A WELL-DESERVED RETIREMENT FOR TROPIC AIR'S CESSNA 172
For those of you struggling to put 50 hours a year on your Cessna 172, consider the long and productive life of a 1982 P-model that was retired last week with 30,000 hours on it, likely making it the highest-time 172 in the world. The 172, with tail number V3-HDN, has been making as many as three or four flights a day in scheduled airline service for Tropic Air, which is based on San Pedro, an island off the coast of Belize. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with Tropic Air President John Greif about the aircraft's history and his experience with a diesel-powered replacement.

Click here to listen. (6.2 MB, 6:44)

AVWEB'S MONDAY PODCAST:
SECRETS FROM THE TOWER — AND A FEW FROM AUTHOR/CONTROLLER BOB RICHARDS
When Bob Richards retired as a controller after 22 years in the O'Hare tower, he had a lifetime of stories to tell, not all of them pretty. He put his fingers on the keys and tried to give an honest account of not just the stress and demands of the job, but the human achievment and sacrifice that go hand in hand with that uniquely challenging lifestyle. What resulted is Secrets from the Tower, a book that's captured the imagination of people from all walks of life and landed Richards on the morning news and talk show circuit. He told AVweb's Russ Niles about how he hopes the book will be an engine for change in the air traffic control system.

Click here to listen. (10.8 MB, 11:53)