Endings, beginnings, and opportunities

CalPilots

Regular readers of this column may notice a small change to the bio blurb that runs below. It’s shorter. The line about being the founder and president of the Polk Aviation Alliance has been removed, because although I remain the founder, I am no longer the president. I’ve resigned. My local newspaper, which seems to…

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Ivanpah Solar Farm

CalPilots

NEXT Solar farmThe Ivanpah Solar Farm At the Ivanpah solar farm, 347,000 software-controlled mirrors that track the sun’s movement throughout the day. They direct light toward one of three towers, where a water boiler creates steam that powers a generator. Ethan Miller/ Getty Images

In February, the Ivanpah Solar Electricity Generating System opened over a 3,500-acre stretch of the Mojave Desert. The solar thermal farm operates at 392 megawatts—just under 1 percent of California’s total energy production, or enough to power 140,000 homes.

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FAAST BLAST

CalPilots

Hands Off! Could a simple change to your flying style help save your life? Veteran flight instructor Gene Hudson thinks it just might. In his article on page 13 in the latest edition of FAA Safety Briefing (http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/) he suggests a methodology for avoiding unintentional stall through the proper use of trim. To learn more…

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Tell your story

CalPilots

Perhaps it has occurred to you. as it has to me, aviation attracts high achievers like a moth to a flame. Ours is not the domain of the weak or timid. Similarly it’s not an exclusive outpost for rich, old, white guys who split their time between the golf course, the yacht club, the airport,…

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Recreational-use liability bill progresses in California

CalPilots

RAFlogo transBill submitted on behalf of the Recreational Aviation Foundation – With the introduction of Senate Bill 1072, California becomes the latest state to consider legislation to add aviation to the activities protected under the state’s recreational-use statute. This bill would include general aviation under a current code that limits a landowner’s liability for recreational use of the property by others.

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FAA seeks help for annual GA survey

CalPilots

faaThe FAA is asking for help on the thirty-sixth annual General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey covering calendar year 2013. The annual survey serves as the only source of information on the GA fleet, the number of hours flown, and the ways people use GA aircraft.

The data will be used to determine funding for infrastructure and service needs, assess the impact of regulatory changes, and measure aviation safety. It also will be used to calculate fatal accident rates for GA and Part 135 aircraft.

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FAA opens dialogue on sleep apnea

CalPilots

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Officials at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) say they welcome a step taken by the FAA to open a dialogue with the aviation industry about the agency’s pilot-screening proposal for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The FAA recently circulated draft revisions of its proposal as a mechanism to engage industry stakeholders on…

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Record Setting: Mojave Experimental Fly-in

CalPilots

Mojave SpaceportThere were nine record attempts, by five different airplanes, seven of which were successful. As far as we know this is more record attempts set by more airplanes at a single event than has ever happened in the history of aviation record setting.

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