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. […]
He’s making a list… checking it twice
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Santa always has a special bag of goodies that he brings to the busy aviation folk here in the nation’s capital. Information about the contents of this year’s bag, like every other secret in this city, was leaked to the press. Fortunately, Santa considers General Aviation News a top news source, so […]
The fine print: Your logbook has many of the answers you need
QUESTION: I own a 1968 Cherokee 140 with a 160 hp O-320-D2A engine that was installed prior to my purchase of the aircraft. According to the logbook endorsement and the tach installed in the aircraft, the redline on the engine was reduced when the new engine was hung. The new redline is 2,550 instead of […]
The heat is on: Our experts agree on the best oil temperature
A few issues back, my good friend Paul McBride was asked what was the best oil temperature for an aircraft engine (Just what is normal? Oct. 15 issue). Since then, I have received a few questions about the same subject, but from the lubricant perspective. A few issues back, my good friend Paul McBride was […]