My Grumman Tiger: First row! GA Parking, Airventure 2011, Oshkosh

Storm clouds enroute to Oshkosh Airventure 2011

Warbirds gathered in Dubuque, IA for mass arrival at Airventure 2011

Mass warbird arrival, Fingertip formation groups in close trail

Wild Tiger paint scheme on floatplane.

What is Airventure without rain...we had our share this year!

Aerocar looks longingly at the new flying car: Terrafugia.

RVs with paint scheme tribute to Navy fighter squadron: Jolly Rogers

RV (12) with a decidedly softer paint scheme.

Um...creative tail feather paint scheme. If you can think it, paint it!

B-29, "Fifi". Proving that Aluminum is magnetic...it pulls in people!

Yup, it's a Boeing. Distant grandfather to the Dreamliner at Airventure 2011

One of the Heritage Flights at Airventure 2011, turbine engine version

When that Honda Civic is just not fast enough...visit your Honda dealer!

The Aviators TV interviews Boeing Dreamliner 787 crew.

Row of 6 pristine P-51 Mustangs. How many at Oshkosh? 18?

F/A-18 dragging his tailhook on landing. No wires, but plenty of sparks!

Mustang loafing along to let that TBM think he won the race!

Thhhhhat’s all folks!  See ya next time!

The event was graciously hosted by Sennheiser at their very well-appointed tent.  Below are a few photos from the event.

Sennheiser was the host location for this evening event.  Nice digs, and lots of people!

Airventure is about new and old friends.  Met and reaquainted with many, like Milford Shirley of “FlightTime Radio” (red shirt with the devilish smirk) and Grant and Steve from “Plane Crazy Down Under” ( wearing black shirts left of Milford, they’re Australian, mate).  So many good people, but too many names to remember, and I blame it all on the Jeremiah Weed (whiskey) samples being passed around…

The party got so rowdy, the cops came.  Ok, it wasn’t the real cops.  It was a prop car announcing Da Blooze Bros, performing at the Ford stage at Airventure.  Cool car, and dig the HUGE speaker on top.  A hit!

I’m sure each of the podcasters will have their own stories and pictures to post, but I wanted to get something out there as well.

Thanks for the invite!!

Installed by Gryphon Aircraft Services LLC, in French Valley, CA (F70).  Ask for Ron!

Cheers!

It has not gotten any better, in fact, it’s worse!  The gap between avgas and mogas is wider than it has ever been.  What is going on?  Who are lining their pockets with avgas profits?

Where is AOPA?  

This is a major flying cost issue for small GA operators.  Every AOPA member should be emailing AOPA and asking them to get involved in getting control of avgas prices!

Proof?  Topped off this week at KSEE after a local Southern California flight.  Self-serve 100LL was $4.59 per gallon, only a few cents a gallon cheaper than a month ago ($4.77).  Meanwhile, mogas is now widely selling for below $2.00 per gallon.  So I am paying far more, on a percentage basis, for each gallon of avgas.

Checked with the 100LL.com fuel price search, and it still shows all of the airports in the area with avgas prices well over $4.00 per gallon.  So there appears to be an organized effort to keep avgas high, at our expense.

Will I keep flying?  Absolutely!  But I’m going to keep watching avgas prices and KSEE will not seeing my business until prices come back to earth.

Are we being gouged by avgas?

Just updated my fuel price service, 100LL.com, part of my Control Vision Anywhere Map subscription.  At my home field, the price of self-serve avgas is $5.28 per gallon.  According to the fuel pricing service, the national average is $5.08 (updated as of 10/23/2008.  Meanwhile, local low grade auto gasoline, mogas, is running about $3.15 a gallon, and some of the cheapest outlets are slipping below the $3 level.  That a 60% difference in price between avgas and mogas.

Ok, I understand all about avgas being a niche product produced in small quantities, needing special handling and shipping because of the lead content, and the price change lag (both up and down) because of fewer flight hours requiring longer to consume supplies bought at higher prices. 

Avweb has an editorial about this, but basically says the FBO business is difficult, so grin and pay the prices.  Nope.  AOPA needs to get involved in this.  

In the meantime, I’ll continue to use 100LL.com to avoid the FBOs who insist on holding the higher prices.

Yes, that’s right, TSA is now damaging airliners!  This week, an ignorant TSA inspector damaged and made unairworthy 9 airliners at Chicago O’Hare airport.  Nine aircraft damaged (fortunately this damage was discovered by observant pilots) and over 40 flights delayed while the damaged equipment was replaced.  Why was this done?  To see whether someone could get into the airplanes.  Not by steps and doors…but “spiderman” style. A TSA inspector used aircraft equipment as…monkey bars!…in an attempt to climb into the aircraft.  Keep in mind that TSA did not report the damage they caused, so what might have happened if they damaged equipment that was not discovered before the flight………?

