WASHINGTON, D.C. — Many pilots and aircraft owners breathed a huge sigh of relief when President Obama’s budget for 2011 did not contain user fees, but none of the groups working Washington have let their guards down. Not only do user fees remain an issue, but security has raised its ugly head in the wake […]
Long before the Sebring LSA Expo…
Before Sebring, Florida, was known for auto racing and the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, thousands of young men swarmed to the airport at the bequest of Uncle Sam. From 1942 to 1946, the Army Air Corps used the field we know as Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) as a training facility for multi-engine bomber crews. At […]
Civil Air Patrol ramps up flood preparations
With another potentially massive flood looming in North Dakota’s Red River Valley and other Midwestern states, members of Civil Air Patrol’s North Central Region are standing ready. Melting snow from larger-than-normal amounts of snowfall this winter is expected to flood the Red River Valley in the weeks ahead. Forecasters predict it may be worse this […]
Former AOPA President John Baker dies
John Baker, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association after long-time head “Doc” Hartranft, died Thursday morning in Angier, N.C,. where he lived with his wife Kathy. Baker was president of AOPA from 1977 to 1991, just the second person to fill that position. Before taking over the top leadership post at AOPA, he […]
Flying with Grandpa
A little boy gets his first flight lesson from his Grandpa, as his Dad watches from the back seat. The YouTube video is put together by the Dad, who notes that his son is learning to fly on the same private strip where he learned to fly 23 years ago. The video includes a beautiful […]
WASP awarded Congressional Gold Medal
The first female military pilots received the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in the Capitol March 10. Almost 70 years ago, the Women Airforce Service Pilots were disbanded with little fanfare, but this ceremony was a way to make things right for the trailblazers, said Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley. More than […]
Wire strike safety video released
The Helicopter Association International (HAI) has released a new, online aviation wire strike safety awareness video. “Surviving the Wires Environment” is posted as a streaming video on the HAI website and can be viewed for free by all. According to the FAA, wire and obstruction strikes are the top operational cause for fatal rotorcraft accidents. […]
International pilot associations prepare for World Assembly
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Israel (AOPA Israel) will host the 25th biennial World Assembly of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA), June 6-11, in Tel Aviv. IAOPA is a federation of 68 pilot organizations that represent some 470,000 pilots and aviation enthusiasts across the globe, making it one […]
LIT FBO opens new facilities
Supermarine of Little Rock, located at the south end of Runway 36 at the Little Rock International Airport (LIT), recently opened two new facilities to serve the general and business aviation markets. The new FBO facility is 10,000 square feet in size; the new heated hangar is 23,000 square feet. An additional 50,000 square foot […]