You took your time, shopped around and found the perfect aircraft. It’s a sweet little Cessna, with soft leather interior and custom cabinetry. You locked in a great interest rate, and the seller is motivated. Nothing but blue skies ahead, right? Not so fast. One of the most critical — and complicated — steps in [...]
Remember that Jerry Seinfeld joke years ago about “making up time” on an airplane? The captain apologizes for the late start, but he is sure they will make up time en route and land on time. Jerry wonders why jets don’t go as fast as possible all of the time. (This isn’t that clip, but [...]
On Feb. 6, the U.S. Senate passed a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bill that will expedite moving the nation’s air-traffic control system from radar to global positioning system (GPS)-based technology. The House passed the bill the previous week, and now it moves to the White House for signing. Among other things, the bill sets aside [...]
As usual, many things are happening in the aviation world. Take a minute to catch up on some of the biggest stories of the week. Super Bowl XLVI Flying to Indianapolis on Sunday will be challenging indeed. The FAA expects a record number of private flights in the area that day, and three temporary towers [...]
Most people don’t think twice about taking a breath — but breathing is nothing to take for granted on an aircraft. Too close for breathing comfort The close quarters of a private jet — with limited breathing room — can increase the risk of catching an infection. In addition, pollutants such as engine fumes leaking [...]
Although some mechanics are qualified to work on only certain aircraft components, airframe and powerplant mechanics (A&Ps) are certified by the FAA to work on every part of a plane, except instrumentation. An A&P performs regular and routine inspection of the aircraft and keeps accurate records and documentation, ensuring compliance with FAA regulations. A&Ps are [...]
It’s always fun to think about the innovations and advances that will happen in the aviation industry. Especially in the design of corporate jets. In November, Jeff Burger wrote a compelling commentary that practically begs for a reinvention of the corporate jet. He was opining about how the creativity and vision of the late Steve [...]
The FAA launched a new campaign on Nov. 8, 2011, asking the entire GA community to increase its reporting of wildlife collisions with aircraft. The main outreach component of the effort includes the printing and distribution of 12,000 posters to the GA community. The poster, “Report Wildlife Strikes,” is designed for frequently used areas, like [...]
With the NBA lockout now well past the 100 day mark and no real agreement being seen on the horizon, it makes me wonder about private jets of athletes, owners and others. As talks begin the heat up in the NBA lockout a private jet would be used as a way to get from meeting [...]
We have discussed the issues of traffic control workers and fatigue and sleeping on the job. Those concerns are continuing for the FAA, but not in the area of traffic controllers but in technicians. The FAA has been mostly concerned with pilots and most recently with flight control, but maintenance workers are also a big [...]
