Tag Archives: news

Big flap: the ornithopter finally flies

Posted on July 10, 2006 by David Megginson

This happened two days ago, but I only just saw the news on Wikipedia: the venerable ornithopter at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies sustained flight for 14 seconds (2 seconds longer than the Wright brothers) after taking … Continue reading →

Tagged | Comments Off on Big flap: the ornithopter finally flies

The future of radio navigation in the U.S.

Posted on February 25, 2006 by David Megginson

The U.S. government has released its 2005 Federal Radionavigation Plan [PDF, 74 pages]. Here is what they are proposing for each type of aviation-related navigation aid: GPS Will be the primary federally-provided radionavigation system for the foreseeable future. Will continue … Continue reading →

Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

What province is Ottawa in, again?

Posted on February 21, 2006 by David Megginson

(Not about flying.) By population, Ottawa is the fourth largest city in Canada (after Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver) and the second largest city in Ontario (after Toronto). Ottawa is also the nation’s capital, hosting the Parliament buildings (with the House … Continue reading →

Tagged | 1 Comment

Response to NAV CANADA Notice of New and Revised Service Charges

Posted on February 6, 2006 by David Megginson

NAV CANADA is proposing additional fees for small aircraft using Canada’s eight largest airports — these will be per-departure/day fees (i.e. a fee for each day that an aircraft departs from the airport). Here is NAV CANADA’s proposal, and here … Continue reading →

Tagged , | 3 Comments

Canadian TSB backs NTSB on Caravan Icing Restriction

Posted on January 31, 2006 by David Megginson

Because of the accident record, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sent a letter to the FAA suggesting a temporary restriction on Cessna’s single-engine turboprop, the Cessna 208 Caravan, from flying into any known icing conditions worse than light … Continue reading →

Tagged , | 1 Comment

Another TFR in Canadian airspace

Posted on January 27, 2006 by David Megginson

Transport Canada has agreed to extend the U.S. Superbowl TFR into Canadian airspace. Here’s the NOTAM: 060014 CYQG WINDSOR PART 1 OF 2 CYQG DAH IS AMENDED AS FOLLOWS: 1) CYR540, WINDSOR ON, CLASS F RESTRICTED AIRSPACE IS ESTABLISHED WITHIN … Continue reading →

Tagged , | 4 Comments

Certified for Known "Icy"?

Posted on January 22, 2006 by David Megginson

As most of you know, another Canadian Cessna Caravan has crashed, this time with passenger fatalities (including a small child). Here’s what the CBC article has to say about the Caravan’s safety record: American authorities want the model of airplane … Continue reading →

Tagged | Comments Off on Certified for Known "Icy"?

Cockpit as campaign prop

Posted on December 19, 2005 by David Megginson

Canada is in the middle of a federal election (with no TFRs, proving to the U.S. that it can be done). This photo shows Stephen Harper, one of the four major party leaders, at my home airport in Ottawa, using … Continue reading →

Tagged | 5 Comments

Dash-8 incident out of Kingston

Posted on December 16, 2005 by David Megginson

This morning, I read a CBC story about a control problem on an Air Canada Jazz Dash-8 flying from Kingston to Toronto on 2 September 2004. From the story, it was pretty hard to figure out what had actually happened, … Continue reading →

Tagged , | 1 Comment

Training and false alarms

Posted on December 7, 2005 by David Megginson

The story goes (true or not) that 911 gets more than its share of calls about airplanes in distress over the practice area west of Ottawa. I don’t blame the people calling in — stall practice is (hopefully) too high … Continue reading →

Tagged | Comments Off on Training and false alarms