JetMan ditches in the Strait of Gibraltar 2-7-10: News articles are reporting that Yves Rossy, the former Swiss fighter pilot was not successful when he tried to fly from Morroco across the Strait of Gibraltar to Spain. Due to cloud cover, he had to release his wing attachment and parachute into the water. They say that he was moving at 140 mph. I guess that wing would not qualify as a light sport aircraft. 

AOPA Cirrus SR-22 winner from California! 2-7-10: Sorry to say that no one from New Hampshire won the AOPA Cirrus. Instead, it went to an airline pilot from California. He already has a Cessna 180 that he occasionally fly's to work. I wonder if he'll sell his 180? Although I'm very disappointed that I didn't win, there's always next year when they announce the winner of a Remos LSA.

Military UAV MQ-9 Predator aka the REAPER 2-4-10:There has been in increasing number of articles about the new MQ-9 UAV that was on display at Oshkosh. A recent article I read said that the MQ-9 Predator B, a larger version of the original and recon-only Predator UAV, is now in service with the U.S. Border Patrol used primarily for border surveillance and drug interdiction. The Predator B platform also is capable of carrying heavier payloads, including rockets, and has seen service recently in with U.S. armed forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The article went on to say, " the older version could stay in the air for 40 hours powered by the ubiquitous Rotax 914, a 120-hp turbocharged version of the Rotax 912 seen in most LSAs. In the Predator B, they went with a Honeywell (Garret) TPE-331-10T in the 750-hp class. Despite this gargantuan jump in power, it can fly missions of more than 30 hours duration and the 3,800 lb payload translates into a large rack of Hellfire missiles." I just watched a couple of video's on YouTube on Hellfire missiles and the destruction caused by one missile is amazing... They say that the "Reaper" loiters at IFR altitudes. I wonder if you would see a Hellfire missile if it went whizzing by a Skyhawk at 7500 ft.?

 TFR OVER MANCHESTER/NASHUA, NH, ON TUESDAY, Feb 2nd ~2-01-10: Here we go again. This time the president will be in Nashua. 

SkyDive Laconia? 1-30-10:  In a recent newsletter from AOPA one article was about a husband and wife skydive team that has been denied a request to operate a skydive business at the Laconia airport. Googling skydive laconia turned up some interesting dialogue at the Winnipesaukee blog website. The LAA denied the application by a unanimous vote. The FAA office at Burlington, Mass. said the proposed skydiving operations would, at best, "Be a difficult fit into the operations at the Laconia Airport." I don't know about the pro's and con's of this subject, but I can say I rented a Skyhawk from the FBO at Santa Anna Airport in New Mexico. When I taxied out for my check ride, I noticed people with parachute gear within a few hundred feet of the taxiway. The instructor informed me that was the skydive landing circle and that was the reason for the right hand pattern on 28. So they were skydiving on one side of the runway and we were flying on the other side. Making a mistake on the traffic pattern would not be a good thing. 

PiperSport, LSA 1-23-10: Piper Aircraft has decided to join the light sport market by offering their own version of a light sport. But they are not the manufacturers of the plane. AOPA said it's a, "rebranded aircraft built in the Czech Republic that was formerly known as the Sport Cruiser." There seems to be a sort of pseudo standard evolving with these light sports. I'm seeing the Dynon EFIS and EMS glass panels accompanied with a Garmin gps. One A&E told me that the Dynon glass panels are less expensive to buy and maintain than the convention analog boiler gauge instruments. Another common sight is the Rotax 912 100 hp engine with a ground adjustable three bladed propeller. However, the PiperSport website shows a two bladed prop and the video shows a three bladed prop, hmmm. Click on the PiperSport icon to see the newpiper website.

Van's RV-8 at Skyhaven 1-22-10: Once in awhile, the sky opens up and the visibility becomes what we used to call CAVU. Today was such a day, and the entire mountain range in New Hampshire revealed itself right after take off from Skyhaven. I managed to click a few pictures before my camera battery gave up so I missed the bright red and orange sunset that lit up the sky. But I did manage to get a couple of pics of the beautiful Van's RV-8 that stopped into Skyhaven. The term "homebuilt" is not what comes to mind when you seen this airplane that cruises over 180 mph. The owner of this beauty said it took him 2 years to build this aircraft and he's thinking about building an RV-10, which is a 4 place plane.

TFR OVER BOSTON, MA ON JANUARY 17, 2010 ~1-16-10:  A notam has been issued that will restrict flight in the area during President Obama's planned visit. ==> 30 nm radius TFR <== Location: BOS VOR's 285-degree radial at 3.5 nautical miles. Surface to 17,999-ft-MSL Times: 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. local Sunday, January 17. According to Boston.com, "President Barack Obama will headline a rally at 3 p.m. tomorrow at Northeastern University to try to boost support for Democratic US Senate candidate Martha Coakley, Coakley's campaign announced today. Doors will open at 1 p.m. to the Solomon Court at the Cabot Center at 400 Huntington Ave." 

Winter Fly In At Southern Maine Aviation ~ 1-14-10:  Time....Saturday January 23, 2009
Place...Southern Maine Aviation 199 Airport Road, Sanford Maine 207-324-8919
Pancake Breakfast! pancakes, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, coffee, tea, orange juice!!! From 8 AM to 10:30 AM.......$6.00........... Breakfast donated by Cockpit Cafe and Southern Maine Aviation. All proceeds donated to the Kennebunk Animal Shelter. Seminar! 10:30    Winter flight operations, landing on ice and snow, aircraft icing recautions. Great prizes for the ugliest hat worn. Hope to see you there! All of us at Southern Maine Aviation

Do It Online! 1-13-10:  I have to say, that renewing the pilot certificate online worked out very well. The new card is a nice tribute to Orville and Wilbur with a catchy hologram that has some fancy color flashing when you rock the card back and forth. The website was uncomplicated and friendly and pretty straightforward to use, and the plastic license was delivered on time. You don't have to give your DOB or social security number, but it might take longer for the renewal process without one of them. So, if you've been flying for 20 or 30 years, your old piece of paper pilot license can now take its new home in the bottom desk drawer with all the other memorabilia you still don't want to part with. I put mine with my 1964 Cessna 150 manual.

Jeppesen’s VFR+GPS Charts  vs. FAA’s Sectional Charts~ 1-9-10: Could the long standing traditional FAA Sectional chart be headed for the obsolete bin? According to Jeppesen charts, they are producing a new type of sectional chart with changes that include new colors, shading, symbols, and some kind of compatibility with your brand new hand carry Garmin gps you got for Christmas. Even if you didn't get a new gps for Christmas, you can still sit around the kitchen table and gawk at the new Jeppesen VFR charts. On Friday, Jan. 22, at 4:30 p.m., AOPA will feature Dave McClean of Jeppesen to conduct a Webinar that will feature a presentation detailing the charts' alignment with actual VFR flights, workload reduction features, and the modern GPS technology behind the charts. Click on the icons to see comparisons with San Francisco and Jacksonville.