A new interpretation by the FAA of “known icing conditions” could ground GA aircraft during the winter, alphabet groups warn. The new interpretation says that “high relative humidity” constitutes known icing conditions, so pilots in high relative humidity conditions when the temperature is near or below freezing must fly an aircraft with deicing equipment. The […]
Cirrus sells record 529 planes in 3rd quqrter
Cirrus Design Corp. continues to report good news. The company sold a record 529 planes in its third quarter. The company credits the creation of a worldwide sales network for the jump in sales. International orders accounted for 24% of all business through October, up from 5% in 2002.
NTSB investigates first crash for AiShare Elite
NTSB continues its investigation of a Cirrus SR22 that crashed Nov. 30 while on approach to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. Killed in the crash was George Vrana of Atlanta. This was the first crash for AirShares Elite, a GA fractional company that has a fleet of 50 Cirrus planes and 240 owners, […]
Van’s LSA makes first flight
Van’s Aircraft has officially entered the Light Sport market with the flight of its RV-12. During AirVenture 2006, the staff of Van’s informed the crowd that the LSA, to be known as the RV-12, was in the works. They predicted first flight in the fall of 2006. On Nov. 9 Van’s CEO Richard “Van” VanGrunsven […]
The Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
“They’ve taken everything out of me that can go wrong. I ought to live forever.” — Legendary pilot Johnny Miller, who is still flying at 101. “We have to rethink the culture of training. Instead of how quickly can a person solo, it should be how safe are they when they solo.” — Cirrus Design […]
Curious about airparks? Our expert tackles the frequently asked questions
For three decades I’ve been tracking residential airparks all over the United States and, to some extent, around the globe. We’ve developed a website, LivingWithYourPlane.com, which contains an extensive database on airparks as well as a host of other information. (A caveat: Most airparks are operated by residents who are volunteers in their homeowner associations. […]
FAA Efficiency?
FAA EFFICIENCY? To Charles Spence: I’m sure your Capital Comments column (Fair is fair? FAA, airlines continue blitz for user fees, Nov. 17 issue) went to press before the story by AOPA came out in its internet newsletter on Nov. 24. You know the one where it was pointed out that the FAA had almost […]
Two engines are better than one
TWO ENGINES ARE BETTER THAN ONE With regard to Richard Greene’s comment about why he decided to purchase the single engine D-JET (Why I decided to buy a D-JET, Nov. 3 issue), I would like to point out that I have personally deflated the Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) specs for turbine engines over the […]
Thanks to Regal Air
THANKS TO REGAL AIR Many, many thanks to Regal Air for once again welcoming those of us who had to evacuate our planes from Harvey Airfield to Paine. We were greeted at the tarmac and directed to tie-downs. Some of us were even given a ride back to Harvey in one of Regal’s vans. This […]