Aviation professionals will discuss security, maintenance, administration, air traffic control and piloting during the annual Aviation Career Conference, slated for Saturday, Nov. 21 from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at Lewis University’s Harold E. White Aviation Center in Romeoville, Ill. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and continental breakfast will be served. The FAA, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, […]
The pros and cons of automation in aviation
Automated systems make airplanes easier to fly. They can be as simple as an automatic light dimmer or as complex as an autopilot that kicks-in when it “thinks” there is trouble. But can automation be too smart for its own good, leaving humans out of control when the electronic brain makes a bad choice? Boeing […]
FAA certifies Raisbeck/Hartzell Quiet Turbofan Performance props for King Airs
Raisbeck Engineering’s 4-blade Quiet Turbofan Propellers for aircraft equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 are now available for immediate delivery. Raisbeck/Hartzell 4-blade Quiet Turbofan Propellers, the heart of the Epic Platinum and C90 Epic Performance System, bring increased FAA-approved performance to both the B200GT and C90GTi aircraft, including increased gross weight (to 10,500 lb […]
Poor approach results in bad bounce
This October 2007 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: Flight Design CT. Location: Afton, Wyo. Injuries: 2 Minor. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was practicing landings with his instructor on […]
The Spirit of Thomasville
SHORT FINAL By DEB McFARLAND The forecasters were wrong. I don’t generally pay attention to forecasts until a day or two before my flight because, frankly, here in the South, weather predictions bob up and down nearly as bad as the float on my old fishing pole when cast in a pond of bored fish. […]
A flight back in time: Antique Airplane Fly-In
Every Labor Day weekend, antiquers from all over the country pack their bags, load their airplanes (or autos) and head like homesick aviators to the Antique Airplane Association/Air Power Museum’s Invitational Fly-in at Antique Airfield in Blakesburg, Iowa. It’s a low-key, grassroots fly-in, where airplanes fly from dawn to dusk, and old friends reunite, while […]
Bill introduced to boost GA sales
Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-Kansas) introduced Oct. 15 a bill he says is designed to boost the sales of general aviation. Called the General Aviation Jobs Act, the bill would extend the current bonus depreciation allowance for another two years and shorten the recovery period for noncommercial aircraft property from five to three years, according to […]
Less automation better for controllers
With the nation’s air traffic expected to double by 2025, air traffic controllers will probably have to depend more and more on automation. But too much automation could lead to fatal mistakes when that automation fails, a former Texas Tech University psychology student discovered. The Joint Planning and Development Office, made up of officials from […]
Air shows coordinate schedules
Two major air shows, Sun ’n Fun and AERO Friedrichshafen, have coordinated their dates until 2020 so exhibitors can be present at both shows. Over the past few years, AERO in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and Sun ’n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, took place only a few days apart. “This was a problem for exhibitors at both […]