Jamie Beckett is a CFI and A&P mechanic who stepped into the political arena in an effort to promote and protect GA at his local airport. What would you say if you were booked to make a speech titled, “The Value of Aviation?” Imagine for a moment that your audience is made up entirely of […]
Opinion
Building a bigger tent
GUEST EDITORIAL By HAL SHEVERS, founder of Sporty’s Pilot Shop in Batavia, Ohio “I want to get a private license.” Over my 50-plus years of teaching pilots I have heard that statement countless times. After talking to the prospective pilots a short time, you realize what they really have on their minds is to be […]
Avgas in 2011 — Logic will prevail
The GAfuels Blog is written by two private pilots concerned about the future availability of fuels for piston-engine aircraft: Dean Billing, Sisters, Ore., an expert on autogas and ethanol, and Kent Misegades, Cary, N.C., an aerospace engineer and aviation journalist. As an engineer and a pilot, I believe that logic, combined with the amazing ability […]
Earning a seat at the table
Jamie Beckett is a CFI and A&P mechanic who stepped into the political arena in an effort to promote and protect GA at his local airport. In December 2008, my home city of Winter Haven, Florida, cut the ribbon on a new terminal building at Gilbert Field. With millions of dollars invested and a golden […]
Is GA a menace?
WASHINGTON, D.C.—“Private Plane, Public Menace” is the title of a feature article written by Jeffrey Goldberg for The Atlantic magazine. How did an article with such a title appear in such a prestigious magazine? As the magazine is published here in Washington, I decided to try to determine why. After two and a half days […]
The OX-5 era
Dennis Parks is Curator Emeritus of Seattle’s Museum of Flight. After the end of World War I, surplus warplanes were dumped on the market at a fraction of their original cost, leaving manufacturers with little demand for new aircraft. Without a doubt this availability of cheap aircraft hindered the development of new aircraft in the […]
Call for no user fees in budget
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Although he is no longer chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) is still active in seeking elimination of user fees for general aviation. He is circulating a letter urging President Obama not to include general aviation user fees in the budget for Fiscal year 2112. Costello remains a […]
A FlightPrep fan
LETTER TO THE EDITOR I’ve read with considerable interest on this and other sites about the FlightPrep patent enforcement efforts and some concerns that have been expressed by the flying community. I’m not quite sure I understand what all the fuss is about, but then, I come at the issue with a perspective that is […]
Semi-expert testimony
Jamie Beckett is a CFI and A&P mechanic who stepped into the political arena in an effort to promote and protect GA at his local airport. Opportunities to represent the aviation community come from all over the map, and they’re almost always unexpected. More often than not, I agree to participate in the process when […]