GA manufacturers recorded the highest first quarter billings in history, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Billings for the industry totaled $4 billion, an increase of 39.7%, compared to $2.9 billion for the first quarter of 2005. Shipments for the first three months of 2006 totaled 845, a 34.1% increase over the 630 […]
What’s in a name?
Does your aircraft have personality? “They all do,” insists Danny Groggins, an official with Legend Aircraft Co., as he taxied the Texas company’s latest plane, a Cub Special named “Baloo,” to a display area at Sun ‘n Fun. “We named this one Baloo because it’s blue and because of the cartoon character. Baloo was the […]
A cup a day sends an aspiring pilot on her way
Many enterprising aviators ran lemonade and Kool-Aid stands in their youth to raise money for flight training. Café Avion, an organic coffee roasting company based in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, is taking that idea to a new level by making a donation to the Ninety-Nines scholarship fund for every pound of its Aviatrix blend purchased. “I […]
Prove it!
When I was a small boy, if a schoolmate made a statement with which another disagreed, the accepted rejoinder was “Prove it!” Later on, having discovered an interest in science, I learned that this is an appropriate response to any theory. “Prove it.” Today, however, theories abound, proofs are as scarce as hens’ teeth, and […]
A simple solution to FAA’s funding woes
I continue to be astonished by what appears to be the inability of both the FAA and those now debating its funding sources to perceive a blinding flash of the obvious that surrounds the passenger excise tax issue. The portion of FAA income that does not originate from general fund revenues contributed by all income […]
Drawings could revitalize GA
GAN could sell more issues than it could print! The thousands of model builders would subscribe if you would publish three-view drawings of all popular personal airplanes as you just did on the cover of the April 7 issue. You could add to those all owners who would like to plan their own T-hangars as […]
Vertical engines for kit-built heilcopters
I have been traveling and was way behind in my reading. I saw your comments regarding a vertical piston engine for a homebuilt helicoper (Ask Paul: What’s the best engine for a kit-built helicopter? March 10 issue). The Brantly used the V0-360 with a carb for the model B-2 and B-2A. I owned the TC […]
Sikorsky’s S-38: The Beauty and the Beast
Dave Paulley, who is known for Western art as well as aviation art, has an affinity for stories of the Golden Era of aviation – the late 1920s and 1930s. One of his favorite subjects is seaplanes because of their artistic beauty and the adventuresome stories they have to tell. One plane in particular, the […]
Race in on to convince lawmakers about how to fund the FAA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — One thing about Washington politics: It is believed that if something is said often enough, it is going to be believed — that is, unless someone or something also says the opposite often enough. Take funding of the Federal Aviation Administration for instance. Like Chicken Little running around screaming that “”the sky […]