A couple of months ago I was in a particularly optimistic mood and booked us a couple of days at the world’s biggest fly-in in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Almost immediately, I realized that trip wasn’t going to work. Even if we drove and weather was no issue, Keely had band camp one week, there was a […]
Opinion
It’s a new world
I’ve always believed that much of General Aviation’s success in our time is a legacy of World War II. Aviation was a hero, if not “the” hero, of the war. Pilots were idolized. And everyone saw a bright future and new horizons for “The Air Age.” I find a potent artifact of this gospel in […]
A model for leaning the FARs
The bloat we’ve seen in the Federal Air Regulations is a hurdle to those interested in learning to fly. I’ve said it before. Now I’ve got proof. OK, so it’s not regulatory bloat, but it translates. In the September 2011 issue of the Avionics News, a story titled, “Lean & Mean” details how Duncan Aviation […]
The ups and downs of scorched earth
When dealing with political issues, there are multiple methods of making your voice heard. Few are as productive in the short term as the scorched earth method. Ironically, few are as detrimental in the long term too. The problem is that you are willingly making the choice to play with fire and, as we all […]
89.5 AKI was enough
With the recent announcements from both Lycoming and Continental of new engines capable of running on 94UL and autogas, we wondered why, in both cases, a minimum octane was specified that was significantly higher than that required from autogas STCs for very similar engines that have been used safely by thousands of pilots since the […]
Troubleshooting a rough-running engine
Q: My Lycoming TIO-540 engine on my Cessna T206H is running very rough at max power setting. I recently replaced one dud cylinder due to very low compression. The ring gaps were wide and exhaust valve guide and seat were bad. Presently all compressions are good, ignition timing is good, and turbo giving boost. The […]
LSAs at AOPA Summit
At the AOPA Aviation Summit I spent time in the Lockwood Aviation booth, which gave me a chance to speak with a few RV-12 builders. Van‘s has reportedly sold approximately 600 RV-12 LSA, of which 150 may be flying, making RV-12 by far the most successful Experimental LSA. RV-12 would among rank high among all […]
Mayors cite airport value to help block President’s $100 fee
Two of the 77 mayors who signed a letter to President Obama urging abandonment of his proposal for a $100 fee on every general aviation flight held a telephone news conference to further call attention to the devistating results the fee would cause communities across the nation. They say the idea of raising taxes on […]
LightSquared lobbying tops $800,000
LightSquared’s lobbying has increased in leaps and bounds this year as questions arose over conflicts between frequencies for the company’s planned expansion of a 4G wireless broadband and satellite cell phone network and GPS. The conflict could affect aviation safety and military action as the much stronger 4G network could interfere with GPS frequencies, opponents […]