Getting your seaplane rating should be a fun experience, says Charles Welden, owner of WaterWings, a seaplane flight school near Birmingham, Alabama. “If you’re not having fun, then we have failed,” he says.
Aircraft
Heritage Flight to kick off Super Bowl
For the first time, an Air Force Heritage Flight of five aircraft will fly over the 2022 Super Bowl during the National Anthem.
New mechanic training program takes off
Students training to be mechanics will get a conditional letter of employment from MRO company FEAM and receive tuition assistance while in school.
Reusable window tint available for PA-28s
Originally developed for use in airliners, Just Plane Shades are now available for general aviation aircraft, starting with the Piper Archer, Arrow, Cherokee, and Warrior.
Picture of the Day: Air Fair fliers
Jim Roberts submitted this photo and note: “Spectators enjoy a powered parachute display at the 2021 Upper Cumberland Regional Airport Air Fair.”
Speed records set by electric aircraft
The Spirit of Innovation, an electric airplane, recently broke two speed records.
Super Bowl safety plan for general aviation pilots revealed
Pilots must be aware of the latest flight advisories and check Notices to Air Missions (NOTAM) before flying, officials add. Pilots and drone operators who enter the TFRs without permission could face penalties that top $30,000 and potential criminal prosecution.
Picture of the Day: Tough little plane
Steve Davis submitted this photo and note: “My beautiful CH750 STOL after landing in the sage. The Thunderbolt IO233 sheared a piston rod, which destroyed the engine…after 285 hrs. No damage to the 750 after the dead stick landing, but got a few minor scratches after trailering it out of the desert. Seven more flight minutes and we would have been over the tall Oregon fir and pines, and the outcome would have been different. Tough little plane!
It takes a crooked tail to fly a straight line
Some airframe designers have built in offset for the vertical fin to help compensate for the phenomena that move an airplane’s direction of flight to the left.