Posted on March 10th, 2013 by Exactly as your bloggers have predicted the past several years, according to industry experts, we’ve finally hit the ethanol blending wall — even if every drop of gasoline produced in the U.S. contained 10% ethanol, the federally-mandated blending quotas cannot... Continue Reading →
Coming of age
Posted on March 7th, 2013 by Jamie Beckett
General Aviation is dead. If it’s not dead, it’s dying. If it’s not dying, it’s paralyzed with a sickness that manifests itself in the form of high prices, lousy service, ancient participants, and a generalized sense of ennui among the... Continue Reading →
N6ZQ follows in N5ZQ footsteps
Posted on March 7th, 2013 by Ben Sclair
I met Bill Harrelson at the 2009 Copperstate Fly-In. Bill, an efficiency expert, sent me an email detailing the nearly non-stop flight home (Arizona to Virginia) in N5ZQ, a Lancair 320. That was more than three years and one N-number... Continue Reading →
Merger mania: EAA and AOPA?
Posted on March 6th, 2013 by Drew Steketee
With the announced resignation of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association‘s Craig Fuller and the departure last year of the Experimental Aircraft Association‘s new president, some are asking whether AOPA and EAA should merge. I think not. Neither EAA nor... Continue Reading →
Tower closures and furloughs: Are they necessary?
Posted on March 6th, 2013 by Charles Spence
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The FAA intends to send furlough notices to its employees, meaning in early April fewer controllers will be on the job unless Congress acts before that to make some changes to sequestration. The National Air Traffic Controller Association says... Continue Reading →
Ask Paul: What is causing sticking valve?
Posted on March 4th, 2013 by Paul McBride
Q: In 2004, I bought a Lycoming O-320 D1A, via Van’s, and started flying it in January 2005 in a RV-9A. I broke it in according to the instructions (75% or more until oil consumption stabilized). In spite of having... Continue Reading →
2012 LSA market shares: Cubs and surprises
Posted on March 4th, 2013 by Dan Johnson
Our annual review of LSA Market Share brings our updated fleet chart and a second chart showing prior-year registrations. While sales of new SLSA remains below par, the market appears to be experiencing spotty but regular recovery from earlier low... Continue Reading →
Back to basics with the 3Rs?
Posted on March 3rd, 2013 by Drew Steketee
New airplanes cost too much. Used aircraft prices have slumped. The fleet is aging. There’s a lack of new thinking in the industry. The pilot population is dropping. I think you’ve heard all this before. Now, an old friend has... Continue Reading →
FAA administrator tells Congress how agency is preparing for sequestration
Posted on February 27th, 2013 by Charles Spence
WASHINGTON, D.C. — FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told a Congressional subcommittee Wednesday, Feb. 27, the agency has put in a hiring freeze, cut travel and is preparing for furloughs of employees as sequestration appears certain to become effective March 1. Continue Reading →
Go negative…or work together?
Posted on February 27th, 2013 by Dan Johnson
It is true that a pilot of one type aircraft may not know much about nor (therefore) care much about another type aircraft. Ultralight pilots and turbine pilots may not seem to have much in common. Sailplane pilots and crop... Continue Reading →
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