Addie Fanguy, general manager of the Landmark FBO at NEW, told Flying on Wednesday that his operation began preparing for the storm earlier this week. “This is the first time that we’re experiencing a hurricane after they’ve redesigned the levees,” he said, noting that Lakefront is bordered on three sides by water.

“There was a warning from management that the fuel farm would flood, so we’ve moved the trucks about 100 yards from the FBO to a small bridge,” said Brayton Matthews, manager of Flightline First at NEW. “This is a much smaller storm than Katrina. But everybody is still a little skittish.”

Steve Knapper, chief pilot with Gulf Coast Aviation, said today that the company was able to get its three Cessna 172s and one Skycatcher out before the storm hit, but that a Piper Lance remains in the hangar. “The most promising thing that I’ve heard this morning is that there’s a grocery store about a mile from the airport that’s open with power. So I feel very positive that the airport will open back up again.”

The post Hurricane Isaac Cripples GA Around New Orleans appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Dozens of fans have posted well wishes on EAA’s Facebook page over the last few days, many of them keying in on Poberezny’s fondness for the North American P-51 Mustang. Poberezny served in the military for nearly 30 years as a pilot during World War II and the Korean war. He taught himself how to fly at the age of 16 in a Waco glider he restored, and since then has logged more than 30,000 hours of flight time in nearly 500 different types of aircraft, including more than 170 amateur‐built airplanes.

Poberezny is a 1999 inductee to the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio, and in 2002 received the prestigious Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy from the National Aeronautic Association. In April of this year, Flying published an article, “Paul Poberezny’s Three Great Accomplishments,” noting how Poberezny still spends several hours per day in his home workshop, keeping busy working on airplanes. He lives near EAA headquarters in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with his wife, Audrey Louise Ruesch.

The post EAA Founder Paul Poberezny Turns 91 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“We like the idea of making aviation approachable to regular folks,” said Escutia, who is a U.S. private pilot. “Interest in aviation has been growing in Mexico, in particular during the last 5 to 10 years. Since purchasing power has been increasing as well in that period, the number of light airplanes flying and aero clubs is on the rise. Other developing markets are also becoming active, China in particular. The dream of flying is universal.”

Quicksilver has produced more than 15,000 aircraft kits since its inception in the late 1970s. At AirVenture this year, Quicksilver announced plans to seek S-LSA certification for its GT-500 and Sport 2S models, both designed as two-seat trainers. Perez said they are working to select a third party to help with the certification process, which they hope to complete next year.

Perez is not a pilot, but said he hopes to earn his Sport Pilot certificate in a Sport 2S.

The post Quicksilver Plans Global Expansion, S-LSA Certification appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“We’re submitting the grant proposal today,” Airport Manager Marc Adelman told Flying, noting that construction plans still need to be submitted and approved. The redesign, which will also affect Taxiways F and E, will require changing the runway drainage system and as a result, shortening the runway from 6,500 to 5,893 feet and reducing its width from 150 to 100 feet, Adelman said.

To compensate for the loss of the ILS or LOC Runway 2 approach during the construction period, Adelman said that FAA is scheduled to complete a flight check on Oct. 6 for a new GPS Runway 31 approach. The airport also has VOR approaches to both ends of runway 2/20.

NetJets is the airport’s primary corporate user, Adelman said, especially during events at nearby Virginia International Raceway. There are several big races coming up this fall, and Adelman said he expects to park more than 20 jets on his ramp during each event. Danville Regional Airport averages about 50 daily operations otherwise.

The post Virginia Airport Faces Lengthy Construction Project appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

As we previously reported, the Learjet 75 is an upgraded version of the Learjet 45. The new design was announced at EBACE in May, along with the Learjet 70, an upgraded version of the Learjet 40. Both new jets will feature Honeywell TFE-731 engines, a new flight deck, the Garmin G5000 touchscreen-controlled integrated cockpit (dubbed the Bombardier Vision flight deck), winglets, and all new interiors.

According to Bombardier, there will be a total of five flight test aircraft, including the first production Learjet 75. A modified Learjet 40XR and a modified Learjet 45XR are flying to support avionics certification, while a modified Learjet 45XR will be used primarily for the interior and cabin management system. An existing Learjet 45XR will be modified and used for testing and validating performance improvements.

“This milestone represents a significant step forward for our Learjet aircraft family, as we were able to seamlessly integrate the Learjet 75 jet into our production flow,” said said Ralph Acs, vice president and general manager, Learjet, Bombardier Business Aircraft.

