Brad Stiefvater of Salem, S.D. became the first customer to complete and fly a Van’s Aircraft RV-12 kit. The September 19 flight took place in Madison, S.D. Brad reports the empty weight of his painted airplane is 727 pounds. Reported cost to build was $60,000. The RV-12 is Van’s entry into the Light Sport Aircraft […]
Ask Dave: Should airparks reveal names of residents behind on their bills?
Q: I live on a residential airpark with covenants and deed restrictions that I consider to be pretty good. When I was looking into the property I followed the advice you offered during a Sun ‘n Fun presentation about taking the CC&Rs to a good attorney and making sure I understood them. After buying the […]
Flying ‘Songbird III’
If you are of a certain vintage, you probably remember this sentence: “Out of the clear blue of the western sky it’s Sky King!” The words were followed by majestic music that introduced the popular adventure serial from the 1940s and 1950s. The show, which first aired on radio then went to television, depicted the […]
Fuels for Sport Aircraft: The looming crisis
FOR GENERAL AVIATION NEWS By DEAN BILLING, KENT MISEGADES and TODD PETERSEN Among the hundreds of forums and workshops held at this summer’s AirVenture, few concerned a matter of greater importance to sport aviation than the two forums dealing with aviation fuels. On Monday, July 27, the EAA’s Vice President of Government Relations, Doug Macnair, […]
New FAA system improves safety in remote areas
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new surveillance system introduced by the FAA in Colorado allows air traffic controllers to track aircraft not covered by radar in remote, mountainous regions. “The new system, called Wide-Area Multilateration, lets us see aircraft we couldn’t see before due to the rugged terrain,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “It improves the […]
The battle of the billionaires
A fight between two companies about FBO services at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in Southern California is heating up. According to a report at CNBC.com by Jane Wells, Rob Maguire, the billionaire who runs Maguire Aviation at the airport, is upset that a competitor, Castle & Cooke, has been running a “rogue” FBO operation for […]
Forbes: Cessna Refutes the Decline of Capitalism
Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes, and longtime pilot, posted some interesting thoughts regarding Cessna’s VLJ, Embraer’s Phenom 100 and capitalism (it is Forbes after all).
NextGen Aviation Park names interim executive director
The NextGen Aviation Research and Technology Park in Pomona, N.J., has appointed Joseph Sheairs, Sr. as interim executive director. Sheairs, an aviation expert with over 30 years of experience, will be responsible for moving the park from the planning phase to the operational phase of development. The NextGen Aviation Research and Technology Park will be […]
TSA reworking controversial LASP
The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA’s) Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) met earlier this month for the first time in nearly three years to receive updates on security programs affecting airports, cargo and general aviation. According to a report from the National Business Aviation Association, the TSA indicated that the Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) is […]