Aero-Heartbreakers #9: Airports In Crisis
The American airport infrastructure is undergoing a number of
fits and crises that defy comprehension -- and in a society that
has heretofore prided itself on mobility. In particular, we find
the degradation of the General Aviation Airport Network to be
inexcusable and inexplicable. ANN spent nearly 500 hours flying
across America in 2009, in search of the details, stories, and news
that drives our business.
Aero-Heartbreakers #8: USA Today and Anti-GA Media Bias
2009 was a hell of a year in terms of watching
GA and BizAv interests get pummeled by ignorance, myopic behavior,
and what appears to be directed attacks inspired by ATA and Jim
May's seeming guidance to hinder GA at any cost. The attacks upon
General Aviation -- lead by articles like that we saw in USA Today
and a number of other papers that picked up the story, are poorly
researched and often based on faulty or errant information.
Aero-Heroes #9: XCOR Aerospace
But... let's not ignore the folks that have NOT gotten nearly as
much press -- who have as much heart, as much talent, and are
destined to rock our world in ways just as profound as Burt and his
most talented tribe of acolytes. I speak, in this particular case,
of a little company that I've worked with off and on, as part of
XPrize, as part of the Rocket Racing League, as a journalist, and
as a friend of some those involved directly in the company... I
speak of XCOR.
Aero-Heroes #8: America's FBO's and Flight Schools
While the deteriorating state of our nation's GA airports is
more than a heartbreaker to us, we cannot but admire the day-to-day
heroism (in our minds) of those who seek to serve the General And
Business Aviation community with quality, dedication (and God help
us), some sacrifice. I speak of the quality FBOs and Flight Schools
that are struggling to stay alive in 'the economy from hell,' that
are attempting to produce quality products at a time when sales are
in the tank, and the nation has turned its back on them.
MANUFACTURER: Boeing Model 737-300, -400, -500,
-600, -700, -700C, -800, and -900, and 747-400 Series Airplanes;
and Model 757, 767, and 777 Airplanes
SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive AD 2009-26-03
Military aviation runs the gamut from bigger, faster, and more
powerful to smaller, stealthy, and in some cases remotely
controlled. While we all know the role military aviation
plays in keeping our country safe and free, it, too, had to deal
with budget cuts and a faltering economy.
Founder Lynda Meeks Introduces “Girls with
Wings” To Aero-TV
Lynda Meeks is not one who takes a challenge lightly; after her
college Army ROTC instructor informed her that Army Aviation was
the toughest branch to get in, she embarked on a seven-year mission
with the armed forces. At the time, only 4% of military
pilots were women; yet, Meeks became an accomplished pilot, first
as a UH-1 “Huey” Helicopter pilot and than as a C-12
fixed wing pilot.
Survival Expert Doug Ritter Shares His Best
Safety Tips
Respected aviation journalist, and one of the world’s
leading authorities on survival and survival equipment, Doug Ritter
sat down with Aero-TV to share some invaluable safety tips.
Wants To Rewrite Lease Agreements to Take Ownership of Private
Hangars Built On Leased Grounds
ANN is monitoring media reports of a change of heart (or a lack
thereof) on the part of the powers-that-be that control North
Little Rick Airport, in Arkansas. Recent decisions by airport
management seem determined to take ownership of hangar facilities
that have been built on leased grounds... while such arrangements
with public (and some private) airports are not uncommon, the
property grab is a mite unusual -- unsettling.
Lockheed Martin plans to sell two dozen F-16 fighters to Egypt,
according to a spokesman for the company. The proposed sale
reportedly agreed to by the U.S. and Egyptian governments is worth
approximately $3.2 billion and should be finalized next year.
Hazardous Weather
Information
Summary of significant meteorological
information (SIGMET/WS), convective significant
meteorological information (convective SIGMET/WST),
urgent pilot weather reports (urgent PIREP/UUA), center
weather advisories (CWA), airmen’s
meteorological information (AIRMET/WA) and any other
weather such as isolated thunderstorms...
Scouring the information super airways can sometimes be a tough,
if educational, task for the Aero-News staff... but it also allows
us to check out some truly neat and exciting sites, so it's not
that bad a gig. On any given day, we may check dozens (and often
hundreds) of different sources for story ideas, and facts
confirmation. And, as is the nature of our business, much of this
is done on the Internet.
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“While an extraordinary level of safety and
security exists in our nation’s air transportation system
today, we must continue to scrutinize all aspects of aviation
security. Working with government, industry, and airline operators,
ALPA will thoroughly evaluate the series of events that led to this
in-flight security incident and identify areas where the system can
be improved."
Source: ALPA Prez, John Prater, in a
statement outlining concerns following the failed bombing of a NWA
flight On Christmas.
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