briefs

If every general aviation dollar was somehow flagged as it traveled through the economy, do you think GA would get more respect? Monty Walford isn’t trying to take Rodney Dangerfield’s schtick, but he thinks the answer is a definite “yes.” Walford, owner of Shreveport, La.- based J & M Aircraft Supply, thinks GA gets pushed […]

French officials have said they will shoot down private pilots who stray into restricted airspace during this weekend’s 60th anniversary D-Day events in Normandy, the Daily Telegraph reported Monday. At least 16 heads of state and 1 million visitors are expected to attend the ceremonies. The region will be protected by an array of radar […]

https://avweb.com/avmail/ Reader mail this week about FSS privatization, firefighting tankers, Capstone in Alaska, airport noise and much more.

_______COLUMNS As the Beacon Turns #77: The Big Non-StopStepping up from domestic airline routes to international routes brings some perks to pilots — like fewer flights per month — but a 13-hour leg can really be a pain in the keister. AVweb’s Michael Maya Charles just upgraded to the MD-11 and the Memphis to Tokyo […]

The St. Augustine Airport Pilots Association is sending a bit of home to U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The pilots group is taking $10 donations that will allow it to fill packages with snacks, toiletries, lip balm, eye drops and DVDs for soldiers fighting in those countries. “I think everybody should say thank […]

The Forest Service cancelled air-tanker contracts in part because it was afraid of being sued if any of them crashed, according to a report in the Billings Gazette. In a remarkably candid interview (for a government official concerned about liability) Tony Kern, the Forest Service’s assistant director of aviation management, said the safety of air […]

It sounds like a familiar story but news that Israeli air traffic controllers are threatening to strike has a twist. The controllers aren’t looking for more money, longer breaks or better benefits. They say they’ll walk off the job if the government of Israel doesn’t crack down on all the pirate radio stations operating in […]

If you’re working on your instrument rating or you need an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC), your world is about to change, and not entirely for the better, according to at least one training expert. The FAA has revised its instrument rating practical test standards. The 48 pages of new rules go into effect on Oct. […]

Another prominent airline-industry executive has joined Northwest Airlines CEO Richard Anderson in the call for higher fees for general aviation. In anopinion piece, Jim May, president and CEO of the Air Transport Association, claims GA accounts for 40 percent of the flights handled by FAA centers and 69 percent of tower work but contributes only […]

_______COLUMNS Say Again? #37: VFR In A VacuumHave you been turned down lately when you asked ATC for VFR advisories? Expect it to happen more and more often, especially when you and other pilots don’t file a correct flight plan or use the proper phraseology. AVweb’s Don Brown points out how the impending controller shortage […]