Summertime pre-flights can be a pain. By the time I am finished with all my chores on a 100-degree ramp, I am uncomfortably drenched in sweat. I tend to rush things hoping to get in the air sooner and to cooler temperatures. By contrast, a preflight on any summer morning in Gunnison, Colorado is delightful. Read More
Superior Air Parts Releases “Engine Management 101” as a free Flip-Book Download
Superior Air Parts, Inc., is making its popular book “Engine Management 101” available as a free flip-book download. Written by Superior’s VP of product support Bill Ross, who has been an FAA A&P/IA for 32 years, the book covers all aspects of piston engine maintenance, operation, leaning and preventative procedures. “I’ve spent my entire career Read More
Cutter Aviation Opens New FBO at KCOS
Usually when a company opens a new facility, they hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony, take pictures and serve refreshments. Cutter Aviation took the “grand opening” event to a new level by holding a log-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of their new FBO terminal at the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. The new executive terminal features a Read More
Bee Hive Basics
The FAA / ATC Divorce: Who gets custody of GA? The Part 121 folks claim they are being hobbled by an antiquated system no longer capable of supporting their needs. Why else would they be chronically late if not for a broken, government-run system? Severe weather was approaching as I planned my departure from the Read More

Blow-Dried Cherries
Cherry farmers ward off harvest-destroying rainfall using a novel tool: Robinson R44 helicopter. It is an ungodly hour on a soaking wet gray morning, with occasional flashes of lightening still visible on the horizon as the recently passed thunderstorm moves out to the east. I am 150 miles from home, suspended some 15 feet above Read More