Pilots are bold, confident people for the most part. We train to maintain our cool under pressure, be technologically adept at dealing with the machine entrusted to us, and maintain a state of safety consciousness above all else. Yeah, we’re cool. Barney Fife was not a pilot. The character portrayed so expertly by Don Knotts […]
flying
Lesson learned
“Albert” was 25 and cocky back in 1975 when he got his license. Well, perhaps he was a tad nervous on his check ride, but thankfully he did well and would never have to do that again. Albert thought life was good. He and his Cessna 140 were temporary based at a sleepy, little airport […]
Miss EAA’s B-17 on Pawn Stars?
If you missed seeing EAA’s B-17 on the Dec. 19 episode of the History Channel’s hit show Pawn Stars, you haven’t lost out — the show is available online through the Pawn Stars website. Richard Harrison, better known as “Old Man” on the series, and Austin Russell (Chumlee) visited Aluminum Overcast during its Oct. 11-12 […]
Sporty’s offers fast track to first solo
No matter your ultimate goal, if you want to learn to fly, you have to solo. For most pilots, soloing an airplane is even more memorable than earning their license. Now, Sporty’s Pilot Shop has made this milestone even easier by offering a DVD course that includes everything a pilot needs to fly solo — […]
Angels and aviation
Angel Flight, the not-for-profit organization that arranges free air transportation for those in need of medical care, relies on volunteer pilots to make the program work, but as aviation maintenance students at Clover Park Technical College near Tacoma, Wash., recently learned, you don’t necessarily need to have your wings to help the cause. In February […]
Looking ahead to the new year
Preparations are underway for the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, the eighth running of the focused event. The annual gathering in Sebring, Florida, occurs about the third week of January each year and, as such, kicks off the aviation calendar. (Sun ’n Fun now starts the season of recreational flying.) Recently we visited the show site […]
Landmark Aviation opens FBO at OAK
Landmark Aviation has opened its FBO at Oakland International Airport. Landmark’s FBO at OAK is its first in the San Francisco Bay Area and the 12th location added to the network in 2011. The FBO is centrally located at OAK’s North Field in the Hangar 5 facility. Landmark has initiated a multi-million dollar renovation project, […]
Avidyne autopilots certified for Matrix and Mirage
Avidyne Corp. has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) and Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval of the DFC90 autopilot for Entegra-equipped Piper PA-46 Matrix and Mirage aircraft, as well as TSO and STC approval of the DFC100 autopilot for Release 9 (R9)-equipped Piper PA-46 Matrix aircraft. The attitude-based DFC90 is a plug-and-play replacement for the existing […]
Connecting flights
The end of the year is a time of reflection. As 2011 winds down, my family and I experienced an unreal 19-day stretch that put a great deal into perspective about life and aviation. Here’s a peek into a public journal: Nov. 10: My wife, Deb, and I were in the Indianapolis International Airport when […]