Posts by Andy Wilson
San Francisco airport plans $4.1 billion in upgrades over 10 years
San Francisco’s airport plans to spend $4.1 billion over the next decade to fund a major upgrade to its facilities. The expenditures will lead to the creation of more than 36,000 jobs, according to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who announced the figures today.
The San Francisco International Airport Commission will vote on the budget at its meeting on Tuesday. The main source of money for these capital projects will be general revenue bonds.
“SFO’s 10-year capital improvement plan ensures that our airport can achieve its goal to create a world-class facility, and continue to be a vital source of job creation in the Bay Area,” said Lee. “SFO is an engine which helps power our local economies, bring tourism and jobs to the entire region and this investment in our infrastructure keeps that engine running strong.” Read MoreRocky Mountain Light Sport Aircraft Expo
Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19, 2013 will mark the 3rd Annual Rocky Mountain Light Sport Aircraft Expo at Front Range Airport. This year’s Expo will have something for everyone. Come take a look at the newest Light Sport Aircraft on the market, a variety of experimental aircraft and the classics of general aviation. Take advantage of seminars and demonstrations on the latest drone technology. We will have exhibitors and seminars to showcase the best and newest aviation technology as well as demo flights and static displays.
Read More20 year old attempts around the world flight for charity
Fresno, CA. – At 20 years old, Jack Wiegand is preparing for the flight of his life to break the Guinness World Records™ title, something he has been working toward since his first flight at the age of 13. In May 2013, this record-breaking journey will take him from his home in Fresno, California, to exotic destinations he has dreamed of since childhood. Rome, Egypt, Bangkok and Tokyo are only a few of the locations he will travel to on his flight around the world.
Jack’s journey to make history began on his 13th birthday when he piloted his first introductory glider. On his 14th birthday, he became the youngest pilot in the Central California Soaring Club to solo a glider, and when Jack was 16, he soloed his first single-engine power plane. Now 20 years old, Jack plans to break the Guinness World Records™ title in May 2013 by becoming the youngest person to fly solo around the world.
Read MoreFAA NAFC Flight Advisory – GPS Testing
May 13th-16th – GPS interference testing 24nm south of the Bonneville (UT) VORTAC may result in unreliable or unavailable GPS signals for almost a 400nm radius from the test site at 10,000′ agl. This testing will impact GPS signals in every state in the northwest mountain region, along with several others.
Read MoreOceano Airport Celebration May 10th and 11th, 2013
Join us May 10th and 11th for a good old-fashioned airport celebration at Oceano Airport.
Friday night May 10th: Beach Burger Fry and Dance featuring the San Luis Jazz Band.
Tickets for the dinner/dance are $10 and available from any FOA volunteer or at the gate. Enjoy a burger, hayrides, strolling under the stars on the ramp and a great time shaking your groove thing.
Saturday, May 11th is Celebration Day and begins at 8:30 with the 5-Cities Lion’s Club famous pancake breakfast.
Family friendly, free admission.
Read MoreWounded Warriors Experience A Helicopter Simulator With HSC-3
San Diego, CA – Ten Wounded Warriors Get Co-Pilot Experience In The Sim – Wounded Warriors from Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), had the opportunity to experience a helicopter simulator at Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3, May 10. The Wyakin Warrior Foundation (WYWF), a nonprofit organization which provides education and professional development to wounded veterans, in conjunction with the San Diego Leadership Forum (SDLF) and HSC-3, invited 10 Wounded Warriors to spend an evening at the HSC-3 helicopter simulation facility.
Read MoreCalifornia Aviation Awareness Day
‘No Plane No Gain’ Message Highlighted at Inaugural California Aviation Awareness Day – A diverse cross section of California-based aircraft owners and operators gathered April 24 at the state capitol in Sacramento for the first-ever California Aviation Awareness Day, a two-hour interactive forum where participants were able to engage with lawmakers and the general public in discussions about the importance of the aviation industry to the California economy.
Read MoreAngel Flight West Drives Expansion
The nonprofit, volunteer-driven, non-emergency air transport organization Angel Flight West is inviting all other volunteer pilot organizations to use its new software and database system at no cost. The system facilitates management of personnel and flight requests and includes debrief capabilities “through a user-friendly, robust filtering system,” according to the group. By offering the system, free of charge, the organization hopes both to reduce the workload of individual volunteers who process and coordinate missions for similar groups, and to facilitate the expansion of public-benefit flying organizations. Angel Flight West saw a surge in activity in 2012 that left them seeking additional volunteer pilots.
Read More Santa Monica Continues its Quest to Illegally Close its Airport
AIN Blog: Goodbye SMO – The general aviation industry in the U.S. lost a key battle last night when the Santa Monica city council voted to impose higher landing fees, not just on transient aircraft but on all aircraft that use the airport. Starting August 1, even a Cessna 172 based at Santa Monica airport (SMO) flown by a local student or rental pilot will be assessed $10.96 for each landing. For training operations, that means a student pilot will end up paying $10.96 for every landing or touch-and-go. A typical business jet flying into SMO, say a Hawker 850XP, will pay $120.56, up from $45.54. Movie actor, airplane and helicopter owner-pilot Harrison Ford, who keeps his fleet at SMO, will be paying a lot more to fly from now on.
(CalPilots Editor’s Note: There are abundant monetary resources associated with the aviation community at SMO. It’s time that they organize a legal challenge of the City’s continual harassment of the airport, starting with a complete audit of all aviation related monies collected at SMO. We believe that the the City’s ongoing claim of running in deficit will be proved erroneous once the numbers are reviewed by expertise other than the current anti-airport groups).
Hiller Aviation Museum – Seaplane Adventure!
Saturday May 4th 10AM-3PM – San Carlos, CA. – Come see this beautiful Grumman Mallard along with other fantastic seaplanes on Saturday, May 4th at Seaplane Adventure at the Hiller Aviation Museum. Seaplane Adventure features a fly-in of “amphibious” aircraft from around the western United States. These planes can operate from land as well as…
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