Remember the relief we felt within the aviation community back in 1998 when the state of Washington passed a law requiring all communities to develop zones to protect airports from encroachment by incompatible development? Here is a big red flag, folks. You had better check what your local governments have done, because we found that […]
IS CLOSURE A DONE DEAL?
Re: Bowerman Field on endangered airports list: Washington’s Port of Grays Harbor wants out of the airport game, in the Dec. 1 issue: I’ve been a user of Bowerman Field since 1978. When I started using KHQM it was a very well maintained field with a full service FBO, several rental aircraft, flight instruction, AP/IA […]
SNAKES ON A PLANE
The article on page 6 in the Jan. 19 issue, Snakes on a Plane, got my attention. I don’t know of anybody who’d ever want to be in a cockpit with a snake — but me. During World War II, prior to going overseas to the ETO, I was flying P-39s during Texas Maneuvers. Somehow […]
RETRO THINKING PUBLIC OFFICIALS
Re: A legend lives on: The Avro Arrow remains a source of national pride for Canadians in the Jan. 5 issue: Many of us in the United States were equally dismayed when the Northrop jet-powered flying wing bomber was scuttled in the same manner as the Avro Arrow. Several aircraft were completed and the production […]
A GREAT AIRPLANE
I was glad to see someone appreciates a great airplane (Rare Norseman makes its airshow debut, Jan. 5 issue). As I remember it was designed by Robert Noorduyn, who had been a design engineer for Bellanca. I have seen one in the Canadian Museum at Ottawa and at the Bush Flying Museum in Sault St. […]
Bob Hoover celebrates 85th birthday
Bob Hoover turned 85 on Jan. 24. He has been called a “living legend,” “a magician in the cockpit” — even “the greatest stick-and-rudder pilot who ever lived.” Hoover may actually deserve all that fulsome praise, for his has been a life of doing wonderful, almost magical things with airplanes, not only thrilling a great […]
Bush budget opens ‘Padora’s box’: As predicted, userfees and higher fuel taxes part of plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American airline industry is closer to getting what it wants — user fees for general aviation — now that President Bush’s budget officially calls for taxes and fees on users of air traffic control facilities, instead of the ticket tax on passengers and a fuel tax on general aviation. In the […]
Can I install a constant-speed prop on my engine?
I have a Lycoming O-360-A3A in my Cherokee. According to the Type Certificate Data Sheets (TCDS), this engine is similar to an -A1A, except without provisions for a constant speed prop. Nevertheless, it is equipped with a hollow crankshaft, and there is a pad on the accessory case for a prop governor. A friend told […]
Multi-grade vs. single-grade oils: the debate continues
n recent months I have had several conversations with the people at Precision Engines in Everett, Wash., about the use of multi-grade oils in large radial engines. n recent months I have had several conversations with the people at Precision Engines in Everett, Wash., about the use of multi-grade oils in large radial engines. Multi-grade […]