On June 29, President Obama gave the aviation industry a great gift. It may not appear to be a beautifully wrapped present with a bright, tidy bow on top. But it is. Some of us will recognize this opportunity for what it is. Others will not. That’s human nature. Some of us focus on the […]
Opinion
Irony is Congress lecturing on financial stewardship
Ironic: A member of Congress lecturing the FAA Administrator on financial stewardship. From Tuesday’s (July 5) edition of The [Tacoma, WA] News Tribune: “We need to see a realistic strategy for funding NextGen,” she [Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.] told FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt at a May hearing. “To date, the FAA has filled its budget […]
Objections keep coming on Obama’s criticism of GA
“Obama is trying to demoralize the private plane industry and engage in class warfare.” That statement by U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb) sums up the atmosphere after the attack on business jets by the president at a press conference last week. Johanns is co-chair of the Senate Aviation Caucus. “It may be good politics at […]
What’s going on at the top?
What do the following LSA have in common? Skycatcher, Paradise P1, Remos GX, SeaRey, and PiperSport. The answer: All the companies supplying these LSA have gone through major management changes in 2011. The most widely reported departure was that of Jack Pelton, who held the titles of president, CEO, and chairman at Cessna. Along with […]
What kind of pilot are you?
I’ve observed aviation for more years than I’m comfortable admitting. I’ve talked to a ton of pilots (one of the great joys of my life is to have met so many fine folks). Over those years, I’ve distilled the kind of pilots we are to “one or the other.” Yes, just that simple: This kind […]
Obama’s remarks irk GA groups
In a press conference Wednesday, June 28, President Obama lashed out at “corporate jets” three times in his opening remarks on wanting to increase revenue, citing tax policies on general aviation airplanes as one place to act. GA groups quickly lashed back. “The president has inexplicably chosen to vilify and mischaracterize business aviation — an […]
Autogas sales brisk at Norridgewock
The GAfuels Blog is written by two private pilots concerned about the future availability of fuels for piston-engine aircraft: Dean Billing, Sisters, Ore., an expert on autogas and ethanol, and Kent Misegades, Cary, N.C., an aerospace engineer, aviation sales rep for U-Fuel, and president of EAA1114. Mike Willey, member of the Central Maine Airport Committee […]
Bring in the dignitaries
Last Thursday I spent a good portion of the afternoon at Lakeland Linder Airport (LAL) in Lakeland, Florida. Many GAN readers have visited Lakeland at some point, I’m sure. This is the site of Sun n’ Fun, the second largest aviation gathering in North America. For almost 40 years the general aviation community has been […]
The fight to protect GPS
WASHINGTON, D.C. — If the communication company LightSquared goes ahead with its plan to install ground-based transmitters throughout the United States, it could mean catastrophic and potentially fatal issues for users of GPS. This was one concern expressed at a June 23 Congressional hearing into the conflict between LightSquared and users of GPS because of […]