Archive for April 2013
Willits celebrates Aviation Awareness Day
“Willits has an airport?” – That’s the question new airport manager Dan Ramsey sometimes gets on introductions. “Yes, for nearly 49 years,” he responds. “The reason many Willits people don’t know about the airport is that it’s located four miles out of town at the northeast corner of Brooktrails,” he explains. “It serves the entire Little Lake Valley and beyond. A Willits pilot can be whale-watching, landing in Ukiah or Covelo, or even at Lampson Field in Lakeport, within about 20 minutes.”
This year’s California Aviation Awareness Day, Ramsey notes. “Reminds non-pilots how much state and local communities rely on aviation.”
Aviation annually adds $155 million to California’s economy. The state has nearly 35,000 registered aircraft and more than 62,000 licensed pilots and 246 airports, yet only 30 offer commercial passenger service. The other 87 percent serve “general aviation,” single- and twin-engine aircraft, typically owned and flown by people for recreation.
CAFE Symposium Explores Flight Of The Future
Santa Rosa, CA. – An array of experts in a variety of aircraft technologies, from batteries to aerodynamics to photovoltaics, are gathering in Santa Rosa, Calif., for this week’s 7th annual CAFE electric-aircraft symposium. Representatives from NASA, IBM, Pipistrel, MIT, UCLA, and more, are convening to share the results of their latest research and contribute to creating the next generation of flight. “There’s a great deal of promise that we can have emissions-free airplanes,” event organizer Dr. Brien Seeley told AVweb on Thursday. General-aviation aircraft that are quiet, vibration-free, and easy to operate have “the potential to really proliferate,” he said. The meeting will be held Friday and Saturday.
Read MoreLanding fees increased at Santa Monica Airport
It’s about to get more expensive to land at Santa Monica Airport (SMO) in southern California.
On April 30 the Santa Monica City Council approved a landing fee of $5.48 per 1,000 pounds on all aircraft — transient and locally based alike. For the pilot of a Cessna 172, that’s $10.96 for each landing. The fee is slated to go into effect Aug. 1.
Read MoreCalifornia Dreamin' October 18-19, 2013
We are very excited to invite you to our CalPilots Annual Meeting/Fly-In, California Dreamin’. California Dreamin’ will be graciously hosted by The San Luis Jet Center at McChesney Field [SBP] in beautiful San Luis Obispo on October 18th and 19th. ACI San Luis Jet Center owner Bill Borgsmiller and general manager Andrew Robilard are very…
Read MoreApparently we do need this tower
The “Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013” (H.R. 1765) was introduced on Friday, April 26, by Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa). It was signed by President Obama on Wednesday, May 1. You see, Congress and the President can get things done…when they want to. The full title of the bill is “To provide the Secretary of…
Read MoreThe show must go on
When I was a young girl, my father would take the family to various airport days and aviation events in California. I grew up with prop tags, airshow hot dogs, and the sounds of warbirds. As an adult, I have loved attending and putting on events at general aviation airports. It is sad for me in 2013 to see the downsizing or cancellation of some of our wonderful airshows and aviation events because of financial concerns from the sequestration budget cuts.
From the cancellation of Indiana’s 2013 Indianapolis Air Show to expected decreases in the amount of military participation at Lake in the Sky Airshow in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., to the postponement of military and small hometown shows, the shockwaves continue. Yet as we remove some shows from our calendars, we can add smaller shows or events instead. – Get involved, support local airshows, fly-ins
Read MoreWhich way do we go?
As general aviation comes to grips with the various opportunities to grow our community, we become aware that we face a few issues as well. First and foremost among those vexing problems may be the fact, and yes it is a fact, that we and our potential customer base speak different languages. That matters, of…
Read MoreCalifornia Aviation Awareness Day
California Aviation Awareness Day
California Aviation Awareness Day Sponsorship
WHY SUPPORT AVIATION DAY?
The historical level of state support is insufficient to sustain the infrastructure
Read MoreTighter Rules for Meteorological Towers
MARTINEZ, CA — Contra Costa County looks for clarity on adding lights as part of tighter rules for meteorological towers. Following the state’s lead, Contra Costa County is poised to tighten its rules for marking meteorological towers that might prove hazardous to aircraft.
However, county planning commissioners postponed taking action this week, asking for more information about adding aviation light beacons atop towers 150 feet and taller.
The item will be brought back to the planning commission at its April 23 meeting.
The state approved legislation last fall in response to the January 2011 fatal crash of agricultural pilot Stephen Allen after his airplane struck a 198-foot tower on Webb Tract that he likely did not see. The tower was erected in 2009. Read More