Coming soon to an airport near you (maybe): the Automated Weather Sensor System. “It’s the next generation in FAA-approved automated weather systems,” explains Ralph Petragnani, director of marketing and sales for All Weather, Inc., the Sacramento, Calif.-based company that makes the unit, which was designed in conjunction with the FAA. “Think of it like a […]
C-54 honors the Berlin Airlift
This year Sun ‘n Fun paid special tribute to veterans, especially those who served in World War II. But sometimes people forget that a few scant years after the end of the war, the Allies were flying into Germany again, this time bringing food, medical supplies and coal to the people of Germany who were […]
Bridging generations in Dallas
I can now honestly say, “I was on the grassy knoll.” I visited Dealey Plaza in Dallas when I was in the Lone Star State attending the 16th annual Women in Aviation International Conference. I was not born when President Kennedy was assassinated, but I have seen the film of the motorcade and the black […]
Meigs two years later: From airplanes to Aerosmith?
It has been two years since Mayor Richard M. Daley ordered the midnight demolition of Merrill C. Meigs Field (CGX) in Chicago. The closure came without public notice. Not even the FAA or owners of aircraft based at the airport had any warning. Now the land is slated to become an outdoor event venue – […]
Aviation Technologies International unveils new twin design
Not every executive who wants a multiengine aircraft is ready to move into a business jet. Those are the people Aviation Technologies International is targeting with the development of the RT-700, a high-performance, pressurized, cabin class executive piston twin aircraft. The design is eye-catching. The aircraft has a T-tail and a canard on the nose. […]
Goodbye gophers?
Gophers and grass runways can go hand in hand. Airport owners try all sorts of ways to eradicate the rodents, from poison to an all-out assault a la Bill Murray in the movie “Caddyshack.” Jim Thomas, the airport director at Columbia Airport (O22) near Sonora, Calif., is taking a more natural approach by encouraging owls […]
TV news helicopters come under fire
This just in: Noise complaints at the Hayward Executive Airport (HWD) in the San Francisco Bay Area are now focusing on one segment of general aviation: helicopters used by news gathering organizations. At a recent public hearing, Hayward city officials listened to complaints from residents who are tired of being awakened by the sound of […]
Makeshift runway opens at Santa Paula Airport
In February, flood waters from the Santa Clara River tore a large chunk out of the runway at Santa Paula Airport (SZP) in Southern California. Now the taxiway has been closed to create a makeshift runway, allowing the airport to reopen. “Essentially, we got permission from the California Department of Transportation to build a 2,000-foot […]
Wal-Mart comes to Iowa City Airport
With the exception of “airport expansion,” the phrase that draws the non-flying public to city council meetings is “Wal-Mart wants to locate here.” That’s what brought at least 20 citizens in Iowa City, Iowa, to a March 1 City Council meeting to express objections to the location of a Wal-Mart Supercenter store on land purchased […]