Investigators with the NTSB say that a 13-knot easterly crosswind may have been a factor in the accident that killed Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, Oct. 11 when they crashed into a luxury high-rise apartment building in New York City. According to the NTSB, Lidle’s Cirrus SR20 was flying over […]
GAMA releases stats on shipment of GA airplanes
Shipments of general aviation airplanes for the first nine months of this year showed a steady growth over last year, with 2,842 planes delivered, an increase of 18.9% over the same period last year, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Even better news: Industry-wide billings were $13.2 billion, up 28.6 %. GAMA officials […]
The Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
“The issue centers around our willingness to impose on general aviation the same kind of security we have at commercial airports. The general aviation community seems to resist that. They seem to feel that because they have so many members they have enough power behind them to make the rules themselves.” — Charles Slepian, chief […]
When the media attacks
There probably isn’t an airport in the world that didn’t get a visit or a phone call from its local newspaper or television station in the wake of the crash of an SR20 in New York City on Oct. 11. The crash killed Yankee relief pitcher Cory Lidle, 34, and Tyler Stanger, 26, a flight […]
Congestion
As more and more people are saying “traffic in the area please advise” on the radio, the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) 4-1-9 g-1 now states: g. Self-Announce Position and/or Intentions 1. General. Self-announce is a procedure whereby pilots broadcast their position or intended flight activity or ground operation on the designated CTAF. This procedure is […]
The sooner, the better
Your reference to the T3 airplanes scrapped by the Air Force caught my attention (Decisions, decisions, Touch & Go, Oct. 6). Some years ago, I became involved in the issue of the Air Force’s problem with “uncommanded engine stoppages.” I can assure you, the engine was not the problem. Nor was the proficiency of the […]
Between a rock and a hard place
Several years ago I pursued a special issuance for my medical and received same. It was a long and tedious process but I was persistent and won. I was able to fly for several years and then out of nowhere I suffered a stroke that rendered me blind. It’s a good thing I wasn’t in […]
Smithsonian or bust…
Charles E. Taylor joins Smithsonian’s aviation pioneers A bronze bust of Charles E. Taylor now sits proudly at the Air & Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center. Dubbed the father of aircraft maintenance, Taylor was the Wright brothers’ mechanic. Kenneth MacTiernan, director of the Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Association, was the driving force behind raising both the awareness […]
Put a plane on your plate
Montana pilots can support general aviation — and a local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association — by choosing a new vanity plate the next time they renew their car tags. EAA Chapter 517 in Missoula is working with the state to offer the aviation-inspired license plate. Chapter President Steve Rossiter credits newsletter editor Frank […]