New aircraft are expensive. I doubt anyone will disagree with this statement. But exactly “how” expensive are they and are they “affordable” for Americans? And has their cost in relation to consumer buying power relegated modern GA aircraft manufacturers to boutique aircraft production instead of large scale manufacturing? I think this is exactly what they have become and unless we critically analyze our industry they will remain as such. This doesn’t mean that businesses can’t make a profit when they are structured as boutique producers, but it does mean we aren’t going to see the quantities of aircraft being used as much we see the average household automobile. Continue reading
Owning an aircraft comes with additional responsibilities beyond that of just being the pilot that flies the plane. The owner of an aircraft is responsible for ensuring that it is maintained and operated in accordance with FAA inspection requirements. Most of the time this means that once a year we drop our aircraft off to our maintenance shop for its annual inspection and hope that no other maintenance is needed during the year. As the owner of an aircraft, something you can do to help make sure your aircraft will receive the best possible service is to make sure proper documentation for your aircraft is in your library.
I still don’t know why I learned to fly, but for some reason I almost feel like it was always in my blood. Perhaps it was, even though when I began, I didn’t know it.
Yesteray I received a letter in the mail from my Uncle Jim, who had been going through some old family documents. Included was an old promotional packet from the American School of Aviation in Chicago for pilot training that had been sent to my grandfather’s brother back in 1928. It got me thinking about how much aviation affects people and how many times it goes overlooked in our family roots. The material also got me thinking about our aviation roots collectively and how aviation has changed and how it hasn’t. Continue reading
We all are hoping that the government shutdown will be over soon, but in the mean time, a few things that are important for instructors and examiners to know:
FAA Knowledge Tests Halted
– FAA knowledge test providers have been notified that they will no longer be able to give FAA knowledge tests after the close of business Friday 10/4/13 until the staff who oversee this operation at the FAA are brought back to work.
This means that anyone that has not already completed their FAA knowledge tests before this time will not be able to do so until the government staff has returned. This effectively stops applicants who are pursuing training to have the ability to become eligible for practical tests that require any FAA knowledge tests. Continue reading