I began my turn to downwind while looking for the traffic expecting it to be in the upwind. Instead the other pilot had made their crosswind turn closer to the runway and had cut me off while climbing. Luckily they were in a SR22 and at a higher altitude than mine, but they were right in front of me, taking up almost my entire windshield. While they may have been slightly too high for us to collide, I feared for my safety considering how close they were and pulled power to idle immediately and initiated a descent.
Picture of the Day: A place I call my own
Anh Tran submitted this photo and note: “There is a place I call my own, where I can stand by the sea, and look beyond the things I’ve known, and dream that I might be free.”
More questions than answers surround unleaded fuel
An update on the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) initiative shows that even with years of research, there is still so much we don’t know about how general aviation piston airplanes will fly with the new fuel — or even when it will be available for widespread testing by aircraft manufacturers and engine makers.
Congress begins working on FAA reauthorization
H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, is bipartisan legislation that reauthorizes the FAA for the next five years, as well as gives the agency its “marching orders” from lawmakers.
Historic homebuilts to be celebrated at Oshkosh 2023
Aircraft celebrating milestone anniversaries include the Midget Mustang, Wittman Tailwind, Thorp T-18, Hiperbipe, Sonex, and Van’s RV-10.
Birthplace of Aviation to host FAI conference
For the first time ever, the hometown of the Wright brothers will host the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) General Conference in 2023.
Pilot dies after crashing his new Searey
The pilot’s loss of airplane control while maneuvering at a low altitude, which resulted in a collision with a house.
Picture of the Day: A late afternoon flight in a Lake
Geremy Kornreich submitted this photo with a note: “A Lake LA-4-200 Buccaneer takes off for a late afternoon flight from South Lakeland Airport (X49) in Florida.”
Max Biegert: Runways and railroads
While chatting with the folks working on B-17 firebombers at the Mesa, Arizona, airport on a brisk winter day in 1980, someone said I needed to meet Max Biegert, the man responsible for getting the B-17F registered N17W out of a city park in Arkansas and returning it to flight as a large sprayer and air tanker. That B-17 now holds a place of honor in the Museum of Flight in Seattle.