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“These are very remote areas we fly to,” says Don Carey, Utah Wing Leader of Angel Flight West. “We launch from Salt Lake City, and it’s about two hours to Bluff, in a Warrior. There’s nothing but wilderness for miles and miles. There’s no access from major highways. Last year, we flew to Navajo Mountain, […]

Santa Arrives At Navajo Nation If you’re a pilot, and have an airplane, and you’re an active member of Angel Flight, then you’re probably the type of person who’d be happy to fly off during Christmas week to deliver piles of gifts to children on the Navajo reservation in southern Utah. The Utah Wing has […]

“We’re tapping the high-performance computing capability of today’s aircraft to move more planes more safely and efficiently,” said FAA Administrator Marion Blakey. “The environmental benefits are terrific too, because flying straight down the middle of the flight path means that people on the ground perceive less jet noise and experience fewer engine emissions.” More RNP […]

DCA RNP Now Open To All A new GPS approach is now available to all aircraft at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). The Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approach had been working since September, but only for Alaska Airlines, which pioneered the use of such approaches to improve access into remote and challenging airports. At Reagan […]

Airspace restrictions, in their various forms, are analyzed by the report. Objections from pilots and the impact on flight operations are noted. “The resource requirements and associated costs for monitoring restricted airspace and providing airspace protection around critical sites raise policy questions regarding the appropriate balancing of these measures with efforts to address other homeland […]

The report carefully analyzes the limited capability of the typical GA aircraft to carry conventional explosives. “At least with regard to being used as a platform for conventional explosives, the threat posed by light GA aircraft is relatively small compared to trucks which have significantly larger payload capacities,” the report states. However, the report also […]

AOPA Finds It Supportive The Congressional Research Service has released a new report, “Securing General Aviation,” which AOPA says will aid lobbying efforts in support of fair and rational treatment for GA in any new security legislation. The 43-page report aims to provide members of Congress with nonpartisan research results and analysis. It explains what […]

Smith said he’s spoken with the parachute pilots about the hunters’ concerns and is convinced they are doing everything possible to avoid trouble. He said he’s worked closely with them to design safe operating procedures that keep them from conflict with regular aircraft and to his knowledge they’ve been completely cooperative. The pilots have not […]

The pilots in question (we know who they are but have decided not to identify them) claim they were on final approach to the south of the airport, over private property next to a conservation area, when a man standing on a levee pointed a gun at the lead aircraft. “As I was flying over […]

Pilots Allege Gun Pointed At Aircraft The manager of a small airport near St. Louis says he just wants to “try to open up the lines of communication” between local hunters and pilots since a recent confrontation between the two. Tracy Smith, manager of St. Charles County Smartt Airport, said he’ll look into allegations that […]