Touch & Go

“The New York Times called it a ‘fine landing’ and reported it had been widely called ‘a feat of aeronautics.’” A friend passed the story to me from the popular Imgur website. According to the June 4, 2016 New York Times story, Thomas Fitzpatrick landed a stolen plane “on St. Nicholas Avenue in northern Manhattan,” […]

Good news everyone, NTSB Chairman Christopher A. Hart says we are doing better. “Even though the fatality rate in 2015 was the lowest it has been in many years,” said Hart when the 2015 aviation accident statistics were released, “376 people still lost their lives.” If you click through to the “Data & Stats” link […]

Rich Stowell recently logged his “10,000th hour of total flight time.” For those who haven’t heard of Rich, he’s a flight instructor from Cascade, Idaho. He’s written a trio of books focused on stall/spin awareness and emergency maneuver training. I found out about Rich’s milestone via Facebook. He wrote it took “almost 34 years to the […]

When I think about why we produce General Aviation News, it boils down to two things: People and planes. It’s really that simple. Sure, it can get more complex from time to time, but strip away all the doo-dads and it quickly returns to a simple state: People and planes. In keeping with that theme, I […]

The August 2016 issue of Seattle Business magazine has two feature stories regarding commercial aviation in the greater Puget Sound in Washington state. Why do I care? Because “small aircraft” are a part of the story — and not in a good way. In the lead feature, “Paine Field Ready for Takeoff,” author Stephen H. Dunphy writes […]

I open all the mail General Aviation News receives. From time-to-time, a subscriber will write a note on their renewal notice. Most often the note is words of encouragement or appreciation. On occasion it is a complaint. We can’t please everyone. But when I read a note on Tom Wathen’s renewal notice, I was taken […]

Chad Manning flies 737s for Alaska Airlines and C-17s for the 446th Reserve Wing at McChord Field in Washington state. He hadn’t flown in a J-3 Cub. Ever. “When was the last time you flew in a small plane?” I asked Chad as we drove to the airport. “16 years ago in a 172,” he […]

With the swipe of his pen on Friday, July 15, President Obama set into law third class medical reform. I’m thrilled. So are a good many pilots. “It’s important to celebrate this moment, which has been a long time coming and resulted from an incredible amount of work over the past five years,” said Jack […]