Dispatch from above the numbers, Runway 20m KSAF, Santa Fe, New Mexico: There’s a strong crosswind from my left. Race 53’s nose is crabbed into the wind like an antique weather vane, but I’m lined up dead center on the runway. Approach speed nailed at 80 miles per hour, I’m dropping down out of the […]
Aviation News
A letter from prison
“I imagine it’s not very often you get mail from a prison,” Tim’s letter started. He’s right, we don’t get many letters from prison. We do have a dozen — perhaps more — General Aviation News subscribers who are currently incarcerated. “After getting a grace issue and letting my subscription lapse, I felt obligated to thank you,” […]
Michael Goulian celebrates 30th year as airshow performer
The 2017 airshow season, which officially kicks off April 4 with the opening of SUN ‘n FUN, will mark a milestone for Michael Goulian: 30 years since his debut airshow performance as a teenager in 1987. He’ll celebrate that milestone with a packed calendar that includes shows across the USA, plus eight international stops as […]
$4 million expansion planned at 6PN4
Pocono Mountain Municipal Airport (6PN4) in Pennsylvania hopes to start a $4 million expansion project this summer, according to a report from the local ABC affiliate WNEP. New hangars and a new terminal are included in the first phase of the project, which is expected to begin in July. A second phase will include a new fuel […]
Redbird debuts rugged flight sim for schools
Redbird Flight Simulations has introduced an updated and specialized version of its desktop flight simulator, the Jay Velocity Edition, to support schools that are investing in STEM education. Redbird created the simulator for demanding environments like middle and high schools, museums, and public access kiosks. The clean-sheet design prioritizes one thing for the classroom: Get the student […]
Phillips 66 Aviation FBO network grows
Phillips 66 Aviation has added 11 FBOs to its network: Aloha Aviation Services (1T7), servicing San Antonio, Texas; AVMATS MidAmerica (BLV), servicing Belleville, Illinois; City of Sikeston (SIK), servicing Sikeston, Missouri; Emporia-Greensville Regional Airport (EMV), Emporia, Virginia; Falcon Aviation LLC (C62), servicing Kendallville, Indiana; Hammonds Air Service (HUM), servicing Houma, Louisiana; Moorhead Aviation Services (JKJ), servicing Moorhead, Minnesota; Spring City Aviation, Inc. (MWC), servicing Milwaukee, Wisconsin; […]
Total loss of engine power leads to forced landing
The pilot reported that, during takeoff climb, the RV-4’s engine sputtered, followed by a total loss of power. He executed a forced landing into a field near Marathon, Texas, and the plane hit a fence and nosed over, causing one serious and one minor injury. A post-accident examination of the fuel system, engine, and cockpit controls revealed no […]
Vintage photo of a vintage plane
Thomas Bombardier sent in this 40 year old photo of Paul Bombardier’s J-3, taken sometime in the early 1960s at the original Manassas Airport. “This picture was taken after it got new fabric and paint job,” Thomas notes.
Engineering a special A36 Bonanza
Veteran aviator Doug Decker approaches most flying matters with an engineer’s critical eye for detail. Things need to be exact. The numbers have to tally. Logic holds ascendency over emotion. But describing his aircraft, N998PL, a brilliant yellow 1996 A36 Bonanza, Decker sounds a lot like a pilot speaking straight from the heart. “I don’t […]