After reading the letter “Training better, happier pilots,” (July issue), I thought that I would drop you a quick e-mail to tell you about a most enjoyable experience I had. I took my first aerobatic training this weekend with Greg Koontz. His knowledge and experience of aerobatics make a great combination for the perfect learning […]
One bad apple
I find it ironic that shortly after our successful Airport Appreciation Day at Pickens County Airport in Jasper, Ga., a local “”professional”” pilot found the ear of the managing editor of the Pickens “”Progress,”” our local source of news, gossip and general hearsay. The resulting article contained more than 2,200 words, a lengthy piece for […]
The need for speed — Flying the Columbia 400
Well, it took awhile. Ever since Sun ‘n Fun 2005, I had been lusting to fly the Columbia 400, touted as the fastest production recip available today. Problem is, they’re selling so fast that Aero Sport Inc., the Columbia dealer for the state of Florida, has difficulty keeping a demonstrator in inventory. In the end, […]
VFR flight into IMC ends in fatal crash in bean field
These August 2003 Accident Reports are provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, they are intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Location: Clarkfield, Minn. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot had filed a visual flight rules flight plan, […]
DARCorporation unveils new website and online store
DarCorporation, which has provided airplane design software, books and engineering consulting services since 1991, has a new website and online store at DARCorp.com. To celebrate, the company has discounted its best-selling Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary 50% off retail with every book purchase (one per customer please, quantities are limited).
Proxy Aviation Systems debuts SkyWatcher UAV
Proxy Aviation Systems, Inc., a company dedicated to developing autonomous, unmanned aircraft systems, has unveiled SkyWatcher, a long endurance, low and medium altitude, multi-payload unmanned aircraft system. SkyWatcher is designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The system consists of four main components: autonomous air vehicles; a primary mission-management ground control station; mobile ground control […]
Get weight and balance-and more-on your cell phone
Smartsoft has released a new version of Flight WTK 2.1, its weight and balance software for mobile phones. Flight WTK enables pilots to perform weight and balance on their cell phones in as little as 40 seconds. Flight WTK, which uses the mobile phone as a computing device, also gives pilots the ability to download […]
Finger Lakes Sales and Service launches new online inventory system
Finger Lakes Sales and Service, a brokerage firm for commercial aircraft parts and components, recently unveiled a major redesign of FingerLakeSales.com, incorporating its new Online Request For Quotes (RFQ) system. The new RFQ system allows customers to search by part number and description, as well as track and confirm RFQs and see a full inventory […]
USDA Forest Service taps Iridium for automated flight-following
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS) has fitted 200 primarily contract aircraft with equipment from Iridium Satellite. The aircraft are part of the interagency Automated Flight-Following (AFF) program and are mainly helicopters and fixed-wing airtankers used for wildland fire fighting and other natural resource agency missions. The agencies use Iridium for flight-following as […]