The number of pilots in the United States is decreasing. Pretty much anyone who flies is aware of this unfortunate fact. Consider the irony: Although aviation is more ubiquitous than ever and the overall population of the nation is increasing, the number of us who have a valid pilot’s certificate is actually diminishing. In my […]
Opinion
Do something
Frederick, Maryland, has an amenity often missing in my home town: Sidewalks. Where I live they’re spotty at best. Hence, it’s common for walkers to get into a gasoline powered vehicle which they drive to a place where they can walk without undue risk of being hit by a car, or a truck, or perhaps […]
What’s fueling higher engine temps?
Q: I own a factory overhauled O-360 A4A, which I’ve owned since it left the factory. I’ve flown behind it for 600 hours. I recently had a prop strike and the engine was stripped and reassembled with no damage found. All they replaced were the exhaust valve guides and piston rings. (And all the rest as per […]
The great migration of 1940
January 1940 saw a mass migration of light planes from throughout the United States to Florida. Held in conjunction with the Miami All-American Air Maneuver Air Races, the group flights of personal planes was known as the Light Airplane Cavalcade. Under the sponsorship of the Gulf Oil Co. and the manufacturers of Cub, Taylorcraft and […]
Limiting our freedom of speech
The founders of this great nation — I refer to the United States of America, of course — did an amazing thing when they debated and passed a Bill of Rights. These 10 amendments to a Constitution so new the ink was still wet on the page set out specific areas of freedom for individuals and, more importantly, limits for […]
Able Flight celebrates, raises funds
HOUSTON, Texas – The population of pilots with disabilities grows each year. Not by a lot, but in a very meaningful way. Thanks to Able Flight. Founded in 2006, Able Flight has played a part in helping more than 40 people with some form of physical disability earn a pilot certificate. In order to keep […]
Changing lives one flight at a time
By IVY McIVER. Taking someone for their first flight in a small aircraft is always rewarding, but making the flight to an airport I’ve never visited makes the reward even sweeter. I had the chance to fly two of my new co-workers to a private airstrip on a golf course in Wisconsin, and it was […]
Passion is a two-way street
Suffice it to say, I’ve been to many more airshows than car shows. But back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, my wife and I met up with my in-laws at a few car shows around the country. Roy Nisbet, my father-in-law, was a car guy. After a lifetime as owner of Grand Forks […]
Analyzing statistics on worldwide aviation
Thanks to a solid effort by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), I have data that can be used to assess the number of recreational aircraft around the world. That organization is significantly focused on business aircraft, but did include all levels of aircraft in their country-by-country review. Whatever the actual level of accuracy — […]