Posts by Andy Wilson
Riverside Councilman Questions Plans for Small Planes at March Airport
Riverside Councilman Paul Davis is taking on two colleagues over plans for a terminal to serve small planes at the former March Air Force Base. Davis has questioned how plans for a small terminal to accommodate private and business pilots at March will affect residents in Ward 4, the part of the city nearest the air base.
Read MoreSanta Monica Airport is Worth Saving
Blog: Santa Monica Airport is worth saving
Blogger and pilot Pia Bergqvist advocates on behalf of the beleaguered Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica, Calif. “It would be a true shame to lose what I consider the most beautiful airport in the United States and a large piece of aviation history,” writes Bergqvist. The Los Angeles City Council has recommended the closure of all six flight schools at the airport. Flying
Santa Monica City Council Continues to Work Against Airport
Airport Commission no place for pilots
March 15, 2011 SMO — As city officials begin to look toward the possibilities of a post-2015 Santa Monica Airport, the commission that is meant to advise them on all things aviation received its fifth member, who has a history of involvement with an anti-airport neighborhood group and, like his four colleagues, has no background in aviation.
United Flying Octogenarians Meeting – San Carlos Airport
Monday, Mar 14 – 1:00PM – 5:00PM
NORCAL Pilots Help Sought in Next Gen Planning
Northern California pilots’ help sought in NextGen planning
AOPA is asking pilots operating in airspace around San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., to help shape the introduction of enhanced procedures in their area by sharing their experience during an FAA airspace-optimization review.
Read MoreFAA Safety Briefing
March/April Issue of FAA Safety Briefing Now Available
The new issue of FAA Safety Briefing, available on the FAA Web site at http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/, supports the great safety outreach efforts the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) is doing with its 2nd Annual Safety Standdown. The main Standdown event is on April 2 in Lakeland, Fla., in conjunction with the 2011 Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In and Expo. Also, FAASTeam members around the country are holding more than 90 local Standdown events.
Airports Are Centers of Commerce
Every aviator knows that our nation’s airports are misunderstood.What we typically hear is what airports cost, versus what they provide to the community. Here is a great article in General Aviation News (GAN) on what Sun and Fun means to the community monetarily. When studies are done, airports are better seen as a stimulus for the local economy.
Read MoreVan Nuys – Proposed Nighttime Flight Ban Would Hurt Economy
THE global economic downturn dealt a painful blow to the general aviation industry.
At Van Nuys Airport, a major economic engine of the San Fernando Valley, the airfield’s largest employers have cut jobs by an unprecedented 41 percent. Since 2003, takeoffs and landings have declined an average of 10 percent per year. To put this in perspective, the last time operations dipped this low was in 1962 – when John F. Kennedy was president and man had not yet walked on the moon. Read MoreFlight School Bill Relief
CA bill could ease concerns of flight school certification
California Senate Bill 619, aimed at alleviating the requirements for flight schools under the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009, was introduced Feb. 18. Under the current terms of the bill, all individual flight instructors and flight schools that don’t collect money up front for flight training would be exempt from the provisions of the postsecondary act.
Read MorePilot Insurance Gotcha
Pilot Insurance Gotcha!
A Dassault Falcon 900 was damaged in a landing accident. When the owner filed an insurance claim the response was a dreaded “We don’t cover that”. Earlier the chief pilot acting for the owner requested issuance of a policy that would include coverage for a copilot who met basic standards under FAR 61.55.
