Enhanced Flight Group (EFG) of Lexington, Kentucky has received an STC to install aerodynamic wheel well fairings to the Piper Malibu and Mirage. Like many other aircraft with retractable gear, the main landing gear and tires on the Malibu are thicker than the wing they retract into, leaving a portion of the tire protruding below […]
BirdShield repels birds — with no noise, no electricity
BirdShield is a food-grade, biodegradable bird repellent that reduces bird nesting and roosting on structures, roofs, interior or exterior walls — anywhere at the airport. It can even be sprayed directly on nests. Liquid BirdShield dries, leaving a residue with a grape-like odor. This odor irritates birds, yet is environmentally friendly and harmless. Once birds […]
Owl keeps an eye on hypoxia
Although there are federal regulations for the use of oxygen when flying, many high altitude pilots and physicians recommend the use of oxygen at altitudes even lower than Federal Aviation Regulations require. Some pilots may begin to experience symptoms of hypoxia at altitudes as low as 5,000 feet. One of the biggest problems of detecting […]
Dine with Orville and Wilbur
Most pilots agree that you can’t have a good airport without a good restaurant, so when The Narrows Landing restaurant opened last summer at the Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW) in Gig Harbor, Wash., there was dancing in the hangars. Owners are Hal, Dossie and Tom Barker. Tom, in addition to being the chef, is Hal […]
Baby girl delivered on float plane
When Isabelle Chinuhuk asks her parents, Jenifer and Jamie, “How did I get here?” they can honestly answer “by float plane.” The little girl was born Dec. 26 aboard a Pacific Airways deHavilland Beaver en route to Ketchikan. The Chinuhuks live in Metlakatla and didn’t expect the baby until mid-January. Pacific Airways is a scheduled […]
Those we lost in 2004
Aviation lost many of its most notable people last year. General Aviation News would like to pay tribute to some of those people, who had such a profound effect on all of our lives. JEROME F. LEDERER Jerome F. Lederer, whose work made aviation safer for all of us, died Jan. 6. He was 101. […]
Eclipse starts certification flights
The first of four Eclipse 500 flight certification aircraft made its maiden flight Dec. 31, “as we promised,” CEO Vern Raburn said. It made two flights on that first day of operations with production Pratt & Whitney Canada 610F turbofan engines. The flight of N503EA initiated a 15-month program that ultimately will involve seven airframes, […]
Sport Pilot PTS available online
Sport Pilot Practical Test Standards are now available online at AFS600.FAA.gov. The first Sport Pilot Designated Pilot Examiner initial qualification course will be held Jan. 17-22 in Sebring, Fla. Just eight participants will take the course. The next course is set for Feb. 28-March 5, also in Sebring.
GAO criticizes FAA over pop-up TFRs
The General Accounting Office (GAO) has taken the FAA to task for pop-up TFRs. In a new report, the GAO criticized the FAA for not developing a “standardized, documented way to review and revalidate security-related TFRs.” The report notes that the number of TFR violations is up since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as […]