briefs

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_______BRAINTEASTERS Quiz #86 — Restrictions and ProceduresThere are three reasons for getting the instrument rating: safer flying, lower insurance rates, and swaggering rights in the pilot’s lounge. To retain the right to preen, you need to review a few IFR procedures.

We apparently misunderstood the intent of a gathering of female helicopter pilots in Washington, D.C., next April 28-30. The pilots are there to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Whirly-Girls. We called it a convention but that takes place in conjunction with HeliExpo each February.

For $50, you can take a chance on winning your very own brand-new American Champion Scout, and at the same time support the Alaska Airmen’s Association. The group will sell only 5,500 tickets, so you can calculate the odds you get for your investment. The 180-hp 2005 Scout comes complete with a 70-gallon long-range fuel […]

On Monday, astronaut Gordon Cooper Jr., 77, died at his home in Ventura, Calif. He was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts. “He truly portrayed the right stuff, and he helped gain the backing and enthusiasm of the American public, so critical for the spirit of exploration,” said NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. “Gordo was […]

Complaints about noisy overflights above Muir Woods National Monument, just north of San Francisco, are on the rise, the Marin Independent Journal reported on Monday. Visitors and workers at the park say seaplanes and helicopters flown on aerial tours are increasingly disrupting the serenity of the redwood forest. “It seems like people are getting wealthy […]

Investigators with the FAA’s Southwest Region this week found that officials at Addison Airport, in Texas, didn’t violate any federal rules when they spent airport-improvement funds to build a concrete plant and give a half-million-dollar incentive to a corporate tenant to build a new hangar, The Dallas Morning News reported on Tuesday. Pilots at the […]

A working group that has been studying FAA standards for airport fire departments has found they are inadequate to save lives and to deal with the searing flames that occur in plane crashes, USA Today reported yesterday. The FAA working group, formed three years ago, says many airports need more fire trucks and more flame-retardant […]

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVwebs NO-COST twice monthly Business AVflash? Reporting on breaking news, Business AVflash also focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the Business of Aviation. Business AVflash is a must read. Watch for a Business AVflash regular feature, TSA WATCH: GA IN THE […]