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Drug Smugglers Larry Hawes seems to have forgotten the April 2001 downing by the Peruvian Air Force of a plane carrying American missionaries (AVmail, Jun. 7). The Peruvian Air Force was running a drug interdiction/interception program, and believed that the aircraft was running drugs. A mother and her infant daughter, both U.S. citizens, were killed.Advocates […]

I‘ve probably talked to thousands of owners of piston-powered airplanes over the years. Every one is serious about safety, and I’ve never met one that wasn’t absolutely convinced that his aircraft was safe and well-maintained. “I carry my family and friends in this airplane, so I’d never cut corners on maintenance.” Nevertheless, the piston-powered GA […]

GA Fair Share One of the problems with the debate over GA “not paying its fair share” of FAA expenses (NewsWire, May 31) is that GA doesn’t need all of the FAA “assistance.” The entire U.S. airway system was developed at the request (demand?) of the airlines. So let them pay for it. GA could […]

My co-pilot, Jerry, breezed into the cockpit at pushback time plus five and threw down his flight bag. “Sorry I’m so late — I somehow screwed up my schedule and didn’t even know I was supposed to fly today!”That sort of thing happens from time to time and there isn’t much you can do about […]

FSS Privatization I would appreciate you giving me the opportunity to respond to this letter (AVmail, May 17).Mr. Jim Bemiss:I am a dedicated and hard-working Air Traffic Controller at the Terre Haute, Ind., AFSS. I must say I was offended at your letter this month on FSS privatization. Yes, we are in danger of losing […]

I wanted to make this month’s column another in the series of “courses” I’ve written over the last few years. The VFR season is upon us at Atlanta Center and the VFR traffic is climbing in direct relation to the mercury in the thermometer. As the summer progresses and the sky gets hazier, there will […]

Contract Towers Copy of a letter sent to Sen. Ted Stevens, Chairman, Senate Appropriations CommitteeDear Chairman Stevens:As Congress begins work on the Department of Transportation fiscal year 2005 appropriations bill that includes FAA Federal Contract Tower Program, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization urges you to also initiate a total investigation of the FAA as […]

This article was first published in World AirNews of South Africa. A small piece of Antarctic history was made on Qantas Flight 2915 to Antarctica earlier this year. It was the first full, corporate charter ever to the planet’s last great wilderness — the honor belonging to the Australian subsidiary of South African supermarket suppliers […]

Firefighting Season (and Controversies) Begin Every summer the fire season kicks into gear with all the fury of World War III. The scenario repeats itself every single year. The same questions are asked, the same data used, the same (or increasing) cost to the taxpayer in fire-related losses (not to mention the lives lost). There […]

To the delight of the multitudes, spring has arrived in the higher latitudes. Here in the pilot’s lounge at the virtual airport, Old Hack showed up and growled proudly to the assemblage that he had survived another winter and only fired up the furnace seven times. He then made scurrilous comments about some of our […]