PUYALLUP, Wash. — The first Thun Cubs and Classics at Thun Field (KPLU) was a hit. After low morning weather lifted, Cubs, Champs, a Howard DGA, a Fleet and several other aircraft arrived to enjoy a day of hanging out at the Spencer Aircraft-hosted fly-in. In addition to a dozen Cubs (by my count) and […]
Opinion
The evolution of AOPA Live
Many associations and news organizations are producing video news and features – some even in the TV news format – now that the Internet has solved distribution issues. But since the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) pioneered an in-house news show in the 1980s, critical viewers found most early efforts painful. Will the online […]
A suggestion for keeping the magic of AirVenture alive
AirVenture is a magical place. I didn’t attend in 2011 and couldn’t wait to attend this year. After all was said and done, I wasn’t disappointed. By the numbers, AirVenture is huge. Official numbers from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) shows: 2,489 showplane registrations, including 200 Piper Cubs to celebrate the venerable aircraft’s 75th anniversary; […]
Cannibalism: A cautionary tale
You can consider this post to be a cautionary tale, told in advance of things getting really, truly ugly. I hope you’ll read it carefully, take it seriously, and take it as the motivational tool it is intended to be. When I was a teenager I had a small flock of chickens. After a year […]
Political convention TFRs demand serious study
The FAA has issued first notices of flight restrictions for the two political conventions and flights to, from or through the areas — Tampa, Florida, and Charlotte, N.C. — will be affected, with pilots needing to be alert not only for the announced early Temporary Flight Restrictions, but also for any last-minute changes or additions […]
Going back to school gets specialized
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport may not be a name that trips off the tongue particularly well. But maybe it should be. Because word has leaked out of the high security vault in that corner of the Florida panhandle that going back to school is going to be a whole heck of a lot more […]
Will Generation Y be pilots?
Several recent, seemingly unrelated reports pose issues in our hopes for a new generation of pilots. Boeing’s July announcement that half a million airline pilots will be needed worldwide by 2031 made big news. But many of us have heard such news before. And this time, there are new caveats and wrinkles. One that caught […]
The importance of keeping current
Q: I have a Glasair with a Lycoming IO-360-B1E engine. After reading your article in the May 11 issue, I tried to get a copy of Lycoming’s SI1325A to see if I should change the timing from 25 to 20 degrees BTDC, but was not able to find that instruction. Can you help? RON WALTERS, […]
The streamlined decade
During the decade of the Great Depression, the streamlined form stood as an optimistic symbol of progress and efficiency. Streamlining was applied to cars, trains, ships, buildings, and even household appliances. This new idiom replaced the angular, art deco forms of the 1920s. By the mid-1920s aircraft construction was in need of a new design […]