UCAP Blog

We talk about this a bit in UCAP233.

A bad day all around: A pilot flying from an Ottawa airport last Wednesday in a rented Cessna 172M inadvertently set his transponder to broadcast the hijack code and then inadvertently flew into restricted airspace… via AVweb.

According to this story, Richard “Smokey” Young has set a new world record in his Formula One racer. The hook here is that the plane was fueled with “Swift Fuel”, which is one of the more promising new 100LL replacements. I’m not clear from this story whether this flight was fueled with the version of [...]

I love it when people unfamiliar or inexperienced with aviation try to argue technical matters. It’s even better when the arguing is done in public. The latest example comes courtesy of the New York Post, which ran an article detailing how lawyers for Cory Lidle’s widow, who is suing Cirrus Design in the aftermath of [...]

Navigation systems like GPS can also be adversely affected. via Huge solar flare jams radio, satellite signals: NASA.

From AvWeb: The GPS industry is warning that a proposed broadband Internet network could effectively jam GPS signals. Further, it says it has data showing that any of the anticipated 40,000 (yes, four zeroes) transmitters can make a Garmin 430 go dark at a range of five miles. GPS World calls the proposal by LightSquared [...]

SUN ‘n FUN will bring hot air balloons, an after-dark aerial pyrotechnic light show, portable sport airplanes and flight simulators plus the U.S. Navy’s Dixieland Band, “TGIF”, to downtown Lakeland for the 2nd annual DLP/ SUN ‘n FUN Skyward Festival. The event will provide the Downtown Lakeland community with Aviation as a powerful merchandising theme [...]

According to Aero-News the balloonists who have been kept from overflying the secret olive farm in southern California are getting some help in the form of free legal help. …a lawyer in Palm Desert has offered to defend the balloon companies against what he calls “bullying” on the part of the olive grower. Attorney Robert [...]

“Piper moving ahead with Imprimis backing” Since Brunei-based Imprimis bought Piper Aircraft in 2009, the company has seen almost a complete replacement of its leadership ranks and subsequently a redesign of the renamed PiperJet Altaire and a commitment to driving more sales outside the stagnant U.S. marketplace. At one time Piper had orders for as [...]

From AvWeb: Gobosh Aviation has been sold to Aerospace Capital Partners LLC, which operates a flight school in Denver using three Gobosh aircraft. The announcement came during the annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla. … The new owner, headed by Chris Dillis, is taking aim at the training market, which he says is [...]