Posts by Andy Wilson
Art Scholl Aviation Ends 36 Year Run At Rialto Airport
Final Fly-In Held As The Business Passes Into The History Books With The Airport Soon To Follow
About 100 pilots quietly held an impromptu fly-in at Rialto Airport (L67) Sunday to mark the passing of two of the industry’s institutions; Art Scholl Aviation and the airport itself.
While the airport is not yet gone, its closure is set for later this year. Judy Scholl decided to close the business this past weekend after 36 years at the airport.
Read MoreFAA Extends Comment Period On Hangar-Use Policy
Agency Grants Extension Requests From EAA, CAF, Others
The FAA will allow an additional 30 days to comment on its proposed hangar-use policy under an extension granted Tuesday following multiple requests from the GA community.
EAA early last week submitted a request for a 60-day extension to the comment period based on the intense interest the policy had generated in the general aviation community. Other extension requests were submitted by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) and by U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO).”
Read MoreNBAA: Block City's Latest Request To Dismiss The Part 16 Petition
NBAA: FAA Should Block City’s Latest Request To Dismiss The Part 16 Petition
On Aug. 28, NBAA and several other parties joined in calling upon the FAA to deny the latest move by the city of Santa Monica to side-step grant-assurance obligations involved with the operation of embattled Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO).
Read MoreNapa Airport provides staging area for earthquake response
September 1, 2014
When the largest quake to hit Northern California since 1989 struck just south of Napa in the early morning of Aug. 24, its epicenter was less than 2 miles from Napa County Airport (APC), but the airfield stayed open and provided a critical staging area for disaster response.
“It was a busy weekend, and the ramp and hangars were full, but we had triple-chocked the aircraft and luckily none moved or sustained damage,” said Mark Willey, CEO of Napa Jet Center, the FBO on the airfield. “Everyone, including our charter flights, was able to fly out on schedule.”
The fuel farm, which is above ground, never lost power, and the FBO offices and the terminal were quickly running off backup generators, he reported to the National Business Aviation Association.
Read MoreRialto / L67 will be closed and gone Sunday August 31st.
If you ever wondered what the movie might be like about the last day at Santa Monica Airport, here’s a preview.
The movie’s “opening” is Sunday August 31, 2014.
Its closing is this Sunday, too.
A movie cut short. A story that’s long. A story that’s sad.
Rialto / L67 will be closed and gone after Sunday, August 31st. And it could be duplicated at Santa Monica if we don’t get further organized, more money raised, and this initiative passed.
Read MoreCalifornia aviation regulation nixed
Proposed amendments to California state regulations that would have encroached on FAA authority by setting minimum altitudes over state 
wilderness areas and other locations (all of which are uncharted) have been scuttled, at least for the time being.
California officials had sought to require a 2,000-foot minimum altitude for flights over state wilderness areas, with a 500 foot agl minimum over “cultural preserves” and “natural preserves.” (CalPilots Editor’s Note: This is an excellent example of the Three Tier Airport/GA Protection Process and why we need local, statewide and national organizations involved and supported).
Read MorePalm Desert opts to explore joint operation of airport
Palm Desert has become the first valley city to signal its interest in at least exploring the possibility of partnering with other local governments as a way to continue operations at the Bermuda Dunes Airport.
Without committing to play a part in the privately owned airport’s future, members of the Palm Desert City Council voted 4-1 on Thursday, with Councilman Bob Spiegel dissenting, to look into what a joint-management agreement could look like.
Read MoreSLO City Council, ALUC clash over development near airfield
The city of San Luis Obispo and the commission that drafts the safety plans for the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport are going to head-to-head over future development in the city.
The City Council this week took the first step to overrule the Airport Land Use Commission’s decision that the city’s update of its general plan, or its blueprint for growth, is inconsistent with the airport’s safety plan.
That plan, in place for more than 40 years, determines what type of development can occur around the airport, taking into account both safety and noise impacts and to protect the airport from development that would hinder its future operations.
Read MoreBay Area earthquake damages Napa County Airport
Clean-up is still underway in the wake of the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the Bay Area early Sunday morning, causing at least two hundred injuries, power outages for thousands of customers and damage to many buildings, the Mercury News reports.
In a tweet, officials at the Port of Oakland reported that the South Napa Earthquake (it already has a name), which had its epicenter about 9 miles south of Napa, did no damage to the Oakland International Airport.
But damage was sustained at the Napa County Airport.
Read MoreComment Period for Airman Certification Standards Open until Aug. 25
In 2011, the FAA established an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) composed of industry experts to provide recommendations on improving the FAA’s airman testing and training materials. As a result, the ARC chose to adopt an “Airman Certification Standards” (ACS) approach that would define not only the performance metrics for knowledge and skill, but also the required content for guidance materials such as the FAA-H-series handbooks and for relevant knowledge test questions.