View our Learjet 70 and 75 photo gallery.

The post First Learjet 75 Production Aircraft Comes to Life in Wichita appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

While past efforts to do away with the third-class medical have failed to gain FAA support, AOPA and EAA are hopeful that the current petition will succeed because it is backed by a large body of evidence based on the success of the Sport Pilot initiative. “A pilot flying recreationally who has completed the recurrent aeromedical course meets an equivalent or higher level of overall safety compared to the existing medical certification process for similar operations,” AOPA said on its website. “The exemption is tied to a type of flying (recreational) instead of a specific pilot certificate.”

More details on the petition can be found here at AOPA’s website. To file a comment, visit this site and then click the “Comment Now” button.

The post Comments Due Friday on 3rd Class Medical Exemption Petition appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Rans founder Randy Schlitter told Flying that Rans is now selling the 100 hp Rotax 912 ULS for $17,600, a drop of $600. “In January it was $19,495, so since the beginning of the year the price has dropped a total of $1,895,” he said. Rans’ price for the 80 hp Rotax 912 UL is now $16,350, down from $17,495 in January.

The Rotax 912 series engine powers dozens of types of light sport aircraft, and is widely considered one of the most reliable reciprocating engines available today. Earlier this year, Rotax introduced a fuel-injected version of the 100 hp 912 ULS, called the 912 iS. Schlitter said the current price for the 912 iS is $23,918. “This engine is supposed to save fuel and increase range,” he said. “If you look at the actual ‘all things considered’ cost difference ($3,000), investment is returned within 500 to 1000 hours. I think the iS will be common over time because of the trend toward cleaner, greener planes. As to which Rans aircraft is first to fly with the iS, that is still up in the air.”

The post Rans Announces Reduced Rotax Engine Prices appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“In our comments we clearly state appreciation for the FAA clarifying and re-establishing three fundamental rights that all aircraft and homeowners should have including those who operate as an RTTF homeowner,” said Randy Hansen, EAA government relations director. “The FAA clarified that all aircraft owners have the right to self-maintain/refuel their own aircraft, conduct non-aeronautical commercial businesses out of their homes, and be able to tie a standard 30-year home loan into their airport RTTF access agreement.”

The FAA is accepting comments on the proposal through tomorrow here.

The post EAA Submits Comments on GA Through-The-Fence Proposal appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Reducing GA fatalities is a top priority of the FAA and our goal is to reduce the GA fatal accident rate by 10 percent by 2018,” said FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta. “By taking the time to participate in the FAA’s GA survey, owners and operators share valuable data that help the entire GA community.”

Pilots may also be familiar with the AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s annual Nall Report, which is based on NTSB accident data. However, the FAA survey covers all flight activity, not just accidents. Data is used to determine funding levels, assess the impact of regulatory changes, prepare safety statistics as well as to calculate accident rates. The FAA is encouraging all pilots to complete the survey, even if they did not fly much in the past year.

The current survey closes on Nov. 30, 2012. Results from last year’s survey (which covered 2010 activity) revealed that single-engine aircraft flew 11.1 million hours during the day, but only 1 million hours at night. Of the total single-engine hours, about 300,000 were logged in light-sport aircraft. The GA fleet spent most of its time in VMC, logging just 1.2 million hours in the soup, or 8 percent of the total hours flown.

The post FAA’s Annual GA Survey Now Available Online appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

After the tour, Flight Design will ship the aircraft back to the United States, or even help the buyer plan to fly it home across the Atlantic. While general aviation pilots have crossed the Atlantic in single-engine airplanes many times, few have done so in light sport aircraft or ultralights. (In a two-year, multi-stage journey that began in 1989, Eppo Harbrink Numan flew his single-place, weight-shift trike from his home in Holland to New York City.)

Flight Design did not quote a price for the European delivery or outline a suggested itinerary for the fly-it-home-yourself option, but the company stated in a press release that additional details will be coming soon. The Flight Design CTLS features the 100 hp Rotax 912 ULS engine and a total fuel capacity of 34 gallons, with an advertised best-economy range of about five hours at 115 knots, with a one-hour reserve. The listed base price for the CTLS is $139,800, but avionics upgrades bring it up to around $150,000.

The post Flight Design to Offer European Delivery Option appeared first on FLYING Magazine.