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But of course, TSA was apologetic about this incredibly stupid act, disciplined the inspector, and said this would never happen again…..right?   WRONG!  Instead, they are defending the inspector, blaming the airline for lack of security (because by damaging the planes, they could get access to 7 aircraft).  Worse, although they have supposedly provided some additional training to its inspectors, TSA continues to encourage its inspectors to look for and exploit such “vulnerabilities”.  

So while you worry about the terrorist threat against air carrier travel…you now need to add the ignorant, self-righteous, virtually unregulated staff of the TSA.  Do you know who’s been climbing on and digging through the sensitive equipment on your airliner? 

Fly your own airplane and avoid this madness!  Cheers!

Here’s a perfect opportunity to share the excitement of General Aviation.  But will that happen?

The Red Bull Air Race World Series is coming back to San Diego in May.  Last year the air races attracted about 50,000 people in San Diego.  Likely more will come this year.  Lots of media covering the event.  Lots of attractive young people promoting the title sponsor beverage.

So where will General Aviation be at this event?  Of course these are GA aerobatic planes, but I mean our kind of GA.  Plane manufacturers, equipment and suppliers, FBOs, Schools, Clubs, Organizations.  Are any of you planning to be there…to get exposure to 50,000+ people who want to see fast planes?  I don’t recall seeing any GA presence at the air races in 2007. 

Nor is there a GA promotion presence at the MCAS Miramar Air Show every October, where the 3-day attendance is on the order of half a million people. Ok, maybe one local flying club C-172 on static display, with a couple of sunburned volunteers braving the roasting windswept distant transient ramp. But no real effort to promote GA.

Now, contrast this with NASCAR. 

Say what you will about the “good ol’ boy” atmosphere of the participants, fans, and most everything else about NASCAR.  They DO bring in the people, media and the automotive industry.  Plus a whole lot of other industries that love the exposure, starting with the colorful logos plastered all over the cars and drivers.

Every major vehicle manufacturer is there. Every major supplier.  Racing schools. Most anything that has wheels finds a way to get there.  Oh yeah, how about home improvement, candy, and cereal to name a few other prominent products.  And this excitement breeds excitement by the fans.  They love their cars, drivers, and all the logo apparel and paraphenalia that goes with the NASCAR culture.  It’s a COMMUNITY, carefully nurtured to the benefit of the sponsors as well as the fans.  And the media and entertainment industry eat this up, with all kinds of shows built around racing.  All this excitement brings many new fans and sponsors every year.  It’s not perfect and there are other issues that limit NASCAR’s growth, but there is a core strength in the COMMUNITY. 

There are lessons to be learned here, GA.  It’s all about the excitement of a vibrant community.  Rewarding for the participants, and enticing for newcomers. 

What should our community look like?

More to come…

I discovered this link in my EAA e-newsletter that led me to a new weekly broadcast radio program out of Jacksonville, Florida.  It’s called FlightTime Radio, and the focus of the show is general aviation, particularly the small GA planes that most of us fly.  Plus a heaping helping of Sport Pilot and aircraft discussion.  The show is broadcast on AM 1320 (WBOB) Saturday mornings.  Starting February 2, the live broadcast starts at 10am, Eastern time, and they seem to have settled on a 2-hour show. 

 Like every good Web 2.0 endeavor, you can also listen to the show live using a link at their website, or you can download (and soon subscribe to) the shows as podcasts.

The two hosts are Milford Shirley and Brian Kraut, a couple of local guys who love aviation and are having what sounds like one heck of a good time breaking into the radio biz.  It’s great to have this positive, enthusiastic image of GA being communicated to the general public on a weekly basis 

Milton and Brian are thinking ahead, too, seeking to grow their radio broadcast market and helping local EAA chapters at the same time.  Get the program broadcast on your local station, and your EAA chapter can get a piece of the action.

Now if every pilot tells two people, who tell two people, who tell two people….about this radio show….maybe we can plant some seeds….   Did my part.  I’ve told, what, maybe 10 people who read this blog

Bravo, Milford and Brian!  Best of luck to you!

Recently, I came upon several articles about motorcycle and aviation safety. The results may suggest how we communicate private flying to the population of potential pilots and aircraft owners. It turns out that the safety trends for motorcycles and GA flying are diverging.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcycle fatalities are climbing, particularly for over-40 age riders. In 2006, fatalities increased overall by 5% over 2005, while fatalities for riders aged 40-49 and 50-59 increased 7.5% and 10% (fatalities for riders aged 20-29 also increased 10%).  These older riders have achieved business success, raised families, and now want the excitement and feeling that comes from freedom, speed, the open road, and the social environment provided by riding motorcycles.  But this experience on generally heavier, more powerful bikes comes at a price for the older, slower healing bodies.

