Two Montana airports have installed the DigiWx II AWOS automated weather observation system manufactured by Belfort Instrument Co: Libby (S59) and Red Lodge (RED). Both airports use the DigiWX II as the primary weather reporting station supporting flight operations. The DigiWX II reports wind speed, wind direction and wind gusts, temperature, relative humidity, FAA certified […]
A life in motion:Bill Milliken’s autobiography is a wonderfully entertaining book
“Equations of Motion” isn’t the catchiest title on the shelves, and seems to belie the fascination of the book. At first glance, the subtitle may seem more apt: “Adventure, Risk and Innovation.” Far from being the engineering or physics treatise it might sound like, it is the autobiography of William F. Milliken, now 95 and […]
A century of aviation: At 101, John Miller has seen most of it
John Miller, whose 101st birthday was last month, didn’t see the first Wright brothers flight in 1903 but he has been part of, or at least witnessed, most other important events in aviation’s 103-year history. When he was 4, he witnessed the prize-winning flight by Glenn Curtiss from Albany to New York City in 1910. […]
When a pilot goes LASIK: Cirrus Design’s Alan Klapmeier tells us about his LASIK surgery
“I’ve worn glasses since about the first grade,” said Alan Klapmeier, co-founder of Cirrus Design Corp. of Duluth, Minn., which makes the Cirrus SR20 and SR22. “I remember thinking I wouldn’t be able to fly.” Klapmeier has done a lot of flying since then, as we all know, but decided to have LASIK eye surgery […]
WHAT ARE THE DISQUALIFYING CONDITIONS?
Certain medical conditions are considered disqualifying for pilots. But if those conditions are “adequately controlled,” the FAA will issue a medical certification contingent on periodic reports. Those conditions are: • Angina pectoris • Bipolar disease • Cardiac valve replacement • Coronary heart disease that has been treated or, if untreated, that has been symptomatic or […]
Your medical: How can you make the system work for you? Some advice and tips from OKC’s top man
Aviation Medical Examiners, like any other type of medical specialist, are very different. There are some who, when confronted with a pilot who doesn’t have a perfect health history, will walk over to a phone, call a doctor at the Aerospace Medical Certification Division in Oklahoma City and get approval for that pilot right there […]
Got O2?: Do you need oxygen when you fly?
If you ask private pilots when they should start using supplemental oxygen during a flight, most of them will parrot back the verbiage that appears in the FAR AIM under regulation 91.211: “After 30 minutes if you go above 12,500 feet MSL.” The regulation actually reads: “No person may operate a civil aircraft of U.S. […]
Rare Norseman makes its airshow debut
“It’s big.” “It’s beautiful!” “What is it?” These are just some of the comments visitors at EAA AirVenture 2006 made when they approached the Norseman UC-64A owned by Forrest Klies from Basin, Montana. The gold and maroon high-wing beauty was parked in the vintage aircraft area amid the rows of Stinsons and Stearmans. The aircraft […]
School built next to Texas airport stirs dreams of flight
Usually, when a school is built next to an airport, school officials express concerns about the proximity of airplanes to the classrooms. At Tradewind Elementary School in Amarillo, Texas, Principal Kim Bentley couldn’t be more excited about the location. The new school is being built next door to Tradewind Airport (TDW) and Bentley, who is […]