Features

Naples Airport Regarding an effort to close the Naples Airport and force all users to outlying fields, AVweb wrote (Newswire, Dec. 8): “It means they get in their limousines and have one more martini,” [city council candidate William Willkomm III] said. This is yet another example of the kind of ignorance that endangers all our […]

At a busy local airport one sunny Saturday flight instructors were hopping in and out of different aircraft all day long: Unidentified pilot: Montgomery Ground, Cessna, er, Cessna … wait … who am I today? [pause]I’ll have to call you back. Ground: Roger, call back when you know who you are.

*** PREVIOUS RESULTS *** We received over 200 responses to our question last week on Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of those responding flew within heir local area during the holiday weekend, while 26 percent flew a GA aircraft for a holiday trip. Only two percent indicated TFRs restricted them from flying […]

“The primary purpose of the ATC system is to prevent a collision between aircraft operating in the system and to organize and expedite the flow of traffic.”Sounds simple doesn’t it? That one sentence is the meat and potatoes of Air Traffic Control. It’s amazing how complex the system has to be to accomplish that one […]

Taxing back for a departure on Rwy 23 at Morristown (MMU), I noticed a group of 10 or so snow geese walking across the taxiway toward the runway. I paused for a moment and started to maneuver in behind the group of waterfowl. Then I heard … GROUND CONTROL: Cessna 123, those things are really […]

In reviewing Part 1 of this column last month, I remembered another story that illustrates “cockpit culture.” Remember the story of the Flight Engineer (FE) and “backing up” the thrust levers, as a carry-over from the props days? Levers And Fingers Well, one late night in the DC-8 simulator at Japan Airlines (JAL), I was […]

Air Force One AVwbe wrote (NewsWire, Dec. 1): The flight crew had prepared for what they believed was a milk run to Washington for maintenance. I don’t really know for sure but I’d strongly suspect the flight crew was aware of things; however, if you meant the press crew, it might well be. Very hard […]

*** PREVIOUS RESULTS *** We received over 200 responses to our question last week on the passage of the FAA Reauthorization Bill. We asked our readers to pick out what they felt where the major benefits to the recently passed FAA bill and 23 percent thought the allotted money to keep the FAA operating was […]

It had been a lousy afternoon. Dealing with a case involving someone from the dregs of aviation always depresses me, but this one had been worse than usual. When everything was over for the day, the only thing I could think to do was to retreat to the pilot’s lounge at the virtual airport. With […]

Tour Flight Restrictions I’m all for safety, but it is apparent that we really aren’t any safer now than in 2001 (NewsWire, Nov. 17). There will always be one looney in the “bin,” but if anyone knew about GA pilots, they would know that most of us are hard-core, true-blue Americans who would do anything […]