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I'm certain that the mayor only wants what is best for our city. Like a casino. And besides, what our mayor wants, our mayor gets. Although, usually in the middle of the night when no one else can stop him.

And as many members of the AOPA and EAA know, a group calling itself Stop The Noise is already filing lawsuits against private pilots for the noise planes make when flying over their houses despite the FAA saying the pilots are doing nothing wrong. Another group, the General Aviation Legal Defense Fund is trying to collect donations to fight these lawsuits. Imagine the explosion of lawsuits that would result over the noise caused by these cars flying over peoples homes...

I doubt the 80%, but it would help quite a bit. Currently, weather related accidents account for only 2.6% of accidents in General Aviation according to the AOPA's Air Safety Foundation's Nall report from last year (http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/03nall.pdf). This may not seem like much until one realizes that these accidents comprise 12.6% of all FATAL accidents. The vast majority of these accidents are not people flying purposely in IMC, but VFR only pilots flying into weather.

Although all pilots are trained a little on how to fly on instruments alone, the minimum number of hours to get your license is only 3, and a short 10 minutes test on the checkride. To top this off, most recreational pilots rarely practice this sort of training. So say a recreational pilot flies into IMC on accident, he/she may/probably not have the nececary training to safely maneuver their vay out of the clouds solely by reference to antiquated instruments where you must form an image of your attitude based on the readings of 6 basic instruments and your position based on another 2. And they better hope that no instrument fails since the vacuum pump which powers your primary instrument (attitude indicator, especially for those not trained in partial panel flying) has a meam time between failure of only about 2000 hrs.

Imagine this situation with one of these. The pilot flies into the clouds and instead of having to rely on their possibly rusty knowledge of instrument flying, they look down and there's a nice picture of world that you can't see.

Besides this benefit, the workload on pilots in IMC would decrease since the picture they have on the panel is the picture they used to have to form in their heads. Another added benefit is that the mean time between failures for solid state gyros is about 10000hrs, why do you think the airlines use them? Of course, you are certainly right about the information overload, but usually this is a case of the pilot not knowing how to manipulate the system to his/her desires, much like a n00b on a computer. Check out some CRM articles on this for more information on the whole glass cockpit dilemna. Flight Deck Automation Issues is an excellent website for studies on this. I could go on, but I really don't feel like typing anymore.

Thank you for mentioning this. The press is just as clueless here in the States about anything Aeronautical. Most "Aviation Experts" on CNN, etc... are generally sensationalists, not professionals. Commercial aviation is boring because it's DESIGNED to be... system failures with multiple redundant systems and training on how to use all of them and understand the systems is... a non-event in almost all cases. (The computer industry could learn a lot from the Aviation industry, but the drama queen project managers and their staff who like drama would never stand for it.)

About the only good source of Aviation news (although highly biased toward supporting Aviation and not ashamed to admit their bias unlike the "Fair and Balanced" reporting of some...) in the U.S. is AvWeb.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association magazine and website aren't bad either, but they have to be careful not to step on toes... if they want to accomplish anything. Phil Boyer is an excellent statesman, but sometimes it takes an outside editorial from "the press" before he can really say anything bad about any particular sub-set of aviation.

At any rate, all this will probably be clarified by the time you're ready to begin training.

You'll be restricted to flying no further than 50 nautical miles from your base airport in a light sport aircraft, with only a sport pilot certificate.

Both have useful information. Minimum required hours is 40 last I can remember.
Typical rental of a C152 is $65/hr including fuel, Instructor is another $40/hr (although after 20 hours you can solo, further cutting your costs).
(NOTE: Rental time is the time the MASTER SWITCH is on, not the time you actually have the plane for.)

I think it is a bit more than this. My understanding of the SPL is that it will allow people to fly small airplanes locally, bypassing much of the training required for the PPL (like cross country (distance greater than 50 miles) training. These new pilots will also not be allowed to fly at night, or over 10000 feet.

