FAA Tower Closures
A few days ago, the Federal Aviation Administration published a list of air traffic control towers which are slated for closure now that the sequestration-related budget cuts have kicked in. Looking at the list of Southern California facilities, one sees quite a few busy airports which sit under multiple layers of airspace. At times like these, it’s important to take a deep breath, remember that the vast majority of airports are already non-towered, and as always, cast a skeptical eye on the antics of those in Washington. I’ve been monitoring the hue and cry from aviation magazines, organizations, and bloggers and have been impressed by how many have refused to adopt a hysterical “the sky is falling!” attitude. It’s also worth noting...
Read MoreLow and Slow
Early on in my initial flight training, I started hearing occasional references to a requirement for a couple of solo “cross-country” flights. Nobody actually defined the term for me, and this was in the years before the partnership between Google and your ordinary smart phone made figuring these things out a non-event, so in my mind I was looking forward to the adventure of flying literally across the entire U.S. and seeing it all from the air. I was half relieved, half disappointed to find out that for the purposes of obtaining a my private pilot certificate, “cross country” meant landing at an airport at least 50 nautical miles away from my departure point. Fifty miles? In an airplane? Now how long could that possibly take, I wondered?...
Read MoreTSA Follies
The TSA (Transportation Stop Agency, as one person likes to call it) recently pronounced that since 5% of all security badges issued at the John Wayne Airport have been lost, they are revoking everyone’s credentials effective February 22nd. In order to gain access to the ramp, everyone who works there or uses the airport will have to re-apply for a new badge. This might not strike the average person as outlandish, especially if they’re of the “safety at any cost!” ilk, but let’s look a bit more closely at the situation. First of all, 5% have not been lost. They simply weren’t physically returned to the airport administration once they expired. The TSA considers those badges “lost” even though, once expired, they are...
Read MoreBig Brother is Watching
“Hey, I’m not paranoid. But everyone is out to get me…” In the 21st century, nary a day goes by that a security camera, paparazzo, web cam, smartphone photo, Twitter post, or e-mail doesn’t undo a celebrity, politician, or executive somewhere. An entire industry of magazines and low-budget television shows (TMZ, anyone?) testifies to the fact: we are always being watched. Did you stop by the bank or eat at a restaurant today? Smile — you’re on candid camera! Driving in your car? Cameras abound on highways and streets. Law enforcement vehicles have them built-in. If you used a credit card, proximity key card, or access badge, your location has been logged. At work and at home, computer and/or phone usage leaves a trace,...
Read MoreTaming Tailwheels
As I’ve previously written, last October the wife and I spent a few days in Palm Springs with 5g Aviation as sales reps for a true anachronism: American Champion, a domestic company that actually manufactures things. ACA builds a line of two-seat tailwheel aircraft which are direct (albeit highly modified) descendants of the the classic 1940′s Aeronca Champ. One thing I didn’t write about at the time was a visit to the ACA booth by Alyssa Miller, AOPA Online’s managing editor. After the show ended, she posted a “wish list” of items she’d buy on AOPA’s “Reporting Points” blog: I’ve been weak in the knees ever since I saw 5G Aviation’s fire-engine red Super Decathlon in the Parade of Planes on Oct. 10. So,...
Read MoreSt. Maarten
One of the great advantages on-demand (more commonly referred to as “charter”) flying has over working at the airlines is the destinations. It’s not uncommon for charter pilots to visit some of the world’s most glorious locations. Instead of flying to Bakersfield, Palm Springs, and Fresno, I go to Nassau, Honolulu, and southern France. Naturally, not every trip is blessed with locales of that caliber. Those that are sometimes come with long-haul flights which cross a half-dozen or more time zones and can take jet lag to an unenviable level. But there’s little doubt that the ends are worth the means. Of course, alighting in Aspen or Nassau doesn’t mean much unless you get to stick around for a while and enjoy it. Thankfully, a...
Read MoreGulfstream G650 Accident Report
It’s been a year and a half since the tragic crash of Gulfstream Aerospace Corp’s G650 test aircraft at Roswell claimed four lives. Ironically, the aircraft recently received its FAA type certificate at almost the exact same time that the National Transportation Safety Board issued their final report on the accident. I’ve been following the online NTSB docket for months — in fact, I’ve read the entire thing. It comprises thousands of pages of interviews, telemetry, analysis, company records, flight test cards, and transcripts. If you’ve got the time and are enough of an airplane nerd to stay awake while reading it, the accident docket provides a fascinating and detailed look into how a modern test flight program is conducted....
Read MoreFlying Eyes Sunglasses
I don’t know what is it about pilots and sunglasses, but we seem to be obsessed with them. No matter how many pairs we’ve got, it’s never enough. I myself have got a half-dozen sets of shades floating around in my car, flight bag, office, and elsewhere. Ray Bans, Vedalo HDs, even a few cheapies bought in a pinch at a random gas station. Yet, like a moth to a flame, I never fail to check out what other pilots are wearing. I’ll read reviews and browse shop windows when I see Revos, Oakleys, Maui Jims, or Ecos peering back at me through the glass. There’s just something about sunglasses… And yet they seem to be a constant disappointment in the cockpit. Maui Jim sunglasses are all polarized. Oakleys are too thick for the headset...
Read MoreAOPA Summit
Even with decades of experience and thousands of hours in the cockpit, the opportunity to try something new is never far away when you work in aviation. That’s one of the factors which keeps aviators coming back, the opportunity to learn and grow. So it was not surprising that I added another “first” to my logbook recently when given the opportunity to taxi an airplane through the streets of downtown Palm Springs as part of the annual “Parade of Planes” at the AOPA Summit convention. The Summit is an annual aviation expo put on by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the largest general aviation organization in the world. Despite AOPA’s large size — they claim more than 400,000 members — the size of the event...
Read MoreThe Shuttle in the Rear View Mirror
Today’s arrival of the orbiter Endeavour in Los Angeles was quite the show. For days now, you could hardly venture out the front door without seeing or hearing about it via radio, television, internet, newspapers, or among friends and neighbors. Many have expressed a certain wistfulness that the shuttle’s flying days are over. It’s an understandable sentiment. Much like the retirement of the Concorde and the Starship seems to have left the aviation world a less colorful and futuristic place, the end of the shuttle era leaves America — for the moment, at least — not only without a way to get into orbit on our own, but also without what is arguably the most complex piece of machinery every created. One day there will be a Next Thing,...
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