Have you ever wondered why aviation fuel prices can vary by 50% or more between airports — even ones located just a few miles from each other? EAA’s Mac McClellan thinks it’s because big FBOs provide lots of services and we must pay for them via higher fuel prices. I take a differing view. Read more →
User fees for general aviation have been proposed — and rejected — over and over again for nearly two decades. Today something new is in the works: the Federal government has decided to start with the highways instead. It makes me a bit nervous, and I can’t help but wonder whether GA will be able to make the case against those fees after the “freeway” moniker has been fully transformed into a sad anachronism. Read more →
If I had one wish for general aviation, it would be that GA grows and prospers. The big debate is over how to do that! From where I sit it’s pretty simple: make it cheaper. Read more →
By any measure, general aviation has been on the decline for years in the United States. But I’m convinced the future will be bright — as long as the industry maintains an entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to accept risk. Read more →
Okay, so you want to pursue flight training but the funds just aren’t there. Wouldn’t it be great if someone appeared out of thin air with the money you need to achieve your goal? It’s not as far-fetched as you might think… Read more →
There’s not much left of the old aerospace manufacturing sector in Southern California. But while we are unlikely to return to the frenetic activity of the post-war era, there are a few interesting developments taking place around the Southland. Read more →
If anyone should understand the importance of “the rich” to the aviation sector, you’d think it would be someone who’s involved in business aviation. Sadly, it seems those with money are a target for just about everyone these days. Read more →
SoCal airports are seeing huge declines in activity. Is there any hope for the future of general aviation? Perhaps, but it might have to come from a place you might not expect: your neighbor’s garage. Read more →
Fewer and fewer non-professional pilots can afford to stay in the cockpit anymore, but there are quite a few ways to reduce the cost of flying if you’re creative about it. Here are a few ideas to get you started. Read more →
One of my guilty pleasures lately has been reading a few “housing bubble blogs”, web sites dedicated to tracking the carnage in the real estate market. Read more →