When John King said “you are not normal,” he meant it as high praise for Tracy Atobatele, winner of the 2023 National Association of Flight Instructors/King Schools scholarship.
flying
Picture of the Day: Ready to race
Rich Eisenberg submitted this photo and note: “Deciding on which toy to use.”
Swamp STOL Competition kicks off 2023 series
Cold light rain, experienced pilots, a variety of planes, and a lot of crawfish marked the first stop for the 2023 National STOL Series. The new season kicked off March 17 at the third annual Swamp STOL Competition & Fly-In held at Jennings Airport (3R7) in Louisiana.
Video: There’s nothing like a country hangar
Smitty Smith of FunPlacesToFly.com just posted a new video to YouTube paying homage to his country hangar, which he says he loves because there’s “no tower, no traffic (to speak of), no over-priced hangar leases, no rude FBO, just good friends and peaceful surroundings.”
Unleaded avgas now available at KOXR FBO
Golden West Jet Center at Oxnard Airport (KOXR) is the latest California FBO to offer Swift’s UL94 unleaded aviation gasoline.
A nonchalant pilot plus a fast aircraft equals a safety hazard
Most disturbing is this pilot came back to the airport several days later and I spoke with him, indicating I was his near midair the other day. He made light of it and lied, stating he was trying to look for the windsock.
Picture of the Day: Landing on an island
Bill Peters submitted this photo and note: Landing on grass strip at Sunbury Airport (71N) in Pennsylvania.”
Octane ratings: Where did they come from, what do they mean, and why are there so many?
The difference between the RON and the MON is called the fuels sensitivity. Most typical fuels have a sensitivity of around eight numbers. But occasionally there will be a fuel with a 10 to 12 sensitivity, which does not perform as well in the field.
FAA approves use of off-the-shelf parts for older certificated aircraft
The new program applies to small (less than 12,500 pounds) type-certificated aircraft built before 1980. It allows ordinary maintenance personnel to validate that low-risk replacement parts are suitable for installation on aircraft, without the need for extensive engineering analysis or complex and time-consuming design and production approvals from the FAA, according to officials with the Experimental Aircraft Association, who spent years advocating for the new program.