Robert “Bob” Bement submitted this photo and note: “I sometimes fly out to visit a friend who runs the Harper service station. There is no airport, so I just land on the road. It is fairly level but has a little dog leg in it. A fellow at the station took this picture of me in my 1969 straight-tailed 182 Cessna taking off from road. I thought he did a great job of getting this lift-off picture.”
A step in the right direction for unleaded fuels
In the roughly 25 years that the GA community has been trying to find an unleaded alternative to 100LL avgas, GAMI’s new unleaded fuel is the first promising step in the right direction.
Pandemic puts dent in outlook for pilots and technicians
An uneven recovery from the market turndown cause by the pandemic means a 20% drop in the predicted demand for pilots in the next 20 years and a 15% drop. Even so, Boeing’s annual outlook notes that opportunities for aspiring aviators “abound” while companies will face “stiff competition in recruiting and retaining top tier talent.”
Piper teams with International AeroTech Academy for next generation of workers
Students get the chance to interview for a job at Piper Aircraft’s manufacturing facility in Vero Beach, Florida, before they begin training for their Airframe and Powerplant ratings.
Companies team to develop technology to warn of potential mid-air threats
The collision avoidance safety system will use computer vision and machine learning to “see” when another aircraft is approaching from outside the pilot’s field of view and poses a risk, issuing 3D audio warnings.
Distracted pilot leads to a hard landing and post-accident fire
The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and postaccident fire. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distraction during short final.
Pictures of the Day: Lonely plane
Gary Lanthrum submitted this photo and note: “My Maule MX7-180C parked on the Alvord Desert in Southeast Oregon. I went for star gazing and the quiet of the desert. When unpredicted storms rolled in, there were no stars and the howling winds killed the quiet. It was still an adventure to remember.”
Wrestling with priorities
Everyone who flirts with the aeronautical arts and sciences gets a crash course in financial management, whether they want it or not. Bottom line: It takes money to fly. But make no mistake, every one of us has the capacity to earn, save, and spend the requisite amount to achieve our dreams of flight.
New advocacy group, Friends of Aviation, takes off
“Our goal is to build a grassroots community of aviators to help prevent airport crisis and closure,” Friends of Aviation founder Andrew Crider said. “After COVID, the aviation industry is in crisis. Airports all around the country are facing more threats than ever before.”