The FAA is targeting pilots (and controllers) with a “proposed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) policy.” Pilots and controllers with a Body Mass Index (calculate yours here) with 40 and higher, will be the initial target. Federal Air Surgeon Fred Tilton wrote in recent medical bulletin those pilots “will have to be evaluated by a physician who […]
Opinion
Everything changes
It doesn’t take long to realize that everything around us changes through the years. By the time we’re in high school we notice that friends have moved away even as new friends magically arrive in town. The familiar old drug store becomes a realtor’s office, then might be torn down to make way for a […]
Why can’t we be more like China?
“China gets ready for takeoff,” [subscription required] is the cover story of the Nov. 18, 2013, of Fortune magazine. The article centers on Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China‘s efforts to bring the C919 to market. For perspective, the C919 is remarkably similar to the Airbus A320. So we’re not talking GA here. But in the […]
Drone ‘road map’ unveiled
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA has released its 72-page “road map” for determining how to permit unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) — more commonly known as drones — to share the skies with other aircraft by 2015, but early indications show many problems to overcome before the air has a mixture of vehicles. The plan will […]
Poor little rich Americans
As we slide into the holiday season with the aroma of fresh baked pies and warm, happy families surrounding us, it’s worth reflecting on the world around us and the lives we live. The United States and each of the 50 states that make up this grand assemblage of territories we choose to call home […]
Around the world solo in a Bluebird
Born Mildred Mary Petre in November 1895, the Hon. Mrs Victor Bruce made her name during the 1920s and ’30s as a record breaker on land, sea and in the air. She first came to notice by way of several motoring records. In 1929 she turned her attention to the water and gained records for […]
More than an aeronautical landmark
Flying VFR in New York City’s Hudson River Corridor, you’re now required to report abeam “Alpine Tower,” a longtime FAA visual reporting point. I was recently reminded of the radio pioneer behind that tower. Don’t know Edwin H. Armstrong? Know why there is no Channel 1 on your TV set? Know why you can listen […]
People are talking
Thanks to the benefits of some decent parenting at the hands of my mother, who is a teeny, tiny woman with exemplary manners, I am a reasonably humble man. You will not find me standing on a stump telling the world what an amazing individual I am. There are two reasons for that, really. First, […]
History’s mysteries, from above
This year marks the 150th anniversary of a momentous year in American history. Events in and around 1863 changed us forever and left their traces on the land. We pilots have a “box seat” over such visible history in places we fly. The Civil War’s 1863 Gettysburg battlefield, for instance, is in extreme southern Pennsylvania, […]