briefs

https://avweb.com/avmail/ Reader mail this week includes comments on the CVR at the U.N., birdstrike predictions, GPS orbits and more.

_______COLUMNS Pelican’s Perch #79: The Air America Years (Part II)AVweb’s John Deakin did spend time in Southeast Asia as part of Air America, one of the “airlines” run by the CIA in the 1960s. Upon arriving in Asia, there was time for using old Link trainers, relaxing in hot springs, avoiding alcohol-pushers, and learning the […]

Last week, we told you the spring bird migration is underway, and to prove it, last Sunday the first of this year’s migrating whooping cranes flew into Wisconsin from Florida, after a flight of about two weeks. The bird is one of five that flew to Florida back in 2001, the first year that ultralight […]

A Navy pilot ejected from his F/A-18 Hornet on Friday about 2,000 feet into its takeoff roll at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, in North Carolina. The burning jet cartwheeled to a stop on the airfield. Emergency crews doused the flames, and nobody on the ground was hurt. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The jet was part […]

Garmin last week introduced its latest new gizmo, the GPSMAP 296 aviation handheld, which combines GPS position and altitude readouts with topographical maps. The color display gives pilots a clear depiction of potential terrain hazards, Garmin says. “Terrain awareness really sets the GPSMAP 296 apart from other aviation handheld devices,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s director […]

Cessna CEO Russ Meyer told the FAA forecast conference in Washington last week that if the current “bonus depreciation” tax break, which expires at the end of this year, isn’t at least partially extended, aircraft production schedules could be cut by 10 to 20 percent, and thousands of jobs could be lost, The Wichita Eagle […]

NASA’s second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft flew successfully Saturday, the first time an air-breathing scramjet-powered aircraft has flown freely. The 12-foot-long unpiloted vehicle’s scramjet — a supersonic-combustion ramjet — ignited and burned through its hydrogen fuel supply, which lasted about 10 seconds. The X-43A reached its test speed of Mach 7, and was ditched in […]

As the 90-day deadline loomed for the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to sign off on the FAA’s Sport Pilot rule, the clock stopped last week when the FAA retracted the rule. “It’s not unusual for us to go back and forth like this,” the FAA’s Sue Gardner told AVweb on Friday. “I’d […]

____________BRAINTEASERS Interactive Quiz #79: Let’s Be Clear On ThisThe bedrock of air traffic control is the word “clear.” Whether cleared for takeoff or cleared for an instrument approach, understanding the forces that this word unleashes clearly puts you in the accomplished pilot’s seat.

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