts for about 60% of our business. We decided a long time that we weren’t going to be […]
Responding to an earthquake
Civil Air Patrol participated in an exercise Monday with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Northern Command, the National Guard Bureau and other federal and state agencies called Ardent Sentry 11, a major homeland security and disaster response exercise that tests emergency responders’ ability to handle a massive earthquake in America’s Midwest, along the New […]
Tests could make GPS unreliable
The FAA is warning that GPS service in a 330 nautical mile circle of Nevada could be “unreliable or unavailable” for six-hour stretches from May 16-27 as broadband wholesaler LightSquared tests whether a signal from one of its proposed 40,000 towers upsets satellite navigation, according to a report at AVweb.com.