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Extension requested to review Alaska military plan
AOPA has requested a 60-day extension of the comment period on proposed changes to the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex to address the multiple concerns the proposed actions are raising for communities and the state's aviation industry.
Thu, 24 May 12 14:51:37 EDT

Wing spar cap inspections required for C210s
A direct-to-final-rule airworthiness directive issued May 21 requires one-time inspections of the wings' lower main spar caps on Cessna 210, P210, and T210 model airplanes.
Mon, 21 May 12 18:08:32 EDT

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Boeing chief test pilot calls for training overhaul
Using antiquated methods to learn antiquated technology will not help avert a serious shortage of pilots, a problem that threatens both GA and commercial aviation. Boeing's chief test pilot wants to see technology better used in classrooms and simulators--and for students to stay proficient with their hand flying at the same time.
Thu, 24 May 12 16:07:52 EDT

Nominate pro-GA-airport officials for AOPA recognition
AOPA is launching an effort to recognize mayors and members of city councils and county commissions for keeping general aviation airports top of mind when allocating resources, presiding over zoning hearings, and implementing ordinances.
Thu, 24 May 12 12:37:41 EDT

Field of yellow: Cubs 2 Oshkosh plans mass arrival
In honor of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Piper J-3 Cub, hundreds of Cub owners and pilots plan to fly from Hartford, Wis., to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh on Sunday, July 22, according to Rick Rademacher, one of the organizers of Cubs 2 Oshkosh.
Thu, 24 May 12 15:21:19 EDT

Private rocket launches for space station docking
The Falcon 9 rocket's engines ignited in the early-morning darkness May 22, launching a mission to send the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous with the International Space Station.
Thu, 24 May 12 14:52:15 EDT

AOPA joins in Idaho show, builds relationships
AOPA Vice President of Airports and State Advocacy Greg Pecoraro put his feet in the grass over the course of the week ending May 19--the grassroots of aviation, that is.
Thu, 24 May 12 12:45:06 EDT

Airventure Cup Race is on despite EAA split
The 2012 Airventure Cup Race, timed to coincide with EAA's AirVenture, will keep that timing despite a split with EAA.
Thu, 24 May 12 12:06:40 EDT

Extension requested to review Alaska military plan
AOPA has requested a 60-day extension of the comment period on proposed changes to the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex to address the multiple concerns the proposed actions are raising for communities and the state's aviation industry.
Thu, 24 May 12 14:51:37 EDT

Rock your wings to Big Brother: Squawk, talk, file in TFR
Mindful of the consequences for not following designated procedures, an AOPA staffer prepared to take off into the G8 Summit TFR May 19. Remember to squawk your discrete transponder code before the wheels leave the runway, Potomac Tracon said--"they" will be watching.
Thu, 24 May 12 12:16:41 EDT

Training, course changes planned for Reno races
The 2012 National Championship Air Races will be flown above modified courses kept more distant from spectators in the wake of a crash that killed a pilot and 10 racing onlookers last year.
Wed, 23 May 12 18:58:01 EDT

Air Force kicks oldest GA club off base
The Wright-Patterson Aero Club is preparing to relocate, after base leadership moved this year to close the nation's oldest Air Force GA organization.
Wed, 23 May 12 16:02:59 EDT

New turboprop flies in Australia
GippsAero announced the first flight of a new aircraft the company described as the first single-engine turboprop designed and developed in Australia.
Wed, 23 May 12 15:39:41 EDT

NTSB issues experimental aircraft safety recommendations
Experimental amateur-built aircraft account for a disproportionate share of fatal crashes, many of those in the first hours of flight. On May 22, the NTSB issued a set of 16 recommendations to improve flight testing, pilot training, and clarify regulations pertaining to both.
Wed, 23 May 12 12:42:07 EDT

Cessna offers training on corrosion inspections
Cessna Aircraft Co. has created a 40-hour training program for service technicians that will brief them on techniques for inspecting older models for corrosion, fatigue, and cracks. The program announced May 22 is the latest development of an effort to support thousands of aging aircraft.
Thu, 24 May 12 9:37:32 EDT

Aerospace luminaries reflect on Lindbergh anniversary
Charles Lindbergh believed in motion. Honoring him with something static, such as a statue, was not a solution, declared Reeve Lindbergh, the aviation pioneer's youngest daughter with wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Reeve Lindbergh made the observation at an intimate dinner celebrating the thirty-fifth anniversary of the launch of the Lindbergh Fund, which today is called the Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation.
Wed, 23 May 12 15:33:59 EDT

GA resurgence continuing at Reno-Tahoe
Policies supportive of general aviation are continuing to re-emerge at Nevada's Reno-Tahoe International Airport, and advocacy efforts by pilots helped make it happen, AOPA said.
Wed, 23 May 12 15:46:48 EDT

Pennsylvania House passes aviation tax exemption
The Pennsylvania House passed a bill, by a vote of 179 to 19, to exempt aircraft purchases and maintenance from the state's 6-percent sales tax in action supporters said would return jobs and competitiveness to the state's aviation industry.
Tue, 22 May 12 15:55:10 EDT

GA Caucus hits NPS air-tour regulation
Leaders of the House General Aviation Caucus in Congress are working to block a provision in the Highway Reauthorization bill that would give the National Park Service unprecedented regulatory authority over air tour operators overseen by the FAA.
Wed, 23 May 12 17:42:58 EDT

Access solution emerging in Grand Junction
General aviation tenants facing constrained access under security rules at Colorado's Grand Junction Regional Airport expressed hope that progress is emerging from months of negotiations with officials.
Tue, 22 May 12 8:45:13 EDT

Fly like a fighter: Backseat landings
Backseat landings in a T-38 are a challenge. Backseat no-flap landings in a T-38 without any crosswind are even worse--you can't see the runway directly ahead of you on approach.
Mon, 21 May 12 12:02:45 EDT

'For real?' Sporty's sweeps winner stunned
Pilots took a break from chowing down on hot dogs, hushed their chatter, and gathered around Sporty's 2012 Sweepstakes G300-equipped Cessna Skycatcher hoisted high in the aviation consumer's atrium--they had a stake in what was about to happen, so silence was essential.
Thu, 24 May 12 15:32:50 EDT

Wing spar cap inspections required for C210s
A direct-to-final-rule airworthiness directive issued May 21 requires one-time inspections of the wings' lower main spar caps on Cessna 210, P210, and T210 model airplanes.
Mon, 21 May 12 18:08:32 EDT

IFR: Power and forgiveness
You have an instrument rating, and now, a distant destination. Time to book your old IFR trainer for a new kind of outing. Wait - here's a better idea. It's time to start flying aircraft designed with long-distance travel in mind.
Fri, 18 May 12 15:54:56 EDT