Shame on you, Senator Maria Cantwell, for supporting FAA user fees. The last thing the general aviation industry needs is for Congress to allow airlines to dictate the funding of FAA operations. I hope you will correct your misguided decision if this bill ever comes to the floor. DAVID STAHL Gig Harbor, Wash.
LITTLE DIPPER
In reading the article on the Air Trooper in the March 23 issue of General Aviation News (The Littlest Warbird: Flying the Air Trooper), reference was made to the single-place airplane designed by John Thorp for Lockheed Aircraft during the Second World War. At the time Lockheed was still naming airplanes after celestial bodies and […]
COME VISIT ANYTIME
On behalf of the Board of Trustees for the Frank Phillips Foundation, the employees of Woolaroc and the thousands of guests and members of Woolaroc, I want to thank you for the wonderful article that you wrote in the April 20 issue about “Woolaroc” the airplane and Woolaroc the place (Woolaroc Museum and Ranch: The […]
What is the greatest airplane?
First, you have to define “”greatest;”” that is, the greatest airplane in what respect? Bomber, fighter, transport, general aviation or the greatest fun to fly? The greatest bomber has got to be the Boeing B-52. It’s been our first-line bomber for nearly 60 years and, with modifications and upgrades, it’s expected to be around for […]
Look Sharpe! Tackling Sun ‘n fun with triplets
If you think it is challenging to attend a fly-in with one toddler in a stroller, then you will appreciate the courage of Robbie Sharpe from Greensboro, N.C., who made the scene at Sun ‘n Fun with triplets Cole, Connor and Collin. The boys were 19 months old when they attended the show and, according […]
The numbers don’t add up: Airlines claim they pay 95% of ATC costs, but FAA numbers prove that’s false
The Air Transport Association (ATA), the trade association that represents the airlines, began running television advertisements in airports around the country, late in May. The ad deceptively attempts to mislead viewers into believing that commercial, passenger aircraft are backed up on runways because of congestion caused by small aircraft, that small aircraft somehow get preferential […]
What is normal oil consumption?
I have a 2005 Robinson R-44 Clipper II that I purchased new. The engine is a 540 injected Lycoming. I broke the engine in on mineral oil as suggested and changed to ashless oil after the initial 50 hours of break in. The ship has used about 1 quart of oil per every four hours […]
Alcohol-free fuel: how to find it, how to test it
Jerry Quint of California, part owner of an aircraft with a Jabiru engine, wonders how to go about finding auto fuel that does not contain alcohol. He also wonders how to be sure that the fuel is alcohol free. Jerry Quint of California, part owner of an aircraft with a Jabiru engine, wonders how to […]
May 2005 Accident Reports
A loss of engine power due to an unsecured mixture control cable, which was not properly secured by maintenance personnel during a recent annual inspection.