As the days get shorter and the weather a bit colder, thoughts are already turning toward the upcoming holidays. While a few months away, pilots in Minnesota are already planning for this year’s Tree of Hope, an effort to collect toys for kids who are hospitalized during the holidays. The all-volunteer program was started in […]
Pilots
Experiences in other nations raise concerns about proposed user fee
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congress and the president have big taxation problems to resolve before the end of this year, so there will no doubt be a lot of discussion about aviation user fees. On Dec. 31, all the “Bush” tax cuts will expire, the debt limit will need to be increased, and payroll tax cuts […]
Arizona Aircraft Expo slated
Several aircraft dealers in Arizona are working together to create the 4th Annual Arizona Aircraft Expo, scheduled to take place Nov. 9 and 10 at Landmark Aviation at Scottsdale Airport (SDL), where the general public and prospective buyers can see the newest technologically advanced aircraft from Cessna, Cirrus, Beechcraft, Diamond, Eclipse, Embraer, Piper, Lancair, Quest, […]
Bahamas Pilot Challenge takes off
A new Bahamas Pilot Challenge has been launched for 2012-2013, drawing general aviation pilots to more of the many islands of the Bahamas starting just 50-60 miles off the Florida coast. Pilots who document landings at 12 of the 20 Bahamas airports of entry before Nov. 30, 2013, will be eligible to win a total […]
Embry-Riddle hosts Pilot Supply Roundtable
PRESCOTT, Ariz. — Aviation leaders recently met at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s campus here to discuss the impending pilot supply shortage, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for pilots and other issues facing the industry. Representatives from a number of airlines, including United, SkyWest, Jet Blue, Cape Air, Compass and American Eagle, attended the meeting. “The pilot summit […]
Estelle Wingster: A vintage airplane with a modern message
In 1953 Ken Miller of Van Nuys, Calif., was a college student. He went to the airport with two friends and met a man who was giving rides in his Cessna 150. “The guy said he would take each of us up for $10 a piece,” Miller recalled. “I had $20 in my pocket. The […]
Southeast Aviation Expo draws crowds, despite rain
GREENVILLE, S.C. — For the second year in a row, the Southeast Aviation Expo at Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU) was hit with rain, but was still able to draw a crowd of pilots and aviation enthusiasts. This year’s Expo attracted almost twice the number of exhibitors, who told organizers that while the number of attendees […]
Family tradition
Back before David “Shorty” Wilkinson had a reason to be nicknamed “Shorty,” (because he is, after all, bean-pole tall) he thought every family traveled by airplane, because every family he knew had one. This made sense to him since his mom and dad were from Texas but lived in Georgia. An airplane made visiting relatives […]
Dress to survive: The Aviator Tactical Vest
If you had an unscheduled off-airport landing in rough back country, would you be able to survive to tell the story? Maybe, maybe not. It all comes down to how well prepared you are. A big part of that is having a survival kit, but if you can’t reach it after the “landing,” it doesn’t […]