How to Start Your Toy Airplane Collection
Collecting Toy Airplanes
Most people engage in different hobbies as a distraction from their everyday lives When people consider a particular activity as a hobby typically people find that the activity pleasurable and enjoyable
Executive Jet Management Generated Over $1 Million in Charter Revenue For 26 of its Managed Aircraft Owners
Executive Jet Management (EJM) reported that 26 client aircraft in its charter fleet each generated over $1 million in charter revenue in 2006.
ViaSat C-130 Aircraft Hatch-Mount Satellite Antenna for Broadband Ku-band Communications Passes Certification Testing
ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq:VSAT) has delivered a hatch-mounted Ku-band satcom antenna for C-130 aircraft that has received air worthiness certification from U.S. Air Force authorities at Warner Robbins Air Force Base. The hatch mounted antenna enables configuration of aircraft for 2-way broadband communication access to terrestrial services and the GIG without any permanent modifications. Within minutes, ground crews can configure the aircraft for a specific mission, and then easily return the plane to normal transport configuration when the mission is complete. The newly-certified antenna enables use of an airborne satcom system to access wide area Department of Defense SIPRNet and NIPRNet networks at data rates up to 10 Mbps inbound and 512 kbps...
Automotive Paint and Aircraft Repair
After years of painting aircraft with automotive paints I have found that the best lasting paint in my opinion is PPG base coat clear coat.Working with aircraft mechanics on the methods of painting planes, the old generation stressed the use of synthetic paints (pre 1970's era).
The History of the Aircraft Wash Guys, Part Three
As we study this grass roots history of a franchise company in the making we see how opportunity in the market grows companies and how entrepreneurial thinkers take advantage of those opportunities to deliver goods and services, which match the desires of the market place. In this review of the history of the aircraft wash guys we see the company diversifying and finding other niches to serve, some of which were actually better than the original plan.
Entering Business Aviation, Part I: Types of Aircraft
The jets that people fly in corporate aviation are usually a lot smaller than those found with the airlines. Exceptions to the rule are Boeing's BBJ and Airbus' Corporate Jet, both of which are based on some of the smaller types of aircraft marketed to the airlines.
RTV Fluorosilicone Expands NuSil Technology's Line of Aircraft Adhesives
NuSil Technology (www.nusil.com), a cutting-edge manufacturer of silicone-based materials for healthcare, aerospace, electronics and photonics, has launched an extension to its line of adhesives/sealants. FS3-3730 fluorosilicone adhesive/sealant is a one-part, fast-curing, room-temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone that provides excellent elastomeric properties.
RFT Systems (Aerospace) Limited Develop Aircraft Cabin Conditioning Mathematical Model
RFT Systems have developed a mathematical model to accurately predict temperatures within aircraft cabins and other airbourne enclosures such as pods and UAV's for all worldwide environments.
Omnicom's Betelgeuse Launches Test Campaign for Diamond Aircraft and US Aero: Patented Multi-Touch Marketing Plan Set For Takeoff in Reaching
Betelgeuse, a dedicated business-to-business and high-end consumer targeted marketing firm, is launching a test marketing campaign for Diamond Aircraft, a general aviation manufacturer, and its western US distributor, US Aero, to promote the DA40XL, the premiere entry level aircraft in its class, providing pilots with an exceptional aviation experience.
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An Aircraft Buyer's Secret Weapon
If you are in the market to purchase your own airplane, I have a valuable tip for you.
This year, I went about the task of finding a 1964 Piper Cherokee 235 that will serve me well in my business and family flying, But there is one thing that keeps popping up with airplanes built before the Summer of Love: damage history.
As I browse the daily listings on sites like Trade-a-Plane and Controller, the one thing that always generates a second look are those magical three letters...NDH, for No Damage History. It is one of the two most desirable attributes on an older model plane, right up there with "complete logs"..
But when does "no damage history" really mean NO damage history? I have had a couple of recent surprises when a listing said NDH, but a quick search on Google brought up an NTSB report showing a crash with "substantial" damage. On one of these occasions, I let the owner off the hook after he told me NDH and I found a 1967 crash because nothing about the accident was listed in the logs.
Now I'm using a secret weapon that all airplane buyers should know about...the FAA database. For a crisp ten spot and a few clicks of your mouse, you can go here and order a CD that contains every piece of FAA paperwork ever generated on a particular aircraft. Just plug in the N #, wait about 10 days, and your disk arrives with more 411 then you ever thought was out there about any flying machine ever registered with FAA.
On the disk will be two PDF documents, made from the microfilm archived at FAA. One PDF will show every shred of registration info, including all change of ownership forms as well as some mortgage and loan paperwork. This is a great tool to follow the lineage of the plane right back to day one. One disk I recently ordered showed close to 20 owners for a 1964 model 235, far too many for my blood. Multiple owners had resold the plane just a few months after buying it... an indicator of a possible dog. But the other half of the CD is where the really juicy stuff can be found.
The second PDF shows all 337 forms that have been submitted on the plane. You'll quickly scroll through every major repair or alteration, and get a glimpse into the past life of the plane. Want to know what year the ADF was junked...it's in there. That hangar rash suffered back on '72 when Bubba bounced his pick-up truck off the wingtip...it's in there.
The good news is that I have found a plane in SoCal that suits my mission profile perfectly. I have ordered the FAA disk, and ought to get it this week. If there are skeletons in the closet of this bird, I'll sleuth them out, since the NTSB search on Google came up empty. I've set up a meeting with the owner in two weeks to look the plane over and fly it...with fingers crossed. This is the one I want, and so far it has passed every test. I still have several more hoops to jump through including the all-important pre-buy inspection, but at least with the FAA disk as ammunition, I'll go into the negotiations armed and loaded ready for a little back and forth as the owner's broker, and I work towards the right price.
Author and private pilot Dan Pimentel owns a aviation advertising agency in Oregon and has been an aviation writer since 1980. He frequently writes about interesting general aviation topics at his blog, World of Flying. You can order these CDs from the FAA at this web site.
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