UCAP Blog

Researching the possibility of reviving this blog. Seeing if the software still works. [If, after all these years, this pops up in anyone's feed reader, please check-in by leaving a comment. Thanks.]

Well, the predictable, durable reaction of amazement is here — you know, the shock that President Obama (again) submitted a budget that uses new FAA user fees to fund the agency. Not selling the issue short, but the level of rhetoric and occasionally shrill reactions continue to startle and surprise me. It’s not as if [...]

Seeing Paul briefly during Oshkosh a few weeks ago made me smile; cruising with a driver in Red One, his presence reminded me of the irrefutable influence “Papa Paul” has been in aviation — general aviation, specifically. From our first face-to-face visit at EAA’s old HQ in Hales Corners, Wisc., he exuded enthusiasm and delight [...]

My congressman’s Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 passed the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this morning. H.R. 1848 directs the FAA to implement the FAA’s Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) recommendations by December 31, 2015. That would be about two years if Congress gets it to the President and he signs it [...]

Not quite like Bill Murray and “Ground Hog Day” — it’s a day early, for one thing…but if you tune in “Mythbusters” the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 1, you just may think you’ve experiencing a flashback… You see, we just got word from our friends the Wiebe’s at BeLite that the “Mythbusters” Duct Tape Airplane [...]

Merry, Happy, Ho-Ho to all…no matter how you celebrate the season, no matter why, here’s hoping you have a wonderful one and a great New Year!

…so just copying the alert from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force — or JTTF: =========================================== TSA and FAA Issue BOLO Advisory for Possible GA Aircraft Threat September 13,2012 JTTF notified Region 2 of a potential threat of an individual wanting to crash GA aircraft (Piper) into his girlfriend”s house or another building. The subject [...]

As it sometimes does, Congress tries to force the FAA’s hand on a policy or regulation; these efforts have but mixed results. Sometimes the FAA has no wiggle room — other times, like in this instance, the agency staff not only wants to wiggle away, but effectively reverse Congressional Intent on residential Through-the-Fence agreements (rTTF) [...]

Nothing like the loss of a friend or relative to restore long-faded memories of them and the events you shared. That’s my fallout from learning that Neil Armstrong passed over the weekend. On one side the description of his death — from complications the developed after bypass surgery — struck home for its striking familiarity. [...]

“A special committee set up to steer the implementation of a critical NextGen technology has concluded there is – as yet – no business case for an equipage mandate.” via FAA Aviation Rulemaking Committee pans ADS-B. For now….