Sporty’s Academy, the flight school at Sporty’s Pilot Shop, received attention recently for having a student pilot retention rate three times better than the industry average. Sporty’s has long endorsed modular flight training as an effective method for engaging a more expansive customer base, but other tools have also shown good results, according to company […]
Regulatory Affairs Course scheduled
JDA Aviation Technology Solutions (JDA) has unveiled its 2011 schedule for its Regulatory Affairs Course, a specialized, two-day course focused on expanding knowledge of FAA oversight and surveillance processes. The course will be offered four times in cities across the United States: March 15-16 – Fort Lauderdale, June 1-2 – Dallas Sept. 7-8 – Seattle […]
Stoned pilot crashes
This January 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: Cessna 172. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Hardin, Ky. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The private pilot, 50, had logged 102 hours of total […]
In the mail…
Deb McFarland is the proud owner of Lester, a 1948 Luscombe 8E, and part of the “Front Porch Gang” at Pickens County Airport in Georgia. It’s not often that a reader takes the time to send me a written letter through the postal service, and when he or she does, it is special to me. […]
What is the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award?
In 2004, Dick Waite was the 38th recipient of the FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. At last count, 1,772 pilots around the country had earned the award. The award, created by the FAA in August 2003, recognizes pilots who have maintained safe flight operations for 50 or more years. Similar pilot awards (such as […]
Calling Chris Christiansen
LETTER TO THE EDITOR I just read Meg Godlewski’s about Chris Christiansen’s Savor homebuilt aircraft and I wanted see if we could get in touch. I am an advisor in an Aviation Explorer Post in Mesa, Arizona. We teach kids how to fly and maintain an aircraft at Falcon Field and I thought that our […]
Do you know your V speeds?
The FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) Jan. 18 in the wake of a crash investigation that revealed “many pilots have a misunderstanding of what the design maneuvering velocity (speed), VA, represents.” While the informational bulletin stems from an airliner accident, the information applies to pilots of all certificated planes, as well as […]
Has GA turned mean?
In a blog post titled “The meaning of aviation,” AOPA Editor In Chief Thomas Haines talks about how mean aviation has become. What’s behind that crankiness? He postulates: “As I ponder what brings out the general crankiness of pilots, several things come to mind. The dismal state of the economy, especially as it pertains to […]
Site preparation begins for Sierra Industries hangar addition at UVA
Site preparation has commenced for Sierra Industries’ expansion into its fourth aircraft hangar at Garner Field Airport (UVA) in Uvalde, Texas. Building on a 28-year history of business jet aircraft upgrades, Sierra Industries is adding 18,000 square feet to its facilities. Uvalco Supply Company of Uvalde is the contractor for the expansion, expected to be […]