In contrast, the 2006 general aviation safety statistics in the Nall Report show continued improvements in both total and fatal accident rates.  In 2006, total accident numbers dropped by 8.3%, fatal accidents dropped by 6.5%, and total fatalities decreased by 2%.  Single engine, fixed gear aircraft, 2/3 of the GA fleet, showed substantial safety improvement, with total accidents dropping 11.3% and fatal accidents dropping 22.4%. While it can be argued that any fatality is too many, the trend continues in a positive direction.  The danger signal though, is that flying activity continues to drop.  Accident and fatality rates are dropping, but so are the flying hours. 

So which is safer; GA flying or motorcycles?  That’s a loaded question. Objective comparisons are difficult since GA flying is measured in flying hours and motorcycle riding is measured in miles traveled. Converting hours to miles involve speed assumptions that are likely targets for criticism. What average speed do you assume for GA aircraft with average cruise speeds that range from sub-100 mph up to over 500 mph?  Even assuming speeds at the lower end of this range shows GA flying to have far lower fatality rates than motorcycles.  But it’s still a difficult comparison because the operating environment and accident facts are so different. That said, GA flying is relatively safer and the safety margin is increasing compared with riding motorcycles.

But can flying provide the visceral satisfaction that is found in riding motorcycles, so participants are able to enjoy this safety premium?  There is certainly an aspect of freedom once you get off the ground (no traffic lanes, still areas of uncontrolled airspace).  There is speed.  There is also a 3rd dimension that can be fully explored via aerobatics.  And there is community, although this is one area that needs work.  So we have some of this also working for us.

The goal here is not to lure away everyone who rides.  Certain traits make people better candidates to be pilots, and we want to attract those folks.  Can we learn from other successful activities, what attracts the participants, and where does GA flying have benefits or have deficiencies that can be overcome so we grow but remain safe?

Safety is one area where we accel (and where we continue to focus efforts).  How can we use this comparative benefit to get new participants….hog wild for flying?

In years past, a takeover meant hostage negotiations and standoffs; crews were trained in the concept of “passive resistance.” All of that changed forever the instant American Airlines Flight 11 collided with the north tower. What weapons the 19 men possessed mattered little; the success of their plan relied fundamentally on the element of surprise. And in this respect, their scheme was all but guaranteed not to fail.

For several reasons — particularly the awareness of passengers and crew — just the opposite is true today. Any hijacker would face a planeload of angry and frightened people ready to fight back. Say what you want of terrorists, they cannot afford to waste time and resources on schemes with a high probability of failure. And thus the September 11th template is all but useless to potential hijackers.

Smith also covers the questionable basis of the infamous 3-1-1 Rule and the positively silly practice of screening air carrier pilots and cabin crew in the same manner as the public.

Unfortunately, wrapped in its patriotic cloak of anti-terror, TSA is operating virtually without oversight, with broad powers and a heavy hammer for anyone who questions their methods or motives: the dreaded No-Fly List.  Will this Absolute Power Corrupt Absolutely?  Has it already?

More importantly, can you avoid this senseless drill, but still get to work/vacation/home?  In many cases, YES, you can.  The answer?  Be your own pilot.  Yes, the cost and time investment is relatively high for someone who currently is not a pilot.  But increasingly I see and hear other professionals who have thrown off the shackles of TSA screening and airline abuse to fly themselves.  I gladly incur the added cost and personal responsibility of being my own pilot in exchange for avoiding TSA and the airlines.  In many cases, by avoiding the need to arrive at the airport hours early for screening, avoiding airline delays, using airports closer to my destination, and getting a free shuttle ride, courtesy car, rental car or taxi from the FBO (rather than waiting for baggage, the rental car shuttle, renting a car…) there is no time penalty for trips up to about 500 miles using a piston single airplane. And the trip itself? Priceless!

Through programs such as the industry-sponsored ”Be A Pilot” you can find the resources you need to learn to fly.  The cost?  If you can afford a Harley, BMW, bass boat, or RV, you should have little trouble budgeting flying lessons.  Depending on your company’s travel policies, you could even have most or all of your flying cost covered.  Of course, if you are the boss, the decision is yours!  It’s not the answer for everyone.  But if you are motivated (and that is why you are successful, eh?) it is something to consider.

Wave “Bye” to the airline terminal as you taxi past for departure in your plane (even if it’s a rental), on your own schedule, as pilot in command. Oh, and with your own toothpaste, shampoo, drinking water, and maybe even a pair of scissors!