Archive for April, 2008

Honda Jet Making for US & European Sales of its New VLJ

Friday, April 18th, 2008

Honda Jet is planning sales to Europe, it will make an annoucement at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) conference in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Honda Aircraft Company came out with it’s radical new design with an engine mounted on top of the wings and is developing the jet at its headquarters and manufacturing plant at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, NC.  Honda Jet

Honda Aircraft Company is also opening its several million dollar U. S. Sales and Maintenance facility at Albany International Airport.

Family Loses Plane at Gun Point

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

Okay so this reinforces a fear I have of ‘flying’…to Mexico that is!  I mean I have my pilot’s license so I can have the freedom to fly my plane when and where I want, not be tied to the airlines noose and for pure enjoyment right?!  Well flying is about travel and travel generally is about vacation and family.  Truth is I would love to fly around the world and several other ‘not so easy to do in a single engine prop plane’ places as shown on to do before I die list. 

However I don’t rank Mexico up there as lofty goal.  I have contemplated flying my family to Mexico;  I live in Texas, it is not that far, why not control my schedule there too?  I mean we have all heard the stories of crooked Mexican police, people losing their cars, people put in jail or threaten jail if they didn’t pay up to the local law, but one would think our sacred ground could still be an airport. 

Apparently not!  I would strongly reconsider doing much of anything in mexico outside of the tourist area or the norm in Mexico as you have no control and certainly not flying there for that very reason.  After reading the following a story in the Associated Press today it just proves that…go to Mexico and you may lose your plane…at gun point no less.  I am sorry it happened to that family, it could have been mine!

Happy Crash if that is possible…everyone survived

Monday, April 14th, 2008

Well it appears that one hard landing caused nothing but damage.  All passengers and people injured on the ground when a Cessna 310 crashed into a house in Compton, CA over the weekend are surviors.  The crash of the plane by the 71 year old pilot appeared to be a result of loss of power. Read the Articles and LA Times

Compton plane crash

Picture is from LA Times Article credited to Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

Airplanes & Lawsuits

Monday, April 14th, 2008

Not words that I like in the same sentence…Lawsuits and Airplanes.

I found an article this week written about a very unfortunate plane crash (all crashes are) involving a Piper Malibu.  It claimed the life of 4 people on April 11, 2008 in Alberta, Canada.  The article went on to describe the fact that a father and son had both died in plane crashes within 5 months of one another in different kinds of planes, one weather related and one yet to be determined.

The crash and the cause are not the most disturbing part, unfortunately!   The fact that the article was on a ‘legal site’ that had a place to sign up for lawyers wanting to sue in airplane crash cases is what really disturbs me.   The article goes on to mention Piper Aircraft’s 1991 bankruptcy filing and infer that that the Malibu and any crashes by that type of plane over the years could be related. 

If there are points to consider for safety of flying Malibu’s I would like to hear those to consider and make judgement (usually done by FAA and NTSB) a couple of government agency’s that have done a pretty good job erring on the side of safety for users of aviation products, but to make inferences and suggestions and then offer advertising for attorney’s who want to sue or find clients from aircraft crash cases really adds a biased slant.

West Virginia Lowering Airplane Taxes

Friday, April 11th, 2008

West Virginia now apparently seeing some of the other positive economic impacts from aviaition is now lowering the tax assessed on airplanes in West Virginia Read the article.