Max Trescott Aviation Trends Aloft

Photo - Skies of Europe Darkened as Airline Flights Resume

Now that airlines have been given the green light to fly again in Europe, there’s been a mad dash by passengers and the airlines to get back into the air again. Yesterday, I posted photos I took while making a low pass in a Cessna 180 over Dublin International Airport and its grounded airliners. Today, I was fortunate to be at Dublin International again and take a photo as the green flag was waved and airliners took to the skies again. If you look closely, you’ll see that my flight is not among the departing aircraft darkening the skies of Dublin. But if you have to get stuck somewhere, you won’t find a nicer, friendlier place to be than in Ireland!

Volcanic Ash Clouds Present Unprecedented Opportunity for General Aviation Pilots and Runway Repairs

The volcanic ash clouds creating havoc for the airlines in Europe are also creating unprecedented opportunities. With air traffic interrupted, workers are patching runways and as one blogger proposed, general aviation pilots are making low passes at airports they rarely get to fly over. I know, as yesterday I made a low pass of the Dublin International Airport in Ireland—and I wasn’t the only one doing it!

On Tuesday, Irish airspace was...

New NTSB 830 Rules May Increase Reports of Near Mid-Air Collisions

The pilots of United Flight 889 initiated the report of their near mid-air collision with a Cessna 182 near San Francisco last week. New NTSB rules may make those reports more common, so don’t be surprised if the number of reported near mid-air collisions rises in the coming year.

All pilots are required to receive ground instruction on...

New Air Safety Bill--Good for Passengers, Bad for Future Airline Pilots?

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee reported the passage today of H.R. 3371, The Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, by a vote of 409-11. According to Committee Chairman Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), “This legislation was developed as a result of the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407, where 50 people tragically perished outside of Buffalo, New York on February 12, 2009, and subsequent hearings by the Aviation Subcommittee.” When the bill was introduced in March, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said the bill "is not necessary" since the agency had already taken steps to address issues raised by the Colgan Air crash. You can read the full text of the bill here.

While H.R. 3371 addresses many aspects of airline safety, one of the biggest changes is that it...