Because flying is cool
If so, an April 22, 2020, decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) might be of interest.
On that date, the FCC voted unanimously (5-0) to approve Ligado Networks’ license to build a terrestrial-based communication network that Ligado claims will “accelerate 5G and the emerging Industrial Internet of Things.”
Great, but what does that have to do with GPS? A lot, according to nearly every 3- and 4-letter advocacy group.
[Read more…]It is heartening — for me at least — to read about people and businesses that are taking next steps.
Some steps are small, others are large. In most cases, each step represents a significant amount of behind-the-scenes effort.
Following is a short list of some of the news that recently put a smile on my face.
[Read more…]Aircraft benefit when they are flown more hours, not less. And for those who own an aircraft, and don’t fly it enough, the idea of sharing their baby is likely equal part terrifying and exhilarating.
That idea, sharing, was the topic of a recent Touch & Go column.
[Read more…]In the days before live, graphical weather updates on an iPad, pilots called into weather service or visited — in-person — a flight service station to learn both current and forecast weather.
Years ago, before I had an instrument rating and was trying to get from point A to point B, on a schedule, weather often made its presence known. And that presence rarely seemed to be in the form of clear skies and tailwinds.
[Read more…]You don’t really need that computer backup, or three months of rainy day savings, or those ventilators in the storage room…until you truly need them.
I don’t know about you, but the sheer volume of COVID-19 stories is starting to wear on me. But a recent announcement from Daher about the delivery of ventilators from Sandpoint, Idaho, to Sacramento, California, using a Kodiak 100 caught my attention.
[Read more…]Gulf Coast Avionics recently completed a panel make-over of a 2004 Piper 6X for client David Linder. The list of Garmin-branded avionics is long and impressive. And there is little doubt David’s 6X panel is both a thing of beauty and a safety-packed, near future-proof system.
[Read more…]I recently received an email from a CFI — let’s call him Bill — seeking advice, as well as feedback on an idea.
He works for a flight school, but on the side also instructs one student in the family-owned aircraft.
Bill’s idea is to approach the aircraft’s owner to see about using the plane for “personal use to build some time.”
“I’m just wondering if you’ve heard of this before or have any experience in what type of arrangements you’ve seen in the past,” writes Bill. “What do you think of this?”
[Read more…]“In general, the FAA does not permit temporary closure or restriction of federally obligated airports for non-aeronautical purposes,” reads Compliance Guidance Letter (CGL) 2020-01.
This CGL is dated March 16, 2020, and was written by Kevin C. Willis, Director of the Office of Airport Compliance and Management Analysis (ACO-1), to provide guidance for “Handling Proposals to Temporarily Close or Restrict All or Parts of Federally Obligated Airports for Non-Aeronautical Purposes Related to Public Health Concerns.”
CGL 2020-01 is clearly referring to the global coronavirus pandemic.
[Read more…]I hope it doesn’t come as a surprise that the annual Spring Break for Pilots, SUN ‘n FUN, has been postponed (as of this writing).
For a couple of decades the General Aviation News crew has descended upon Lakeland, Florida, each spring to produce the official daily newspaper — SUN ‘n FUN Today — for the fly-in.
Not this year though. The tentative dates — May 5-10 — fly-in officials offered as an alternative are not workable for our small, but capable, crew. So I made the decision on March 18 to let SUN ‘n FUN organizers know that we’d be unable to fulfill our obligation to produce SUN ‘n FUN Today for them.
[Read more…]General Aviation News readers are fascinated by NTSB accident reports. While I understand the interest, especially as a learning tool, I’ve remained perpetually puzzled by the volume of interest.
Many years ago, in our print publication, we chose – if I recall correctly – to not include the NTSB Accident Reports in a particular issue. Suffice it to say, the feedback on the decision was not favorable.
So several years ago when Jeffrey Madison pitched the idea of a Human Factors column for General Aviation News, utilizing the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) as the source for material and inspiration, I was intrigued.
[Read more…]
