The new year is here and with it the effects of Congressional wrangling over the so-called fiscal cliff. Maybe the political leadership have found some temporary resolve, but eventually cuts appear inevitable. Some aviation groups have gloomily predicted as much as $80 billion in GDP losses if the FAA takes an estimated $1 billion haircut […]
Opinion
To the Expo we will go
Two weeks from now the US Sport Aviation Expo will be kicking off in Sebring, Florida. Unlike most aviation gatherings, the Expo is not a traditional airshow or fly-in. It’s more of a product showcase. Visitors get the chance to kick the tires and run a hand over the skin of actual aircraft. You can […]
Make way for the drones
WASHINGTON, D.C. — You will be sharing the airspace with unmanned aerial vehicles more and more in the coming year and ahead. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) — more commonly called drones — have been operating in various parts of the nation since 1990. Since then, the FAA has authorized limited use for missions in the […]
DHS-ICE and Foreign Student Flight Training
By DAVE HOOK. When it comes to teaching students from other countries to fly, it’s no longer good enough to be a Part 61 flight school or an independent flight instructor. That’s according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If you’re just as shocked as I was to learn this, […]
Predictions: Aviation fuel in 2013
Early January is a time to review what transpired in the past year and make plans for the coming one. Fuel being consistently named by aircraft owners as their number one concern, it’s appropriate to review trends in recent years and make some predictions for 2013. The U.S. Energy Information Administration provides a wealth of […]
Huerta approved as FAA administrator
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington aviation groups were quick to announce their approvals for the Senate confirmation of Michael F. Huerta as FAA administrator. He was named acting administrator following the resignation of Randy Babbitt on Dec. 6, 2011. He was deputy administrator under Babbitt. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association was first out with congratulations. Pete […]
E95 adds mogas
Ron Wiener, a Cessna 182 owner from Tucson, recently reported to us that the Benson Municipal Airport (E95) in southeastern Arizona now has 88.5 AKI mogas for sale. This was confirmed in a phone call with Roy Jones, manager of the FBO there, Southwestern Aviation. Not only is Benson the first airport to offer mogas […]
Hope for the new year
I recently had the good fortune to sit around a rather large table with a group of aviation believers. These are people who know aviation, have faith in it, and understand its importance to the economy of our nation and the world. They are also aware of the tremendous educational benefits aviation provides to its […]
To win, you’ve got to play the game
“I’m seeing a virtuous cycle,” said National Business Aviation Association president Ed Bolen at this year’s NBAA convention in Orlando. He was speaking of The Alliance for Aviation Across America. Ad hoc Washington coalitions are often just “inside baseball” (and manufactured “causes” by corporate front-groups are downright deceptive), but the Alliance’s cumulative results since 2007 […]