Why Buy a Coupe?….part one

By Ed Burkhead                                                        Return to www.planesgalore.com
(copyrighted, used by permission)  Part one 
This article was originally prepared in response to letters from prospective Coupe buyers who wanted to know the safety history, problems to look for, model information and everything else in which a prospective buyer would be interested.  It does not try to be a complete [...]

Airport User Fees….Their Baaaaaack!

The Obama budget appears to be resurrecting the ghost of President Bush’s aviation user fees.  This spectre which appeared dead in ‘08 lives again in a footnote buried in the new 2010 budget calling for about $7 billion of taxes to be replaced by “direct user charges”.
This proposal may put at odds the business aviation [...]

Save Money on Hangars – Buy an Airplane Cover

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In these challenging times many airplane owners are looking for ways to cut their operating costs while protecting their aircraft investment.  One option is to eliminate that big fixed cost – hangar rent.  While it’s true that hangared aircraft typically resell for more than their tie down cousins, it is possible to [...]

Stimulus Package – What’s in it for Aviation?

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You’d have to be in a coma to be unaware of the disastrous effect of the economic downturn on general aviation.  Planes just aren’t selling the way they used to.  CEOs are excoriated for replacing aging aircraft with newer, more efficient jets.  Pratt & Whitney is cutting 1,000 jobs and hiring is [...]

The Greening of Aviation?

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Was it only last fall that people were chanting “drill, baby, drill!”, and declaring everyone from the government to your grandmother must “go green!”?  Remember $8.00 a gallon 100LL and paying for pillows and blankets on US commercial flights? 
Given the furor over global warming and energy prices, how is it possible that an aviation [...]

How Safe are Small Airplanes?

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General aviation airplanes have one of the world’s best safely records among all forms of public transportation.  In fact, since 1950, the accident rate per 100,000 flying hours is down by more than 93%.
Some of us will always feel a little nervous about flying in small airplanes.  But here are a few facts about [...]

General Aviation, A Medical Lifeline

They’re called “Compassion Flights”, or “Angel Flights”. The FAA calls them “aeromedical services”.  It’s a sector of general aviation that you may not think about everyday.  But in an emergency, perhaps a car accident, it’s a sector that can save your life.
I live in a fairly remote area of coastal California where medical evacuation flights [...]

General Aviation – Not Just a Bunch of Rich Guys in Private Jets

These days with high gas prices, the economy in the tank and global warming, flying a small plane might seem unwise, extravigant, or even downright unpatriotic to some.  But not so.
Some of the traditionally most patriotic, hardworking and thrifty folks in America are using small planes in record numbers to keep the economy moving and [...]

Palo Alto Airport Connection with Mission Aviation Fellowship

A special mission of mercy originated from Palo Alto Airport in August this year.  A modified Cessna Grand Caravan took off on a 40 hour 5,500 mile flight to Sentani, Papua in Indonesia.  This single-engine aircraft will be handed off to Mission Aviation Fellowship, an organization which flies missionaries, medevacs and material to some of [...]

Palo Alto Airport Links Trio of Recent Fatal Crashes

According to the Federal Aviation Administration there was no common denominator between three recent fatal airplane crashes.  A 41 year old neurosurgeon and new pilot flew a rented Cessna 172 at night and crashed in the hazardous Lake Tahoe region.  An experienced 38 year old pilot with his own airline transport business flew his Piper [...]