By William Garvey, Molly McMillin, Jessica A. Salerno
A bill for third-class medical reform for pilots is gaining momentum. On Dec. 9, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has passed S. 571, known as the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2. It will now go to the full Senate for consideration. The bill has strong support in the Senate, with 70 co-sponsors, and in the House, where it has 151 co-sponsors, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Since it was introduced in the House and Senate in February, the bill has undergone some major modifications to address concerns by Congress and others.
“I wasn’t going to fly a toy and lose my ticket. I’ve been flying 35 years and have never gotten a violation and always followed the regs. Why would I jeopardize my livelihood?” Why, indeed? So reasoned Bob Howie, Gulfstream V captain at a Houston charter/management company, when he purchased a couple of DJI Phantom Pro 3 drones and contemplated starting a commercial operation. What attracted him to the small UASs that seem to have burgeoned overnight was a lifelong love affair with model aircraft.
By William Garvey, Molly McMillin, Jessica A. Salerno
Business aviation departures in Europe declined 2.5% in November, to 56,200 departures, when compared to a year ago, according to WINGX’s Business Aviation Monitor.
Modesto, California, resident Tom Davis’s background includes 25 years as a scientific programmer during which he developed software apps and performed software engineering for high-speed computer systems. Having been raised on a farm in California’s Central Valley, he also was familiar with mechanized agriculture. And since his father had been an air traffic controller and flight instructor, this spawned an interest in aviation.
By William Garvey, Molly McMillin, Jessica A. Salerno
Aviation Partners, Inc. is partnering with FlexSys to certify, commercialize wing-morphing adaptive control surfaces to potentially boost airfoil performance.
By William Garvey, Molly McMillin, Jessica A. Salerno
This year’s National Business Aviation Association’s convention was a “resounding success,” drawing 27,000 attendees, 1,100 exhibitors and 100 aircraft on display.
Aviation used to be a top career choice for young people, but airline consolidations and failures, the slowdown in business aviation, downsizing, outsourcing and budget pressures, among other things, have left many new job seekers with a negative impression of the aviation industry. While the call of the sky is powerful, the hard math of student loans and low starting pay in an uncertain job market has led many to apply their talents and pin their aspirations to other industries.
Registration may identify some small drone operators, but it won’t keep those intent on mischief, terrorism or just plain stupidity from flying their UASs irresponsibly, illegally, or even malevolently.
Teterboro Airport was the business aviation airport searched the most worldwide on acukwik.com in November 2015, according to an analysis of AC-U-KWIK site traffic. The top airport outside the United States was the second most searched airport overall: Paris Le Bourget Airport.
