University of North Carolina Chancellor James Moeser has tried for years to get Horace Williams Airport (IGX) closed. The airport is on university grounds at Chapel Hill, grounds that Moeser wants used for other purposes. Through what airport supporters call a “back-room, private effort to influence legislation,” Moeser and some UNC trustees have had a […]
Indiana State University upgrades simulator lab
Indiana State University in Terre Haute recently invested more than $600,000 in two new simulators. The Frasca simulators include a basic 140 series trainer and a more sophisticated Beechcraft King Air with a 180° wraparound visual system. The Indiana State lab now has four flight simulators, with capabilities ranging from single engine trainers to more […]
FAA debuts online human factors training course
The FAA has launched an online training program dedicated to the importance of human factors. The course was developed for FAA employees, but is available to the general public. It consists of 10 self-guided lessons. “Improvements to aviation safety and capacity are dependent on developing a national aviation system that is not only technically sophisticated, […]
AOPA studies technically advanced aircraft safety
The AOPA Air Safety Foundation (ASF) has published a special report for pilots who fly technically advanced aircraft (TAA). Titled “Technically Advanced Aircraft Safety and Training,” the report outlines a training syllabus, compares accidents of TAA and traditional aircraft, and includes NTSB accident narratives and Aviation Safety Reporting System reports. The FAA defines TAA as […]
Disney goes to war
During World War II, many Disney designs were used for squadron and unit patches, as well as nose art for aircraft. It began in the pre-war days — 1939 to be exact — when the United States Navy asked Walt Disney to design a badge. Disney came up with a cartoon showing a wasp with […]
Fulfill a flying fantasy
Starting June 1, groups of 10 or more airplanes will be granted pre-approved permission to fly in for the day to Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Fla. Individual planes will not be able to fly in, but prearranged and preapproved groups of 10 planes or more will be able to make reservations to fly […]
Passenger lands plane after pilot dies
A passenger on board a twin-engine private plane was forced to take over the controls and land the airplane when the pilot suffered a heart attack in flight. According to the Associated Press, the pilot, Douglas Reichardt of Henderson, Nev., filed a flight plan to San Diego on May 6. Reichardt and his passengers departed […]
AOPA Fly-In slated
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) will host its 15th Annual Fly-In & Open House at AOPA headquarters on the Frederick Municipal Airport in Frederick, Md., June 4. Thousands of members and other pilots are expected to attend the free event, which is the nation’s largest one-day fly-in event. Meanwhile, Bruce Landsberg, executive director […]
Relax, it’s one of ours
The sight of a C-17 doing low approaches at a civilian airport in the San Francisco Bay area generated a flood of panicked phone calls to authorities and the news media on Tuesday, April 26. The large transport, out of McGuire AFB in New Jersey, had come to Buchanan Field Airport (CCR) in Contra Costa […]