Crossfield Education Award Nominees Sought By Russ Niles Children all over the U.S. are being shown opportunities in aviation thanks to some enlightened teachers, and the late famed test pilot Scott Crossfield was one of them when he was in school. Crossfield established an award to recognize those teachers' efforts, and AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with his daughter, Sally Crossfield Farley, about this year's competition.
AVweb Speaks with NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman By Glenn Pew Topics in our interview with NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman include the Board's perhaps surprising safety findings regarding small light aircraft and glass cockpit technology; Hersman's aviation background; thinking outside the box; how the Board interacts with crash victims' families (specifically Colgan Flight 3407); FAA/NTSB interaction; and more.
UAVs Are Taking Over By Glenn Pew AVweb speaks with director of the Unmanned Aircraft System Center for Research, Education and Training at the University of North Dakota, Jeff Kappenman, to hear his thoughts on how unmanned vehicles are changing aviation and piloting, right now and in the future.
Air Show Pilot Michael Goulian By Mary Grady Michael Goulian, winner of last year's Bill Barber Showmanship Award for his aerobatic routines, is starting his fifth season with the Red Bull Air Races in a couple of weeks, at the season's show opener in Abu Dhabi. He talks with AVweb's Mary Grady about why some of the races are harder than others, why he thinks he can pull ahead in the rankings this year, and what his plans are for other airshows around the U.S.
AOPA: Don't Count Out User Fees By Glenn Pew New aviation user fees aren't in the Obama administration's newly released budget, but there are real reasons to think they might appear elsewhere, says AOPA. More legislation (like the FAA reauthorization bill) is still in the pipeline, and with the nation's current fiscal condition, anything can happen. Lorraine Howerton, AOPA's vice president of legislative affairs, explains why the threat's still there — and what you can do about it.
NASA on the Science of Pilot Error By Glenn Pew Following a pair of serious incidents and a fatal accident, commercial flight crew training and professionalism in the cockpit have become hot topics in Washington. In this podcast, AVweb caught up with Dr. Key Dismukes, chief scientist for human factors at the human systems integration division at NASA Ames Research Center. Dismukes talks about the science of explaining why skilled pilots — professional and general aviation both — make mistakes while performing familiar tasks. He adds his insight on "pilot error" statistics and the techniques you can use to avoid becoming one.
TSA Ready to Stand Up to Congress, Says NATA's Jim Coyne By Paul Bertorelli Does Congress overreact and over-legislate in the name of security? At this point, isn't that a rhetorical question? NATA's Jim Coyne says there may be a light at the end of the tunnel and credits the TSA with bringing GA concerns before Congress.
Flying Relief for Haiti: An Interview with Lindy Kirkland of Air Care Alliance By Mary Grady Lindy Kirkland, president of the Air Care Alliance, recently returned from a week in Haiti flying a Beech Baron into remote airfields as the country continues its recovery from last month's devastating earthquake. He describes his experience and the challenges of flying in Haiti and explains how other pilots can help.
100 Years of Women Pilots By Russ Niles On March 8, 1910, Baroness Raymonde de la Roche became the first woman to obtain a pilot certificate. She was the world's 36th certificated pilot. Canadian pilot and aviation educator Mierelle Goyer is spearheading a worldwide attempt to mark the centennial of de la Roche's accomplishment by encouraging more women to do the same. She spoke with AVweb's Russ Niles.
Jolie Lucas and the Story Behind the Mooney Ambassadors Group By Glenn Pew A life-changing event helped inspire Jolie Lucas to form the Mooney Ambassadors, a new international group that aims to be more than a social platform and information hub specific to Mooney aircraft. Lucas intends Mooney Ambassadors to be a service group, too, promoting Mooney and general aviation as a whole. And the story behind her passion is one worth hearing.