Since a lot of people get their license then tend to stay in the local area, hopping to familiar airports for lunch, this is a good option for them.

From Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Light Sport Aircraft are aircraft that are too large to be considered an ultralight or aircraft that do not meet the "51%" requirement to be considered an amateur homebuilt airplane, and are only simple, low-performance, low-energy, aircraft limited to two occupant seats. Light Sport aircraft is defined as a simple, low-performance, low-energy aircraft that is limited to -- 1,232 lbs. maximum certificated gross weight two-occupant seating a single engine (non-turbine) a stall speed of 39 knots with lift enhancing devices or 45 knots without. maximum airspeed of 115 knots fixed landing gear

the AOPA has been working on this for a while : http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2004/040720 sport.html

Currently subscribe and read cover-to-cover:

• The Economist
• Harper's
• Flying
• Aviation Safety Letters
• SIGOPS Pubs

Read frequently:

• PHOTO (European Release (FRA)))
• Photo Techniques
• PDN (Photo District News)
• B&W
• View Camera
• AOPA Pilot

I have a subscription to AOPA Pilot which comes with membership. Any other pilot types out there?

As I've had in my .sig you can fly, too. The hardest part is starting. Go to your nearest airport and take the $49 demo flight.

Be A Pilot has all of the info. Other great resouces are AOPA and EAA.

Currently there are ten (10) TFRs around the US that were enacted soon after 9/11 and/or right before the opening of hostilities against Iraq. There is no need for these TFRs any more, yet the Administration will not instruct the FAA to remove them. The Aircraft Owner's and Pilots Association (AOPA) spends most of their time and money these days fighting the TFRs and ensuring that they are announced with enough lead time so pilots can plan around them and that they are removed in a timely manner. You can read more about it at the AOPA website.

This Administration does not need a technology that would enhance the annoyance they are causing priviate pilots!

It is a shame that many general aviation pilots won't be able to attend!

Apparently, because President Bush is expected to be at the ceremonies at Kill Devil Hill, All aviation activities in the vicinity are going to ceace. A special exception had to be made for the Wright Flyer Replica so that it would be allowed to leave the ground. Gosh, those new-fangled flying machines might hurt someone!

This article gives details and links to the actual NOTAM text published by the FAA. The practical upshot of all this is that we private aviators of this country are not welcome to the event.

I wonder what Orville and Wilbur Wright would have thought of this.

The irony of today's events in North Carolina is that Bush's attending of the events is shutting down all of the airports in the area because of a presidential movement TFR (temporary flight restriction)!

Presidential TFR

The event coordinators have obtained special clearance for the Wright flyer to fly, along with the other planes for the airshows, etc.

I've always meant to try this out some day, but have not gotten around to it yet. Of course this technique doesn't compensate for natural and man-made obstacles, especially the Temporary Flight Restrictions that follow the President around as he raises funds.

I've always meant to try this out some day, but have not gotten around to it yet. Of course this technique doesn't compensate for natural and man-made obstacles, especially the Temporary Flight Restrictions that follow the President around as he raises funds.

You don't have to be poor or have bad credit to be totally prohibited from flying. For example, everyone who flies private (GA) aircraft, or who patronizes a flight school, aircraft rental, or fixed base operator in the Washington area has been fucked in the ass by the Mayberry Machiavellians. To fly a Cessna around the pattern at JYO or HEF, assuming there will still be somewhere to buy fuel or tie the aircraft down at night, you now have to file a flight plan and transmit a discrete transponder code or risk interception.

Ah yes, ValuJet 592. We all know that it was a load of model rocket engines that caused the fire on that plane, don't we?

Oh wait-- it was pyrotecnic oxygen generators that were supposedly emptied of their chemical reactants. These same oxygen generators, when properly installed and utilized, are what let you breathe when the little masks pop out of the overhead compartments.

