WASHINGTON, D.C. — There is not much talk openly about it here, but the steady decline in the number of general aviation pilots has some GA advocates concerned. General aviation has had several boom and bust periods. From the time the Wright brothers’ first flight until the first commercial airline began flying from St. Petersburg […]
Pilots
FAI establishes environmental award
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The FAI Environmental Commission (EnvC) has established the Angelo d’Arrigo Diploma, a new FAI environmental award to recognize major contributions in the field of environmental and sustainable development in sport aviation. The diploma will be presented for the first time in 2014 and may be awarded to individuals or organizations that have […]
Spring training for pilots
By KEVIN GARRISON Winter weather leads to a cutback of flying for most of us. Pilots living in areas of the U.S. that are prone to frozen water in the form of sleet, freezing rain and snow find ourselves wistfully looking to the skies out of the iced-over windows of our homes. We think back […]
OpenAirplane expands
CHICAGO – OpenAirplane continues to expand its service which makes renting an airplane as easy as renting a car. Since launching in June, the OpenAirplane network has grown to 34 cities, with more than 100 aircraft available around the U.S. Enabled by the updated Universal Pilot Checkout standard, OpenAirplane has launched its first operator in […]
Want to sell your plane? Be prepared to dance
By BILL WILSON If you plan to sell your airplane in this market, be prepared to dance. You’ll probably have to two-step, twist, boogie and maybe try some new routines before you’ll get that plane sold. And it won’t be the romantic experience you were looking for. Love is not in the air in the […]
‘Prairie Sky’ published
Newly published is “Prairie Sky,” a new book that explores “the reality as well as the metaphor of flight: Notions of ceaseless time and boundless space, personal interior and exterior vision, social history, meteorology, and geology,” according to the publisher. W. Scott Olsen takes readers along as he chases a new way of looking at […]
Proposed legislation would cut 3rd class medical requirement for many GA pilots
Reps. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) and Sam Graves (R-Mo.) have introduced a bill in the U.S. House that seeks to abolish the third-class medical certificate for many pilots who fly recreationally. The General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013, co-sponsored by Reps. Bill Flores (R-Texas), Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), and Richard Hanna (R-NY), would […]
‘A Personal Flyer’s Guide to More Enjoyable Flying’
Capt. David C. Koch, author of “False Security: The Real Story About Airline Safety” and executive director of the Center For Airmanship Excellence, has released a new book, “A Personal Flyer’s Guide to More Enjoyable Flying,” which, he says, “provides guidance for personal flyers on how to adopt a new paradigm in personal flying that […]
Recommendations to improve pilot training and testing released
A joint industry-FAA working group has issued recommendations that will offer clearer written and practical test standards for student pilots and those pursuing advanced certificates. The working group overhauled and drafted new standards that students could be tested on during both written and practical exams, once the FAA adopts the new standards, according to officials […]