Flight Planning

After a half-century of experience in the cargo flying sector, long-time pilot Stan DeLong has seen it all. He claims to be semi-retired, but he still flies a Piper Navajo Chieftain during United Parcel Service’s peak season, and is chief pilot and check airman for Gem Air, LLC. If you make the mistake of assuming […]

I was flying near Salinas, California, when the Goodyear blimp was passing over the airport. Tower advised an inbound aircraft of the blimp in the area. Tower: “Beech 1234 be advised there’s a blimp at your two o’clock, three thousand feet.” Beech 1234: “Is that from the top or from the bottom? Doug Anderson Salinas, […]

The small universe of general aviation advocacy groups usually forms a united front, working together to promote common interests, but this week that changed. On Thursday, Women in Aviation International withdrew its support of AOPA’s protests regarding FBO fees, leaving AOPA now the only major GA group still pushing the initiative. “As a pilot myself, […]

AOPA and 11 other aviation user groups called on the FAA on Tuesday to take action against “egregious FBO fees and denial of airport access.” The groups said hidden fees and unaffordable costs for ramp space deny pilots “reasonable access to federally funded airports.” NATA quickly issued a dissenting statement, citing “misguided assumptions” driving AOPA’s […]