To at least some degree we pilot types have gotten a bad rap. More often than not I find that we’re characterized as whiners, babies, rich guys who want everybody else in town to pay for their playthings. And while I disagree entirely with that perspective, I can completely understand how we came to earn […]
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CT LSA used to measure volcanic ash
A specially equipped Flight Design CT Supralite from a German company, UL GmbH is being used by the Duesseldorf Technical University’s Department of Volcanology to study airborne ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. To allow higher altitude measurements, the CT Supralite was equipped with an oxygen system. Supralite is a version of the popular […]
NextGen lab opens
The NextGen Integration and Evaluation Capability (NIEC) display area at the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center opened June 7. The NIEC is a research platform where scientists will use simulation to explore, integrate and evaluate NextGen concepts, including area navigation (RNAV), trajectory-based operations, flying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the national airspace system (NAS), […]
Coalition asks for avgas extension
Leaders from the general aviation and petroleum industries recently formed a coalition to work together and develop a process to reduce lead emissions from GA aircraft, balancing environmental benefit with aviation safety, technical feasibility, and impact upon the GA industry, according to a report at AOPA.org. The story notes that the group wants to ensure […]
8,200+ miles in an LSA
Michael Combs, who is flying around the country in a Light Sport Aircraft, recently returned to Kansas one final time after landing safely in Wichita, only 80 miles from where his journey began on April 8. The Flight for the Human Spirit has covered 30 states and has now exceeded nearly 8,300 miles flown in […]
Woopy and the ‘one-hour concept’
One of the best parts of attending AERO Friedrichshafen is to see how our fellow aviators from other countries tackle the universal topics of performance, safety, regulations, noise, cost, and fun in devising means to get airborne. This year, my personal favorite new aircraft was “Woopy Fly,” an inflatable weight-shift, electric-powered sort-of trike from the […]
Scenes of devastation: Flooding at M88
These pictures recently arrived in our e-mail box, documenting the devastation from floods at Tennessee’s Cornelia Fort Airpark (M88) near Nashville. It may takes months before the airport, which was already up for sale, returns to normal.
High school students build turbine engine
Two students took top honors at the Flabob Airport Preparatory Academy’s annual science fair by constructing a turbine engine — that works. Anthony Mosallam (pictured) and Jonathon Deming scrounged up a collection of auto parts and an old leaf blower and put together a loud and fairly powerful jet engine. The turbine compressor came from […]
Aviation maintenance industry is major employer
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the national jobless rate front page news, the aviation maintenance industry continues to be a major employer around the country and an important economic contributor in many states. For the first time, the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) has provided a snapshot of the industry’s state-by-state footprint. The study, prepared by […]