Six years ago, I started an article on the Obama Administration proposal to implement user fees on aircraft flying in controlled airspace with the words, "Here we go again." And yes, once again, the specter of ATC Privatization has reared it's ugly head again. While I always knew that privatization would likely be bad for … Read more
Garmin recently announced that their low-cost, G5 Electronic Flight Instrument will now be available for use in certificated aircraft. It fits directly into a standard 3 1/8 inch hole used for instruments in most aircraft, which reduces installation time and cost. On the Aviation News Talk podcast episode, I interviewed Garmin software engineer Joe Gepner, … Read more
Last month I spoke on the AviationNewsTalk.com podcast about Cirrus Aircraft receiving a Production Certificate from the FAA to build their new SF50 Vision Jet. So a week ago, I flew to Knoxville, Tennessee to tour the new Cirrus Customer Experience Vision Center, and to spend some time in the first Cirrus Vision Jet delivered to … Read more
Hello readers, I have big news to share with you! I produce and host a new weekly podcast called Aviation News Talk. which iPhone and iPad users can find here in the Apple Podcasts app. Yesterday I was surprised to discover that that show is now #1 in the Aviation category of Apple iTunes! I hope you … Read more
Finally there’s a device that so closely mirrors the real Garmin G1000 that I don’t need to make excuses for it. It’s the new GT Glass Trainer from Precision Flight Controls (PFC). Technically, most devices found in flight schools are not flight simulators. The FAA reserves that term for the million dollar devices used to train pilots in turboprops and jets. Most systems found in flight schools are AATDs, or Advanced Aviation Training Devices. The GT Glass Trainer is an AATD.
Enter the GT Glass Trainer. It is low cost compared to other G1000 AATDs, about $25,000, and I estimate it replicates the G1000 with 99.8% accuracy, vastly better than other devices I’ve seen. I’ll discuss why it’s so accurate in a moment.
Generally, I don't write about local events, but this one is so special I'm making an exception. Get yourself however you can to San Carlos, California on November 9 for a night to remember. That's the night the Aero Club of Northern California will honor air show pilot Captain Julie Clark at their annual Crystal … Read more
One of the best surprises I found at AirVenture 2012 in Oshkosh this summer was FlightLink, an iPhone/iPad app for the Lightspeed Zulu.2 ANR headset. I was surprised, as I couldn’t imagine what kind of app one might create for a headset. Fortunately the people at Lightspeed were more imaginative than I and they created FlightLink, an app for recording cockpit audio on your iPhone or iPad.
I’m excited. Flying is about having fun and the Icon A5 Seaplane promises to deliver more fun than most planes. But there’s more to the airplane than just fun. As a new video shows, it’s also a spin resistant plane that could make flying safer. Spin resistance isn’t new. One of the earliest planes to … Read more
On April 30, 2012, three seaplane pilots rescued a boater just before dark who’d had been thrown in the water. 20-year old Alexander James Higginbotham was already becoming hypothermic while treading water for 15-20 minutes in the frigid 45° water. He’d been in a 14-foot fishing boat when the bolts he used to attach a seat to the boat broke, sending him backwards into the water. Rusty Eichorn, an Itasca County Commissioner, owned the Cessna 180 floatplane that made the rescue and he was assisted by pilots Lynn Bohanon and Kenny Forst who were also on board.
The 145-page FAA reauthorization bill forces the FAA to speed up the introduction of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System, which will inevitably lead to more mid-air collisions. To date, UASs have been authorized solely along the Mexican border and within restricted airspace. In the near future, pilots may be sharing all airspace with these unmanned aircraft. At least one UAS has already had a mid-air collision. In August 2011, over the skies of Afghanistan, a 450-pound UAS hit a C130 cargo plane, damaging the plane and forcing an emergency landing. The drone was destroyed.