Features

PATCO Remarks After reading this week’s AVwebFlash (Nov. 6), it left me wondering if the former PATCO controller has a clue.Coming from someone who hasn’t worked at a non-contract facility for over 25 years, I find his perspective speculative at best.When was the last time he, or any other contract controller worked a midnight shift? […]

Heard at Lawrence, Massachusetts: Tower: “Arrow Eight Two Xray, slowest possible speed. Traffic ahead is an ultralight on a half-mile final.” Ultralight: “Tower, we’ll climb out so he can land.” Tower: “Roger, climb and maintain 1700, runway heading. Arrow Eight Two Xray, cleared to land, caution, mowing in progress, right side of runwav.” Arrow: “Roger, […]

This is the last article I get to write as an air traffic controller. I retire from the FAA on December 1. No longer a controller. No longer a Federal employee. No longer a safety rep for NATCA. While I’ll admit to a certain sense of melancholy, it is far outweighed by my sense of […]

100LL Any pilot that wants to continue flying piston GA aircraft should take exception to David Zizmor’s petition to the EPA to remove all lead from avgas (AVmail, Oct. 23). His argument for unleaded and ethanol conversions sounds good on paper but fails the test of real-world operations. Unleaded auto fuel does a super job […]

In September I briefly escaped the grasp of the big, tattered, old recliners in the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport and made my way west to the annual fly-in and convention of LightHawk. It is a public-benefit flying organization dedicated to making flights in support of conservation and the environment — the environmental air […]

A short but sweet one from AVweb‘s sister publication IFR. Overheard on approach to a regional southern airport at eight minutes before the hour… Approach: Sundownner Two Lima Charlie, do you have information November? Sundowner 2LC: Uh, negative, we’re waiting for, uh, December.

This Week’s Question |Last Week’s Results PREVIOUS RESULTS *** Election Day is just around the corner, and last week AVweb asked whether your local Congressional candidates’ stance on user fees would play a big role in determining your vote on November 7. Not surprisingly, a majority of the readers who responded to our poll (58% […]

While returning from a cross country into Ellington Field… Tower: Warrior 123, enter right downwind for 35L. Warrior 123: Roger, downwind 35L Tower: Warrior 123, wind calm, cleared for 22 if you like. Warrior 123: Roger. Cleared for 22. [Short pause] Warrior 123: Tower, am i cleared for 22? Because ther is a truck in […]

[Editor’s Note: AVweb’s Mike Busch received the following letter from the FAA regarding his column, The Savvy Aviator #32: 2006 Aging GA Aircraft Summit, published June 7, 2006.] Dear Mr. Busch,First of all, we thank you for attending the FAA’s Small Airplane Directorate “GA Summit,” held earlier this year in Kansas City. We appreciate your […]