Because flying is cool
Dillingham Airfield (HDH) sits barely 15 feet above mean sea level on the North Shore of the island of Oahu in Hawaii. It ranks as the number one drop zone for skydivers worldwide. It also enjoys a beautifully symbiotic relationship between the U.S. Army and civilian aviation.
It is also under threat.
[Read more…]Mason Schneider is a senior at Cheney High School in Cheney, Kansas. (Go Cardinals). He also started flight training on Aug. 21, 2020, and passed his private pilot check ride on Oct. 16, just 56 days later.
I found Mason on Reddit. He posted of his accomplishment the day after his check ride and as things happen on the internet, it has stirred up a (mostly positive) discussion in the comments section.
[Read more…]More than 130 aviation organizations have signed on as supporters of the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation (NCAA) Act of 2020.
The Senate version of the bill (S.3360) was introduced on Feb. 27, 2020. The House version (H.R.8532) was introduced Oct. 7.
If passed into law, the NCAA Act of 2020 will “create an independent center to facilitate collaboration among commercial, general, and military aviation sectors to address the mounting workforce challenges facing the industry.”
[Read more…]A pet peeve of mine is when people paint with a broad brush. You’ve heard ‘em: “Millennials/Boomers/Athletes/Politicians/Other are all (fill in the blank).”
[Read more…]In late August 2020, Otto Aviation introduced its Celera 500L as “the most fuel-efficient commercially viable passenger aircraft in the world.”
Aren’t press releases great?
[Read more…]Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) exist for a reason. Being temporary, their impact is mostly minimal — time wise —but painful all the same.
But what happens when a specific TFR become repetitive? Like when a sitting president visits a particular destination repeatedly?
[Read more…]I’ll admit I missed this May 2020 memo from the FAA.
“With the assistance of aviation community members of the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) Airman Certification Standards (ACS) Working Group (WG), the FAA is reviewing and revising a number of its reference handbooks.”
Among the books being revised, the Aviation Instructor Handbook (FAA-H-8083-9B), effective with the May 2020 release will, among other things, replace “Student” with “Learner” and replace “Cockpit” with “Flight deck” throughout the handbook.
What? Why? Who?
[Read more…]Cory Robin flies a Carbon Cub he calls “Ghost” (which is on the Aug. 6, 2020, cover of General Aviation News). He also has a YouTube channel with nearly 47,000 subscribers.
And sadly, he recently crashed his plane in a river in Ohio.
[Read more…]I rather like the FAA’s clever — perhaps unintended — double meaning in the graphic to support its virtual UAS Symposium.
“Drones. Here For Good.” When defined as a noun, good may mean “something useful or beneficial.”
[Read more…]Even the COVID-19 storm cloud.
Kevin Laufer is a friend of mine. We met years ago at SUN ‘n FUN. Since that first meeting, we’ve managed to meet up each year at SUN ‘n FUN and EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Our time together, for me at least, represents one of the true joys of this subculture of aviation.
Like anyone who makes the most of their life, Kevin is busy. He’s married with four children and he’s the director of aviation for a global insurance company. He manages a team of 24 that flies three large cabin Gulfstreams from Northeast Philadelphia Airport (KPNE). His days start early and end late, even when he’s not on the road.
[Read more…]