My take is this: it's just one more sign of the total lack of competence on the part of the United States Federal Government. It reminds me of the TFRs placed around nuclear power plants. Pilots like me were warned "don't fly within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant!" Fine. Where are they? "We can't tell you." What? You want us to avoid something we don't know where it is? "Yes. If we told you where they were, the EEEEEVIL people would know too!" The AOPA was instrumental in getting that awful rule repealed.

Why is the government incompetent? Are all G-men just idiots? Of course not. The major problem is that We, The People, have sent them on a fool's errand. We've asked them to do what is both impossible for them to accomplish and rightfully our own personal responsibilities-- ensure our personal safety. We've become a Nation of babies, incapable of caring for ourselves. Perhaps the pony-tailed guy was right: we are their children.

There has been so much public outcry (if you'll pardon the expression) to do something that invariably the wrong things are done to look proactive. The feds are completely impotent to solve the problems we demand them to solve. It's no wonder they look so bad.

From the comments I am surprised at how few people here fly small planes. There are over 9000 airstrips in the US and over 100,000 small planes.

http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/01nall.pdf.

In 2000, Fuel mismanagement was determined to be the cause of 5.5% of all pilot-related accidents, ranking it #5.

For comparision:

• Landing: 34.5%
• Takeoff/climb: 22.9%
• Descent/approach: 11.6%
• Maneuvering: 9.6%
• Fuel mismanagement: 5.5%
• Go-around: 5.3%
• Weather: 4.2%
• Preflight/Taxi: 3.4%
• Other Cruise: 1.6%
• Other: 1.5%

This is for all accidents. Fatal accidents have a different distribution: Fuel mismanagement is tied for 6th place with three other causes.

8. Stupidity

Look, if society (read: corporations) used the technology we already have, we would have:

A. Automated cars that you don't have to drive;
B. Automated foodmakers that could make, say, a simple breakfast;
C. Automated body-scrubbers that would use less soap and water than your average bath or shower;
D. Clothing that is custom made to fit your laser-scanned carcass;
E. Cell phones, fax machines, microwave ovens, TV remotes, alarm clocks, and VCRs whose features are designed such that people of ordinary intelligence can actually use and benefit from them.

The other drawbacks to the widespread use of personal aircraft are:
9. NIMBYs (on the average, two U.S. general aviation airports close every week (source: Aircraft Owners & Pilots Assn); and
10. The FAA.

...no real security against Cessna's loaded with ammonia and diesel

Hey Mr. Stats! Do you know that the average SUV weighs more than a Cessna? Do you know how much weight a Cessna can carry?

I'll give you hint: A Cessna 152 trainer has a useful load of less than 400 pounds. That does not include the weight of fuel. When a student pilot rents one for the private pilot checkride they can't fly if the FAA examiner weighs more than 200 lbs.

Most General Aviation aircraft have useful loads in the range of 600-900 pounds, once again, deduct the weight of the pilot and any gas in the tanks. Most GA planes can take four passengers OR full tanks of fuel, but not both. In other words you could take maybe ONE 55 gallon drum of diesel fuel, less the fertilizer. Timmy McVeigh would have been very disappointed in the bang that would make.

While you're railing against ineffective security measures, rail against something that had SOMETHING to do with the 9/11 attacks. Small planes were not involved.

Leave my plane alone. I'm using it to avoid the stupidity on the commercial flights. It compares well with jet travel when "passengers are advised to show up 2 hours before the scheduled departure time for their flight."

The Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association

AOPA Has information on when the airspace system will be reopened. I expect it will be a few days till its back to something like normal over much of the country and the weekend till its OK in New York and Washington DC.

And I would expect the state of emergency in NYC to continue threw Rosh Hashonah next week. It will be quite strange driving into New York City this Friday for Shabbos and Yom Tov.

No, analog instruments fail also. This AOPA.Org article mentions about 40 aircraft accidents involving vacuum pump problems, causing problems for instruments.