Aviation Interest

The business aviation community in Northern California has established the Northern California Business Aviation Association. Read more…

Santa Claus, like all pilots, is required to receive an annual checkride from a FAA evaluator.

Don’t forget to come to our Annual Meeting being held at the Hyatt which is connected to the Long Beach Convention Center where AOPA Summit is being held. We will be located in the Seaview Room A which is downstairs from registration at the Hyatt. (read the details above). Note: You do not need to…

A self-described “Mooney Girl” is this year’s recipient of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA’s) Joseph Crotti Award for service to general aviation (GA) in California. Jolie Lucas, founder of the Mooney Ambassadors, was honored for her work to protect Oceano Airport (L52) in San Luis Obispo County.

Now available online, the November/December 2010 issue of FAA Safety Briefing focuses on a subject fundamental to pilot safety: how to handle abnormal and emergency situations. The issue stresses the delicate art of planning for the unplanned and outlines several tools and resources pilots can draw upon to handle emergencies.

2010 CALPILOTS Annual Meeting Get Informed, Become Involved Each year that AOPA holds its Aviation Summit in California, the California Pilots Association hosts a booth (1451) in the Summit’s non-profit section, and holds our annual meeting as part of Summit. This year’s meeting will not disappoint – we have lined up some great speakers and…

2010 Airport Advocates of the Year – The California Pilots Association is pleased to announce the recipients of the California Pilots Association 2010 Airport Advocates of the Year Award.

The GAfuels Blog is written by two private pilots concerned about the future availability of fuels for piston-engine aircraft: Dean Billing, Sisters, Ore., an expert on autogas and ethanol, and Kent Misegades, Cary, N.C., an aerospace engineer and aviation journalist.

Update – FAA extends comment period on IA proposal

The FAA’s recently proposed change in the definition of “actively engaged” for issuing and renewing an A&P Inspector Authorization (IA) has stirred up a lot of worry in the GA community. The comment period for the notice of proposed policy published on Nov. 5 has been extended to Jan. 17, 2011. According to the FAA, “an individual must be actively engaged, for at least the prior two-year period, in maintaining aircraft to be eligible to either obtain or renew an IA.” This proposal is a significant change to long-established practice for IA qualifications, according to officials at the National Business Aviation Association. Comment on the proposal here, docket number FAA-2010-1060.

The FAA needs to do a better job of issuing certifications and approvals, the Government Accountability Office concluded in a recent report. A lack of efficiency and consistency in how the FAA interprets its own rules adversely affects the aviation industry, causing delays and higher costs, the analysts found.