The FAA has granted Czech Aircraft Works an exemption for certification of the amphibious Mermaid Light Sport. The exemption means that the Mermaid now has full S-LSA approval, including permission for operation of its retractable gear, in flight, by a properly trained sport pilot. The FAA exemption covers only the Mermaid and no other amphibious […]
TSA issues advisory for plane owners
The Transportation Security Administration put out an advisory April 20 warning aircraft owners about a message, posted in Arabic on a Web forum, that explained how to identify private American airplanes. “Destroy private American aircraft…We call upon all Muslims to follow and identify private civilian American aircrafts (sic) in all airports of the world…It is […]
How Sun ‘n Fun saved a life
For Lewis Long, volunteering at Sun ‘n Fun has been a life-changing experience. The formerly homeless man, who kicked around most of the country before settling in Lakeland, Fla., has been volunteering for six years now. The first year he volunteered for just two days, but he was “hooked” right away. “I felt for the […]
A better use for Horace Williams airport land?
I know your aviation lobbyist group is based in Washington State and therefore has little direct staff knowledge about the UNC Horace Williams Airport (IGX) situation in the Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill area of North Carolina as you continue to rally to your members. However, you should at least know that the safety systems at […]
A simple fix
To Charles Spence, Capital Comments: I read with interest your ongoing articles concerning user fees. Perhaps I am missing something, but it seems to me that Congress is trying to fix something that’s not broken.If the FAA indeed needs more operating capital, why not very simply add a few cents to each gallon of fuel […]
On the Skyhawk and wing warping
Dear writers in General Aviation News dated April 7, 2006: Meg Godlewski’s cover (Cessna’s 172 Skyhawk at 50 Years Young) and Thomas F. Norton (Pioneers of Aviation): I found the article about the Cessna 172, known as the Skyhawk, to be either a little incomplete or a bit inaccurate because according to “The Legend of […]
Special meaning
Thank you and Larry Bledsoe for the Art Report in the March 24 issue (Black Cat gets stamp of approval). I was in the 466th Bomb Group in England when the B-24 “Black Cat” was lost, so this article by Larry Bledsoe has a special meaning to me. Jim Walston via email
Today’s problems have been decades in the making
WASHINGTON, D.C. — One problem of being around an industry for a long time is that you remember what the worries were then and what was or was not done about them. Take airports and air traffic control, for instance. About 45 years ago, general aviation manufacturers were a part of the Washington-based Aerospace Industries […]
Is it a sticking valve? An induction leak?
QUESTION: I have a 1993 Glasair experimental that has a standard Lycoming 180 hp IO-360A1B (fuel injected). Some months ago, my #2 EGT suddenly started to climb to about 1480° in cruise and at altitude. The other cylinders stayed the same and have never changed. I tried all different power settings and still no change. […]