On the LA Sectional, North and Northeast of Santa Barbara and through the Gorman pass, there is a grey hatchmarked area and the note "Special Military Activity - contact Hawthorne FSS on 122.2, 122.3 for activity status." and similar notes referencing Riverside FSS and Joshua Approach. Last year...

If a student pilot takes all his training in a tailwheel aircraft (including solo), but takes his flight test in a nosedragger, does the newly minted private pilot need a separate tailwheel endorsement? Jose -- The price of freedom is... well... freedom. for Email, make the obvious change in the...

Anybody been there recently? Is fuel available? I tried calling them but the number no longer works, and AirNav doesn't have any info. Jose -- Nothing takes longer than a shortcut. for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

freakin' fantastic, and it's worth the $900 and something bucks! My old set is a DC 13-44S. While installing an ANR kit into a DC headset might be cheaper, You are going from a passive headset to an ANR headset? If so, the praise belongs more to ANR than to BOSE, IMHO, though I will...

Somewhere on the net I came across a towbar for cherokees, which was reversed in such a way that one could push on the wing and steer with this towbar all by oneself. However, as the saying goes, I can't find it again. Anybody know of such a device? Jose -- You can choose whom to befriend, but...

From AvWeb: http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/1231gl-nwvsurpluke31Z1.html Midair collisions are of vital concern to Luke Air Force Base officials, so he base is asking West Valley cities, Maricopa County, Phoenix and West Valley legislators to sign a letter petitioning the...

Skylune, in a different, way OT thread, intones... It kinda reminds me of AOPA logic. For example, user fees: they argue simultaneously that (1) GA uses very few FAA services and therefore user fees are not necessary and (2) user fees would impose a ruinous financial burden on the GA...

Some time ago I saw a towbar for a Piper Cherokee that is reversed - that is, it is designed to be operated from the position of the person pushing back against the wings to park the plane. I can't find it any more. Any clues? Jose -- Money: what you need when you run out of brains. for Email,...

There was a discussion in my club about leaning the engine (of our cherokees) below 5000 feet in cruise. This was prompted by the observation in the manual that the engine should be leaned above 5000 feet at all times in cruise, and below 5000 feet at the pilot's discrescion. So, how should the...

A few months ago there was a discussion here about positioning on the runway at an angle to better see traffic from the rear while awaiting takeoff clearance, and I opined in the face of dissent by Steven McNicoll that it was a good idea. I had a chance to fly a 172 while I was out west and was...

I'm considering flying from the Bay Area to Seattle WA next September (I'm not based out there) and was wondering what kind of flight conditions I could expect. I'd be in a piston single (probably an aging Cutlass). I am IFR capable, but flying in ice would be something I'd avoid. Jose

The useful consciousness time as it reaches its high-altitude minimum is mostly the transit time of the already oxygenated blood that just left your lungs on the way to the brain at the "moment" of pressure loss--when that low oxygen blood gets there, your conscious brain cells, which have some...

I'm flying STS (Santa Rosa CA) to RNT (Renton WA, near Seattle), VFR direct in early September. This takes me over some (7000 ft) hills with higher terrain nearby, but in most cases the valley is not far away. I'm thinking of crusing at about 8500 (unless the wind is strong, in which case I'll go...

There have been several sites which offered free digital sectionals (at least a peek a little bit at a time). I'm interested in peeking at the Seattle and Portland areas for an upcoming flight, but can't find any of these sites any more. Anybody know of any that are still up? Jose -- Nothing...

So, how far over redline is it "ok" to operate an aircraft, and how arbitrary is that red line (both on the tach and the airspeed indicator) and how is it determined? Jose -- Nothing takes longer than a shortcut. for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

So now we have a split landing light switch, because we have lights on the wings too. The nose light switch says LDG which is easy enough to decipher. The other, which controls the two forward-looking landing-type lights on the wing tips, says REC. Well, I'm as dumb as the next one, but if I...

Anybody got reccomendations on good books on aviation weather? Especially those that can serve as references after reading. I'm interested in the kinds of weather a single engine aircraft would be concerned with - recognizing, understanding, penetrating, avoiding... Jose -- The price of freedom...

I have to ask why you feel it's reasonable to turn this guy in to the FSDO but not to copy license plate numbers of speeders and turn them in. I didn't make the post, but I do have some reasons. Way back when... when I was learning to fly and learning how the regs worked, it was made clear...

What is it like arriving and departing Lakeland during Sun 'n' Fun? I will probably be in the area and would be interested in dropping in for an afteroon or a day or two. What kind of arrival and departure delays can I expect? What's parking like? Jose -- Math is a game. The object of the game...

Some years back (ok, sixteen years back) I read about a study one of our armed forces did in which (I'll simplify) they rigged wires to a pilot's brain and then watched him make errors. They found that there was a flurry of unusual brain activity just before the error, which did not occur when the...