Meanwhile, another very light jet hopeful, Safire Aircraft, saw most of its office equipment and shop tool inventory auctioned off late last month. The sale was forced by the owner of Safire’s former headquarters in Opa Locka, Fla., in an effort to recover some $60,000 in unpaid rent. It was reported that Safire’s CEO, Camilo […]
Retired Cessna president joins Javelin management team
Another coup for Aviation Technology Group, the Colorado company that’s bringing the Javelin jet to market: Charlie Johnson, former president and COO of Cessna, just joined the company as executive vice president of operations. Just two weeks ago, Horst Bergmann, former president and CEO of Jeppesen, also joined the company’s executive management team. The jet, […]
Growing the next generation
“Ready? Here we go!” The 15-year-old girl sitting next to me tentatively put her left hand on the yoke and her right hand on the throttle. With my hand over hers she pushed the throttle forward. Our mighty Cessna 172 began to roll down the runway. She craned her neck, still a little short to […]
Sport Pilot: A disaster waiting to happen
I fear that I may be one of the few pilots in the country who does not warmly welcome the announcement of the new Sport Pilot ruling by the FAA. My concern is not with aircraft that fall in the lighter-than-air, weight-shift, gyroplanes and powered parachutes categories. Rather, my fear resides with the proposed Sport […]
Placing the blame
Cork Biemond makes a good point about the unfairness of the Sport Pilot driver’s license medical ruling excluding pilots who have previously been denied (Unelected bureaucrats pervert sport pilot) in the Oct 15 issue. He puts the blame on the wrong agency, however. Remember that the FAA approved the rule as it was originally written […]
Who are they trying to kid?
Just wanted to add my two cents to your latest Letters to Editor about Bush vs. Kerry and the state of GA. Neither of the two will have a significant effect on GA. We need to focus our attention on those members who supposedly support us in Congress. They will by far impact us more […]
To infinity and beyond
How do Americans feel about space travel? A new study on space exploration found that 69% support the space program, according to Dittmar Associates, which interviewed 1,000 people across the country. Some highlights of the study: – About 65% approve of returning to the moon, but just 18% support sending humans to Mars. – International […]
Are this season’s shows really that bad?
A Covallis, Ore., man got more than he bargained for when his parents gave him a flat-screen Toshiba television. He knew the set came with a built-in VCR, DVD and CD player, but what he didn’t know was that the TV was sending out a signal identical to that of an Emergency Locator Transmitter. The […]
Fowl play
Forget breaking eggs to make an omelet. When you’re trying to break the sound barrier, you can — accidentally — wipe out an entire flock of chickens. That’s what happened May 18, 1953, when Jacqueline Cochran, flying an F-86 Sabrejet out of Edwards Air Force Base, became the first woman to break the sound barrier. […]