An agreement between the TSA and the National Fingerprint Collection Clearinghouse, a subsidiary of the National Air Transportation Association, has been expanded internationally. The clearinghouse, which has been training and certifying individuals to collect and process fingerprints for background checks since September 2002 for the TSA, will now take that work worldwide. TSA mandates that […]
Ohio bill more GA friendly than first feared
The Ohio Senate has passed a homeland security bill that is much friendlier to general aviation than it had first appeared. As it was introduced, Senate Bill 9, sponsored by Senate President Jeff Jacobson, would have required airports to screen all GA passengers, maintain five-year logs of all transient aircraft, and require double locks on […]
$5 billion government assurance nearly matches $5.4 billion airline woes
The $5 billion allocated by the federal government to compensate U.S. airlines for lost revenue after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was amazingly close to the actual financial setbacks the airlines sustained, according to two researchers in the College of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In their study, Dr. Notis Pagiavlas and Dr. Vitaly […]
G1000 equipped Diamond approved by Transport Canada
Diamond Aircraft’s DA40-180 Diamond Star equipped with the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit has received Transport Canada approval. Deliveries to Canadian customers will begin immediately. FAA certification was awarded in June 2004.
Sport Pilot forms available on FAA web site
The form that Sport Pilot examiners and instructors use when issuing Sport Pilot certificates is now available for download at FAA.gov. Available as a PDF, the form is called “Airman Certification and/or Rating Application-Sport Pilot.” As of the end of February, 104 Sport Pilot knowledge tests had been taken with a pass rate of 92%. […]
Sun ‘n Fun to be site of early LSA delivery
This year’s Sun ‘n Fun, slated for next month in Lakeland, Fla., will be the location of one of the first Light Sport Aircraft deliveries under the new Sport Pilot rules. That’s when Atlanta-based Hansen AirGroup LLC delivers the first factory certified LSA to Major General Hugh Cox. The retired Air Force officer will take […]
FAA issues Challenger ice directive
The FAA has directed operators of Canadair Challenger 600-series business jets to inspect their planes’ wings carefully for ice and frost before takeoff. The directive came in the wake of two recent accidents involving Challengers, where wing ice was a possible cause. The FAA’s action was “prompted by a report that even small amounts of […]
Light and shadow
Our world and our lives are composed of light and shadow. That can be taken both literally and euphemistically, of course. Day and night, happiness and sorrow, good times and bad, the bright moments and the dark times as the years go by. These days, somehow, the light seems brighter and the shadow darker than […]
It’s all about attitude
II found the Letter to the Editor you published in the Dec. 10 issue by Brian Sheets, “Sport Pilot: A disaster waiting to happen,” to be interesting. I recognize that the letter represents his opinion, however, I think it really missed the point that relates to all flying safety, not just the new Sport Pilot […]