Posts by Andy Wilson
Latest Letter to NOAA on West Coast Airspace Grab
Congressman Issa’s Office has advised us that it would be best to summarize what the issue is that the California Pilots Association has with the NOAA change of airspace along the entire west coast. Click Read More to read the letter.
Golden Opportunities and Bitter Pills
Participating in politics is, in essence, an exercise in dealing with people. The goal is to establish a method of governing or providing management services. But in the end it all comes down to developing and utilizing your ability to talk to, listen to, and work with a staggeringly diverse group of people. Like most…
Read MoreQuail Brush Power Plant Opposed
The Quail Brush Power Plant project opposition recently asked the California Pilots Association (CalPilots) if we planned to oppose the project based on thermal plume safety issues and due to the projects’ proximity to the Gillespie Airport and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
As a result, Bob Eppers, CalPilots Region 5 VP appeared before the San Diego City Council to voice CalPilots aviation based objections to the Quail Brush project.
Read MorePilot Safety Radio
Sutter Airport Has Hit its Own 'Fiscal Cliff'
Greater government oversight. Rising expenses. Rents below market value.A combination of those factors, according to Sutter County officials and supervisors, is what took the county’s airport off a “fiscal cliff” of its own in recent years, and a situation those same officials said they hope it’s emerging from now.
To Supervisor Stan Cleveland, two developments emerged about a decade ago that put the airport’s finances on shaky ground. The first was the post-Sept. 11, 2001, environment in which the federal government’s push for homeland security led to greater oversight of general aviation airports like Sutter County’s.
Read MoreFAA Acts On ELT Straps
The FAA has banned the use of Velcro-type straps to secure emergency locator transmitters designed and built after Nov. 26 of this year. The new rule came two years after a high-profile crash that killed Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and four others. The ELT aboard the Otter they were on came loose on impact and detached from the antenna. Rescuers found it on the floor in the back of plane, activated but unable to transmit because it wasn’t connected to the antenna. “In this case, the airplane was equipped with a functioning 406 megahertz ELT, which can be a tremendous aid to search and rescue operations,” NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said following the board’s preliminary investigation. “But this vital life-saving technology won’t do anyone any good if it doesn’t stay connected to the antenna.” The NTSB recommended the FAA review the safety standards for ELT straps and this TSO may have been the result.
LAX Planning for Jumbo Jets
LAX runway separation plan advances, over groups’ objections – Some neighbors and Ontario airport supporters oppose a plan touted as improving safety and the handling of the largest new aircraft at Los Angeles International.
A controversial plan to separate the two northern runways at Los Angeles International Airport by 260 feet advanced last week when airport staff recommended the proposal for further environmental review over other runway options.
Read MoreCAMP PENDLETON EXERCISE
PSP-Palm Springs Intrnl Arpt-Installment of PAPA on Right Side to Replace VASI
Notice Number: NOTC4478
ALERT BULLETIN: SUBJECT: RWY 31L – Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) Activation
FACILITY: Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)
TRIGGERING EVENT: Replacement of VASI Navigational Aid (NAVAID) equipment on left to PAPI on right.
NARRATIVE:
On December 15, 2012 the Palm Springs International Airport, Air Traffic Control (ATC) will activate the newly installed RWY 31L Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) system. This equipment replaces the Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) system for RWY 31L, previously on “left” side of runway. Read MoreSFO to return $2.1 Million in Misspent Stimulus Funds
The Federal Aviation Administration will take back $2.1 million in stimulus funds that it gave to San Francisco International Airport because the money was used improperly, according to the Department of Transportation’s inspector general.
