Alton Bouchard, the owner of PK Floats at Lincoln Regional Airport (LRG) in Maine, died unexpectedly Feb. 17. He was 59. Bouchard’s passion for aviation, especially seaplanes, began when he was just a young boy. His family reports that he owned more than a hundred in his lifetime. In 2000, he bought PK Floats from […]
Aviation News
Hard landing for Liberty
Aircraft: Liberty XL-2. Injuries: None. Location: Burlington, N.C. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the student pilot, he was attempting a second touch-and-go landing and takeoff. As he turned onto final approach, another airplane was crossing the runway threshold for a full stop landing. The pilot continued the approach, but slowed the airplane […]
Is it time to re-think TFRs?
“A TFR is a regulatory action issued via the U.S. Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) system to restrict certain aircraft from operating within a defined area, on a temporary basis, to protect persons or property in the air or on the ground.” So says AC91-63C, an advisory circular issued with the intent of illuminating the public […]
A five, or seven, year ‘loophole’… some context
President Obama has called for changing the depreciation schedule for newly aquired non-commercial aircraft from five to seven years. Jay Carney, the president’s press secretary calls the current two-year schedule difference a special tax loophole. As you might imagine, this has pushed the aviation alphabet groups into damage control mode. Being of limited ability to comprehend “Washington speak” […]
Fiscal problems lead to conflict, confusion and uncertainty
WASHINGTON, D.C. — March is a windy month. That is expected to be especially true this March in the nation’s capital, with much activity, conflict and confusion as lawmakers try to sort out the nation’s fiscal problems. All this activity brings to the forefront several issues that general aviation groups have been wrestling with for […]
RISE ABOVE traveling exhibit at Carolinas Aviation Museum
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolinas Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport will host the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Red Tail Squadron’s RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit honoring the Tuskegee Airmen Feb. 26-March 2. Sponsored by Duke Energy, the Traveling Exhibit, which will feature a P-51 Mustang similar to the one used by the Airmen, will […]
Piper selects G1000 for Seneca V
Piper Aircraft has selected Garmin‘s G1000 all-glass, integrated flight deck for its twin-class Seneca V model. “We have a strong, long-standing partnership with Piper Aircraft, and we are honored by the confidence they continue to show in Garmin avionics,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin’s vice president of aviation sales and marketing. “With the G1000-equipped Seneca V, […]
Snap-On Industrial debuts FOD ratchets
Snap-on Industrial has introduced three new ratchets that meet foreign object damage (FOD) and foreign material exclusion (FME) conformance. These ratchets are ideal for aviation and other critical applications where FOD and FME prevention is crucial, company officials said. The ratchets are FOD and FME compliant because the coverplate and reverse lever are permanently affixed […]
Sporty’s offers new approach to IFR training
IFR training hoods are bulky and awkward to wear in the cockpit. IFR glasses offer a good alternative, but you may be required to put them on and remove them many times during a single flight. Now eFoggers offers a solution for better IFR training, according to Sporty’s officials. Never again will pilots hear their […]