Clik here to view.
The New Partial Panel Flying
When most of us learned to fly instruments the term partial panel had a very specific meaning. Flying partial panel meant the attitude gyro, and usually the directional gyro, were not working and you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
We’ll Get Cut, Too
What’s that old saying? Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that man behind the tree. It looks like aviation is now that guy behind the tree. With the federal budget sequestration set for March 1 it’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Moving Controllers Won’t Work
With federal government budget cuts looming on Friday many pilots wonder why the FAA doesn’t just move controllers around to fill in for gaps left by inevitable furloughs. It seems logical that the FAA...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Big Brother Is Watching Us
I received a solicitation from my auto insurance company offering at least a 5 percent discount if I would install a tracking device in my car. The device would use GPS, and perhaps cell phone tower...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Finally, Some Good News
Dale Klapmeier and Pat Waddick It’s been a tough time for general aviation since the U.S. economy went bust in the early fall of 2008. But I was happy to hear some good news for a change when I visited...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Full Speed Ahead for Oshkosh
We’ve been hearing that some people are concerned that EAA’s big show at Oshkosh this summer is in jeopardy because of the FAA budget cuts caused by the federal government sequestration. Nothing could...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Future FAA Programs In Doubt
The closing of nearly 200 control towers has been getting the attention as the FAA cuts spending to comply with the federal budget sequestration. But other spending cuts that are coming raise even more...
View ArticleTalk Before Applying for that Medical
A story in Sport Aviation raised many questions from readers. The writer had been told that he had a disqualifying medical condition. He then went on to build an E-LSA that he could fly as a Sport...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Summer to Winter in 5 Hours
Sun n Fun was blessed with darn nice weather this year. Temps were in the mid 80s, but by central Florida standards, humidity wasn’t bad, and a breeze kept it comfortable. Perfect summer weather. It...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Delays Are Coming
The budget sequestration deadline came and went at the end of March and very few of the predicted dire consequences have happened. Yes, the military has been forced to end its air show participation,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Age And Airplane Insurance
Underwriters consider many factors when deciding what premium to charge a pilot to insure his airplane. But increasingly the age of the pilot is a big factor. In fact, for many underwriters, there is a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Hardest Part of Flying
Non-pilots often ask us what the hardest part of flying is. I think most pilots reply that it is landing. But I believe airspeed control and management is the most difficult and also the most...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FAA Is Paying Paul, But Maybe Not Peter
The bill that Congress passed with unbelievable bipartisan support late last week directs the FAA to take $253 million from the airport improvement fund to avoid furloughing controllers for the rest of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Where Does Outer Space Begin?
This week the rocket motor on the Scaled Composite built SpaceShipTwo was fired in flight for the first time. The Burt Rutan designed rocketplane accelerated beyond Mach 1and reached an altitude of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hammered by the Closed Low Aloft
Most of us remember from ground school that air circulates clockwise around a high and counter clockwise around a low pressure center. It’s useful, I guess, to know this to help understand what is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Private Aviation + Public School=Success
©Sandy Hansen Photography A group of aviation enthusiasts led by Dick DeVos of Amway has created an unusual, perhaps totally unique, public high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is the West...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Autopilot Problem
New Avidyne digital autopilot We have an autopilot problem and most of the blame for it belongs to the FAA. Last week the FAA administrator Michael Huerta acknowledged the autopilot issue, noted that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nexrad Weather Radar Fakery
Our TV cable system has a channel that continuously shows the Nexrad weather radar while the audio is the drone of the NOAA weather broadcast. The radar display is a single-site from the Nexrad station...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wisconsin, the Aviation Jobs State?
Greg Laabs, general manager, welcomes Wisconsin governor Scott Walker to the Appleton Gulfstream facility. What? Wisconsin? The Dairy State does airplanes? Yes, that’s right. And that is why the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How EAA’s Rally Congress Works
I hope you used EAA’s Rally Congress service to support Senators who are asking the FAA not to levy nearly a half-million dollar fee on EAA to pay for Oshkosh controller expenses. By Thursday morning...
View Article
