Last September this column warned that environmental activists were starting to pose a serious threat to aviation. Not just general aviation, but the entire spectrum of powered flight. At the time, we took flak from readers who seem to think, mistakenly, that the human contribution to atmospheric carbon affects global warming and that no price […]
Touch & Go
Famous flyer: Morgan Freeman shares his passion for flight
Like many pilots, flying got Morgan Freeman into trouble when he was in high school. “I started flying at my desk in school,” the award-winning actor said during a visit to AirVenture this year. “My English teacher would see me ‘flying’ an F-86 Sabrejet at my desk and ask, ‘Morgan, what are you doing?’” Like […]
Central Oregon: A hotbed of GA activity
One of the perks of this job is that I get to travel. Mostly it’s to fly-ins and conventions such as AirVenture, Sun ‘n Fun or AOPA Expo, but sometimes I get to make a trip to meet and greet the players in the aviation industry. May of this year took me to central Oregon. […]
Patriots, heroes and wars
The Gathering of Mustangs and Legends, held at the end of September at Columbus, Ohio, was an inspiring lesson in history and patriotism. I have been telling everyone who would stand still long enough that it was certainly the best-organized, most thrilling, most moving air show I’ve attended in some 60 years of attending them. […]
Build a Plane helps build our next generation
It’s a simple idea, really: Put airplane projects in the hands of high school kids. The initial mission of Build A Plane is to help kids learn how to be mechanics, as well as the skills needed to build a plane — skills they can then use in the workplace. But the program does so […]
Demand still high for airparks
I’ve been working pretty consistently in recent days cleaning up our residential airpark directory, Living With Your Plane. With about 600 airparks in the directory, it is a never-ending job to keep the information current. Since most residential airparks are managed by the residents in a homeowners association or something like that, officers and contact […]
Do clothes make the controller?
“Cessna 123, cleared for takeoff, runway 13L.” Do you really care what the person issuing the instructions is wearing? I don’t. But apparently the FAA does. All across the country air traffic controllers are being disciplined for dress code violations. Some of the male controllers have rebelled by wearing dresses. Given the problems the FAA […]
The “Greenies” are coming and we’d better watch out
I don’t want to seem like an alarmist, but the new environmental religion has become a threat to aviation, and the threat is very real. Ten protesters at London’s Biggin Hill were arrested last month while blocking access to private aircraft, which make up most of the traffic at that historic airfield. They were protesting […]
Do you have the Right Stuff? If not, can it be learned?
Everyone knows at least one pilot who has “the right stuff.” “These are the people we trust, whom we look up to — and not just for their stick and rudder skills,” says Bill Rhodes, owner of Aerworthy Consulting, who is kicking off a first-of-its-kind study of what makes a pilot a superior pilot. Dubbed […]