Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: 3 Fatal, 1 Serious. Location: Guntersville, Ala. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The private pilot, 52, had logged at least 500 hours, including 200 in the Cherokee, at the time of the accident. Several witnesses saw the airplane become airborne about two-thirds of the way down the runway. It then […]
General Aviation
Beyond the bumper sticker
Periodically my eye is drawn to a bumper sticker while I’m out driving. Many are aviation oriented — or at least many of the stickers I see are. The slogans are familiar to you as well, I’m sure: “I’d rather be flying.” “My other car is an airplane.” “I love jet noise.” They’re all positive […]
Congressman questions FAA authority to impose fees on AirVenture
In an editorial in the Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper, Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) says the FAA’s demand that the Experimental Aircraft Association pay $500,000 to cover some of the costs of air traffic controllers at the show is “nothing less than another attempt to impose user fees on general aviation — something Congress has rejected numerous […]
FAA requests proposals for options to transition GA to unleaded fuel
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FAA has asked the world’s fuel producers to submit proposals for options that would help the general aviation industry make a transition to an unleaded fuel. The FAA is committed to the development of a new unleaded fuel by 2018 that would minimize the impact of replacing 100 octane low-lead fuel […]
Florida and Maine pass symbolic anti-ethanol laws
In moves that are largely symbolic, Florida and Maine recently passed laws aimed at providing more ethanol-free options at the pump. As described in the marine publication Trade Only, “It’s one more mandate off the books,” state Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, who has been trying to achieve the repeal since he took office […]
Challenge Air puts out a call for pilots for Paine Field event
A call has been put out for pilots and aircraft for Challenge Air flights on July 27 at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. About 20 aircraft are needed to fly disabled youngsters, according to organizers. Flights are exactly like a Young Eagle flight —15-20 minutes around a set course, mostly level easy flight — but […]
Patty Wagstaff to appear at Build A Plane’s Teachers’ Day in Oshkosh
Three-time national aerobatic champion and International Aerospace Hall of Famer Patty Wagstaff will speak at Build A Plane’s 2013 Teachers’ Day on Tuesday, July 30 at EAA’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. “We cannot tell you how excited we are to have the first lady of aviation come to our program and share her experiences with […]
US Aviation launches iPad app
US Aviation Academy has launched an iPad application. Aside from videos describing US Aviation and its flight training programs, the app has a library full of resources. Safety Briefs and Safety Advisor publications from AOPA’s Air Safety Institute are included, as are FAA handbooks such as the Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Risk Management handbook, […]
Eclipse sim takes off at SimCom
A new Avio IFMS equipped, full-motion Eclipse twin-engine jet simulator is now ready for training at SimCom’s Orlando, Florida training center. The Eclipse Jet simulator is an FAA certified, Level D, full-motion device. “As such, there is no need to operate an actual aircraft in order to complete all training requirements for the issuance of […]