| Perfect Airplane, Perfect Winner
"Do you have a few minutes?" AOPA President Phil Boyer asked U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Rocky S. Lee, AOPA 996669, of Novato, California. "About four or five," replied Lee. Then Boyer asked him when AOPA could arrange to deliver the one-of-a-kind, refurbished 1967 Piper Cherokee Six to an airport near him. A moment of stunned silence, then, "No, this is a joke." No joke. "This is the actual Mr. Boyer of AOPA? You've got to be kidding. No way!" His wife, Kelly, was just as disbelieving. After the phone call, Lee rushed over to her workplace with the December issue of AOPA Pilot to show her the glossy photos of the new family aircraft. "I couldn't say a word," said Kelly. "It's really overwhelming, and the kids are even more excited. It's a dream." Two weeks later, the dream became reality at a perfect little general aviation airport, Petaluma Municipal Airport, some 18 miles up U.S.
Aruba Announces Opening of First-Ever Private Jet Facility to Grow ...
In response to Arubas growing luxury market and continuous effort to court high-end travelers, the island is proud to announce the opening of a new Fixed Based Operation (FBO) terminal for private planes. The new stand-alone facility, which opened in January and is operated by Universal Aviation under an agreement with the Aruba Airport Authority NV, offers upscale travelers a variety of convenient services including a VIP lounge, on-site customs and immigration, a duty-free shop, ample ramp and parking space as well as coordination of ground transportation, airport fees, rental car service, 24-hour security arrangements, catering and more. Many of the islands hotels and resorts have also recognized the demand for a more luxurious travel experience and are serving up various getaways designed specifically for discerning jetsetters looking for more out of their Caribbean jaunt.
Billionaire building flying space pod
(PopSci.com) -- A mere three years after Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne skimmed the edge of space to capture the $10-million Ansari X Prize, more than half a dozen companies are furiously building and testing spacecraft designed to take paying passengers on suborbital journeys and beyond. Five states, including California, Oklahoma, Florida, Virginia and Alaska, now hold government licenses for commercial spaceports -- and the Federal Aviation Administration is already working to create new protocols so air-traffic controllers will know how to route old-fashioned commercial flights clear of busy spaceport traffic. "The giggle factor is gone," says Taber MacCallum, CEO of Tucson, Arizona-based Paragon Space Development Corp., one of a number of firms angling to supply future spaceliners with everything from spacesuits to rocket parts.
Flying the crowded skies: FAA says more delays to be expected
WASHINGTON - Airline passengers can expect more delays as airplanes crowd the skies, the Federal Aviation Administration said this week. The agency expects an average of 1.4 million more takeoffs and landings - the equivalent of traffic at two Dallas/Fort Worth International Airports - every year until 2020. In 2006, air traffic controllers handled 61.1 million takeoffs and landings. "Delays are mounting due to congested airspace and congested airports," FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said. "The congestion is really becoming a chronic thing." Blakey said 2006 was the worst year ever for delays, and 2007 isn't looking any better. Last year, more than 490,000 flights departed or arrived late, she said. This year, domestic airline ticket prices are expected to increase by 0.4 percent before dropping an average of 0.9 percent annually, the FAA said as part of its annual aviation forecast.
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