WASHINGTON, D.C. — Over the past few years, several reports have been written about suggestions, proposals, and announcements that new fees would be placed on aviation. Most recent of them refer to a fee of $100 per landing for jet aircraft introduced in the President’s budget for 2013. Following published stories of these reports and […]
Opinion
TICO Warbird Show suffers iffy weather, but still shines
The weekend wasn’t kind to the TICO Warbird Airshow. Showery weather plagued Florida’s east coast. Some complained online that warbird flying was thinner this year and a promised act didn’t appear. But for the dyed-in-wool military aviation aficionado, this was still a pure play. Any time of year, the Valiant Air Command (VAC) offers its […]
Making movies, talking aviation
When videographer Dave Loveman first approached me in 2009 about doing videos I was hesitant. I may have been unsure, but website visitors spoke clearly and you know what? I like doing them as much as you like viewing them. More than 138 videos are available, all for free. Many more are works in process. […]
Map of airports with autogas now online
Thanks to GAfuels blogger Dean Billing, a map of all the airports that offer lead-free, ethanol-free autogas is now available at this link. Hovering over a marker will show you the airport’s identifier. Selecting a marker will open the relevant page of airport information. This map uses data found in a comprehensive list of these […]
FAA cites continued aviation growth at forecast meet
Aviation in the U.S. is expected to pause in growth this year, but over the next 20 years to show significant growth, with general aviation’s demand for products and services to be mainly in new business jets and Light-Sport Aircraft. These were the primary issues discussed at the FAA’s annual forecast conference, held in Washington, […]
Indiana governor names March General Appreciation Month
March is “General Aviation Appreciation” month throughout the state of Indiana after Governor Mitchell Daniels joined a growing list of governors who publicly recognize the importance of general aviation to their states. According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, general aviation contributes more than $4.9 billion in economic activity to the state, supporting more than […]
Aerospace industry and unions stress importance to economy to thwart threatened budget cuts
The U.S aerospace and defense industry directly employed 1.05 million workers in 2010 who received $84.2 billion in wages and who paid $15.4 billion in U.S. federal income taxes and $1.9 billion in state individual income taxes, according to a study commissioned by the Aerospace Industries Association. The industry has an estimated indirect and induced […]
BOLO: Protecting our GA community
By DAVE HOOK. At last count there are more than 627,000 active pilots in the United States. That comes out to over 2.5 million eyes and ears. It’s the power of that number of eyes and ears that makes what I’m about to introduce an extremely powerful tool for general aviation security. You’ve probably heard […]
Expenses, debt, and taxes
I was up late last night, inputting numbers, ticking off boxes, checking receipts, and seriously wishing I had four or five more kids who still fit into a deductible age bracket. It’s tax time, and I suspect you are deep in the same morass of math and mayhem I am. We all complain about taxes. […]