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It looks like the FAA was forced to act via a statutory mandate. So they did, expanding the medical requirement regulations only as much as needed to satisfy congressional requirements. For example, while they added the second class requirement for commercial balloon operations, third class...

Star Trek was influenced by aviation in many ways, since Gene Roddenberry and Matt Jeffries had both been pilots. No doubt there were probably others on staff who had pilot licenses. Even Susan Oliver who was in the first pilot episode was working on her pilot license at the time of her...

The Zeppelins of WWI could have used that!

No index or bibliography in the book. Those stats look to be compiled by Cameron from unknown sources.

Sorry for this diversion, but in 2006 I bought the 1999 book "Ballooning" by Smith and Wagner. It has a chapter on ballooning accidents up to that time. Rather than quote from it, I'll bend copyright and post some pictures of those chapter pages. It's got some nice photos.

I definitely need clarification from them now, because the radio looks to be a Narco MK-12D which supports 25kHz frequency tuning.

I agree that if they are using them today that would normally indicate they are OK. I've requested clarification from the owners.

I did a quick spot check and a fair number of the ASOS/AWOS/ATIS frequencies in my area were 1xx.x25 or 1xx.x75. No problem with local Center, approach, or tower frequencies that I could see. I note that Rapid City (where the plane is now at) has ASOS on 118.525. If they couldn't tune to that...

Met with the mechanics/owners today and examined what they were up to. I was mislead by the photo of what I thought was a Wing Leveler knob: the red knob is the mixture control and the panel lettering for the Wing Leveler is there in the event one wanted to add that option. In which case a hole...

Jennifer Homendy is also a well known critic of Tesla's Autopilot feature and its Full Self Driving system. Her philosophy on regulations appears consistent for all modes of transportation, alas.

You're right. It just occurred to me that there are two DMEs on the plate (at the ILS and the VORTAC) and the notation may just be advising that the DME distance to use, if you are using DME to determine the FAF or MAP, is from the ILS not the VORTAC. Such an advisory makes sense if you first...

The reason I ask about that approach plate is that the club's airplane will be able to fly ILS, localizer, and VOR approaches, but doesn't have a DME, GPS, or an ADF. The ACS now states that to pass the instrument rating practical exam requires one precision approach and two non-precision...

That would seem to be the case, though I'm having a hard time finding confirmation anywhere. The LOC/DME notation is supposed to mean DME required. On the other hand you only need a VOR and localizer to triangulate the FAF and timing at estimated ground speed along the localizer course to know...

I'm unclear whether the localizer approach on this plate can be flown by timing from the BRULE intersection to the MAP or whether it requires a DME per the note in the profile box. If DME, what purpose does the FAF to MAP timing box serve? (For my purposes it would be nice if it could be flown...

That is what I thought too.

Turns out that the plane appears to be equipped with a wing leveler. Only noticed it when I looked closely at one of the photos I took. It's the red knob.

They are waiting on some parts they ordered to replace stuff they found during the annual that needed replacing. So we've tentatively set March 1st as the start of the lease. If counting from the date I sent out cards that makes four months to get the club airborne. Or six months from the time...

I believe this is a closeup shot of the controls in question. This is a wide shot of the cockpit.

Latest news, not surprisingly, is this: https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-is-expected-to-speak-on-chinese-balloon-unidentified-objects-42917445?st=rca6zj53fipr7yg&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink "President Biden said the three highflying objects taken down over North America following the...