The Light Sport Aircraft industry has reached a milestone, reaching Special-LSA #100 in less than five years. According to LSA expert (and GAN columnist) Dan Johnson, the 100th LSA is Van’s RV-12. It received its approval July 21, one day after the fifth anniversary of the new rule announcement (July 20, 2004). Johnson, who is […]
CAN wins award
Corporate Angel Network has received a 2009 Public Benefit Flying Award from The National Aeronautic Association and the Air Care Alliance. The Public Benefit Flying award, created to honor volunteers and organizations engaged in flying to help others, was presented Sept. 10 in the Lyndon B. Johnson room of the U.S. Senate. “It began in […]
CAP pilots to fly ‘Surrogate Predators’
With the conversion of a Civil Air Patrol plane into a “Surrogate Predator,” the U.S. Air Force is relying on its auxiliary in a most imaginative way. “We’re using a manned aircraft to simulate an unmanned aircraft,” said CAP-U.S. Air Force Commander Col. Bill Ward, explaining that a sophisticated “Predator ball” placed under the left […]
Ex-FBI agent nominated to head TSA
On the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, President Obama announced his intention to nominate a former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent with airport police security experience to be the new head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a moved met with pledges of cooperation from general aviation interests. Erroll Southers currently serves […]
Ayers named Embry-Riddle exec vp
Dr. Frank Ayers has been selected as the executive vice president for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott campus. Ayers had been chairman of the Flight Training Department in the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Fla., campus. He joined Embry-Riddle in 2000 after a 26-year career in the U.S. Air Force. Ayers takes the helm […]
How are planes affecting the environment?
Lately, I’ve received a lot of e-mails from readers asking about the environment and the effect of internal combustion engine exhaust on our climate. One factor is the effect of CO2 on the environment. My understanding is that CO2 is relatively harmless and naturally occurring. To try to better understand the latest concern about CO2, […]
Bonhomme wins Red Bull Air Race
Britain’s Paul Bonhomme won the Red Bull Air Race in Porto, Portugal, last weekend in front of a record-breaking crowd of 720,000 to widen his lead to 4 points over defending champion Hannes Arch of Austria. Bonhomme stopped the clock in 1:09.23 on his final run through the 6.6-km course set up through 17 air […]
Who should pay?
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: I recently completed my Experimental amateur homebuilt aircraft and was ready to have the Certification Inspection completed. I contacted my local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) and requested to have one of the maintenance inspectors perform the inspection. The manager denied the request. I requested a written explanation for the denial, […]
NJ.com: ‘Readington residents beg township: Settle airport issue with Solbergs’
It’s hard to get more clear than the opening sentence from Curtis Leeds story from the Hunterdon County Democrat regarding the ongoing, and expensive battle between the township and Solberg Airport. “Residents are pleading with the Township Committee to try and resolve its long-standing dispute with the owners of Solberg Airport.”