A private pilot, attorney and former news anchor shares his take on aviation news. About AndrewS
September 9th, 2009
The wild early success of the light sport aircraft industry and the excitement over the entire category as we enter year number six, belies one disturbing fact: The LSA sector still appeals mostly to older pilots who are concerned about losing their medical. Show up to any LSA event and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about-- those in the cockpits, asking the questions, and working the controls are 70 year old pilots who see an LSA as their only way to keep flying and avoid spending all their money on golf. Read More >>
Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments »
August 3rd, 2009
After a good shower and a night sleep, I have returned from what is the awe-inspiring, yearly event that is the EAA Convention in Oshkosh, WI. Below is a quick video shot with my flip cam and edited on Final Cut. Please forgive the shaky video, somewhat hack editing job, and lack of a story line. I would especially like to thank Cindy and George from womenfly.com for sharing their camping survival skills.
What was most impressive is that if you attended you might be forgiven for asking "what recession?" The camp grounds were overflowing with tents and the flight line with spectators.
You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUbRz-E7KbQ
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
July 15th, 2009
Airports are like gardens. If you don't water the plants, clean out the weeds, and avoid walking on the tulips, they will die. Airports need care, and that means they need money to keep them running and safe. There is evidence of this as one airport after another closes. Here is the basic pattern: The airport is neglected, the runways crack, the land becomes an eyesore and the community says "let's build a mall instead." That is why the recent CBS Evening News report that cast a critical eye on stimulus money going to small, general aviation airports was off the mark. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, News Related | 3 Comments »
May 22nd, 2009
A lot has been written about low pilot salaries recently. Especially the salaries paid to regional pilots. How can anyone live on $20,000 a year, especially when they have $80,000 in pilot-related school costs to pay off?
We, the passengers on commercial airlines, are partially responsible. We demand the right to fly coast to coast for $99. Airlines have little wiggle room in managing fixed costs, such as fuel and maintenance. Where they have room to drive down costs is with labor. So they do. The FAA may require minimum hours to pilot a plane, but it doesn't require minimium pay. Read More >>
Posted in Careers | 7 Comments »
April 28th, 2009
It has happened again.
An evil-doer private pilot and his co-conspirator wife took an always-dangerous single engine Cessna and flew it right near, gasp, some monument in DC. This resulted in a miltary response with F16s escorting the pilot out of the area. Innocent pilots have been caught numerous times flying into the Capitol's restricted airspace. It has always been accidental. No any actual terrorist has been caught. Face it, the only people terrorized in these incidents are the wayward pilots themselves. There could be a terrible mistake one day and the government will have to answer for it. Read More >>
Posted in Airplanes | 4 Comments »
April 22nd, 2009
Someone has sent the FAA to film school.
As someone who has spent his career in television production, I can tell you that I was pleasently surprised by the FAA's new runway safety videos. You may have received the dvd from AOPA. I recommend watching it. Not only will the short programs provide you with valuable safety information, they feature excellent aerial video. They are well shot, well written, and well hosted. Read More >>
Posted in News Related | 1 Comment »
March 23rd, 2009
The terrible death of actress Natasha Richardson highlights the value of medevac helicopters. According to Tarek Razek, director of trauma services for the McGill University Health Center in Montreal, the lack of a medical airlift may have contributed to Richardson's death. Read More >>
Posted in Helicopters | 6 Comments »
March 20th, 2009
Long before the outrageous airline disaster movie-farce Airplane! had audiences rolling in the theaters laughing, there was the over-the-top serious thriller that inspired it. A friend and collegue mailed me Arthur Hailey's Runway Zero-Eight to read. Hailey wrote a series of airplane disaster books, including Airport, which inspired the movie series. Read More >>
Posted in Airplanes | No Comments »
February 17th, 2009
There are few bright spots in the aviation world. Cirrus, Cessna, Piper, Diamond, and the rest of the mainstream, standard category airplane makers are all announcing production and job cuts.
But not the LSA sector. True, the LSA industry is a patch-work of family run companies that have revenue in line with the local deli. But Dan Johnson is right to say Sebring and the LSA sector is a “welcome gift to the global aviation industry. Read More >>
Posted in LSA | 2 Comments »
January 26th, 2009
With another week of temperatures in the teens in New York, I figured there was little excuse not t o spend a few days in South Florida, especially since it involved airplanes. Read More >>
Posted in LSA | 5 Comments »
