November 20 issue now available
Posted by · November 24, 2009 · Comments
The digital edition of the November 20 issue is now available online.
Happy Thanksgiving
Posted by · November 24, 2009 · CommentsThe offices of General Aviation News will be closed this weekend in observance of Thanksgiving.
The Pulse will return Monday to your e-mail boxes.
Enjoy the holiday!
Edward Bellande: Pioneering pilot
Posted by · November 24, 2009 · Comments
Bellande in 1916
“Air speed record to Los Angeles broken” was a headline in the Oakland (California) Tribune on Jan. 28, 1932. The story reported that a new coastal speed record for tri-motored planes was made on the Oakland-Los Angeles airway when a Transcontinental and Western airplane made the 360-mile hop in 1 hour and 52 minutes.
The craft, a Ford Tri-Motor, piloted by Eddie Bellande and Erwin Lewis, left the Bay Airdrome in Alameda at 10 a.m. and arrived at the Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale at 11:52 am. Nine passengers were carried on the record-setting flight.
That was just one of the many highlights of Edward A. (Eddie) Bellande’s career in aviation, which spanned nearly 60 years. His career was as diversified and active as the industry itself during those years.
He participated, with other contemporary pilots like Charles Lindbergh, in some of the benchmark flights and activities of this dynamic era. He flew as a test pilot for Lockheed, piloting the first Lockheed Vega. He checked out Wiley Post in the famed “Winnie Mae” and co-piloted Charles Lindbergh on the first TWA transcontinental run in 1929. In addition, he either organized or directed some of the aviation industry’s largest business organizations.
Airparks target of TTF crackdown
Posted by · November 24, 2009 · Comments
FAA officials are clarifying a recent guidance letter on Through The Fence operations, according to a post at the Airport Business blog, which notes that the primary focus of the crackdown is resident developments.
The blog quotes Randall Fiertz, director of airport compliance and field operations at the FAA, as saying:
“There are a couple of reasons why we don’t like through-the-fence residential. One is, we’ve had cases where we’ve seen that a through-the-fence agreement undermines the future capacity capability of the airport, where certain rights have been given in perpetuity or for very long periods of time. It may be a taxiway for the through-the-fence agreement that blocks airport development. We’ve seen residential hangars go up in places where it actually blocked the line of sight from the tower.
“The other problem is, if an airport operator allows residential through-the-fence, we’re concerned that it undermines their future capability of restricting residential development next to the airport. If the airport gives the OK for one type of residential — and we understand why people in aviation might want that — if someone else then wants to build a development on the other side of the airport, it undermines the ability to say ‘no’.”
Read the full blog here.
Corsair VIP at Florida museum for holidays
Posted by · November 24, 2009 · Comments
Kissimmee Air Museum, located at the Florida’s Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM) will have a visiting VIP (Very Important Plane) during the holiday season: The Collings Foundation’s rare F4U-5NL Corsair.
Florida Air Museum gets grant for restoration/preservation activities
Posted by · November 24, 2009 · CommentsThe Florida Air Museum on the Sun ‘n Fun campus on Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) has received a $30,000 grant that will be used to build facilities to support its aircraft restoration and preservation activities.
Have a story about flying in Canada’s North? Add it to Ice Pilots website
Posted by · November 24, 2009 · Comments
Reality television’s latest stars are the people and planes of Buffalo Airways, featured in the new History Television series, Ice Pilots NWT. Bringing a new dimension to reality television, the Ice Pilots NWT website, introduces an interactive story map to which visitors can upload personal stories about flying in Canada’s North.
In addition to these real-life dramas, tall tales, and vivid memories of veterans of high arctic aviation, the Ice Pilots story map features a real-time map display of the current position and flight trail of Buffalo’s working fleet of vintage DC-3s, DC-4s, and C46s. Real time geo-positioning data is being fed to the Ice Pilots story map by Latitude Technologies Web Sentinel data service.
While Buffalo’s airplanes may be vintage, the company’s fleet is outfitted with state-of-the-art flight following, flight data transmission, and satellite telephone systems supplied and supported by Latitude Technologies.
Ice Pilots NWT airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on History Television.
Alternative Aviation completes G-600 integration
Posted by · November 24, 2009 · CommentsAlternative Aviation Services, Inc. (AAS) in Waterford, Mich., recently completed the full integration of the Century IV Autopilot and Flight Director with the Garmin G-600 on a Piper Aerostar 601P. The AAS solution provides Complete Flight Director functions on the G-620 PFD, not just the traditional standby ADI integration found in other installations, company officials note.
Since the Garmin G600 and associated adapters do not include a Century IV interface, it was necessary for AAS to design and manufacture a custom interface solution to provide Flight Director command functions on the PFD, officials said, adding the company is currently involved in two additional G600 projects.
Alternative Aviation Services, Inc. is a systems integrator and aircraft services company specializing in avionics design, installation, and service, along with all major airframe and structural maintenance under FAA and EASA Repair Station Certificate OA5R086N. It is an authorized dealer for all major avionics manufacturers, including Rockwell Collins, Honeywell, Universal, Garmin, and Sagem.
For more information: AlternativeAvionics.com
Arkansas icon joins Phillips 66 network
Posted by · November 24, 2009 · Comments
Central Flying Service, a 70-year-old aviation icon in Little Rock, Ark., is joining Phillips 66 Aviation as a branded dealer.
Central Flying Service is the county’s largest FBO facility and the oldest aviation business in Arkansas, according to company officials. The FBO sits on 77 acres at Adams Field (LIT), featuring 558,000 square feet of covered space in 21 hangars.
Founded in 1939, today Central Flying Service employs more than 240 people and offers interior design and refurbishment, sheet metal, avionics, custom paint, flight training, charter, maintenance, aircraft sales, fueling, catering and an onsite airport restaurant.
Central Flying Service is a WingPoints Rewards Card participating location and offers Phillips 66 Aviation’s Partners-Into-Plane contract fuel.
For more information: Phillips66Aviation.com or Central.aero
Another FAA temporary extension needed
Posted by Charles Spence · November 24, 2009 · Comments (1)WASHINGTON, D.C. — It looks like the FAA will need another temporary extension.
After more than two years, the Senate continues to drag its feet in reauthorizing the FAA. Even many members of the Senate are fed up with the way that body is ignoring the needs of the FAA. Led by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), a bipartisan group of 35 senators sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) calling for passage of an FAA reauthorization bill before the end of this year. That is almost one-third of the Senate getting impatient with the leaders for not moving. The House passed reauthorization again last May.
The current temporary extension expires Dec. 31. With what’s on the Congressional plate, it is unlikely reauthorization will come up in December.