FAA Pilot Guide to Airport Signs and Markings - Time for Review

The following FAA publications can help you review runway sings and markings.  Remember, safety is EVERYONE'S responsibility!  Thanks to St. Louis MACTS sponsors for holding the Super Safety Seminar last weekend!

 

Now, Take the Test!!

And now, the answers!

FAA: Aviation Safety Is Everyone’s Concern; Pay Attention to the Fundamentals

The Federal Aviation Administration has a message for the flying community (and everyone else, for that matter): Safety is EVERYONE’S concern, so pay attention to the fundamentals of flying within the capabilities of the pilot AND the aircraft. This theme was reinforced during the Super Safety Seminar at the 6th Annual Midwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show at the Maryland Heights Community Center near St. Louis, MO today. For details on the Super Safety Seminar, please see my posting at Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/279957/carmelo_turdo.html.

The Super Safety Seminar was well attended by current and future pilots and flight instructors.

Gyrocopter in a No Parking Zone!  At least it was under a roof and out of the rain.  More views below:

Please thank and patronize sponsors of this event, including:
Falcon Insurance Agency
FAA (Kansas City Office)
Greater Saint Louis Air & Space Museum (Cahokia, IL)
Greater Saint Louis Helicopter Association
High Altitude Flying Club (Creve Coeur Airport)
Saint Charles Flying Service
Saint Louis Aircraft Sales
Spirit Pilot Shop (Spirit of St. Louis Airport)
West County Aero (Creve Coeur Airport)
Wings of Hope
EAA Chapter 32 (St. Charles Municipal Airport)

2010 Midwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show in St. Louis

By Carmelo Turdo

Another aviation season is already underway in the St. Louis and Metro East Illinois area. Although it is still cold and snowy outside, this aviation community is preparing itself for another year of fun AND safe flying. One of the first major events of 2010 will be the 6th annual Midwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show held at the Maryland Heights Community Center, 2344 McKelvey Rd., Maryland Heights, MO 63043 on January 23-24, 2010. This year promises to be another excellent weekend of safety training, product and service displays and otherwise contagious aviation enthusiasm. Some of the featured events include:

Saturday Super Safety Seminar - January 23rd 9am to 12pm
This year the Safety Seminar will feature Mr. Bruce Landsberg, President of the AOPA Safety Foundation. The FAA will be hosting a panel discussion to address your comments, ideas and concerns about a wide variety of topics.

Aviation Trade Show - January 23rd 9am to 3pm
A wide variety of clubs, organizations and aviation service providers will present their programs and services for your review.

Flight Instructors Revalidation Clinic - January 23rd & 24th 7:30am to 5:30pm
The FIRC will be a completely redesigned program designed to provide a better alignment of topics relating to current demands placed on flight instructors for a paid in advance fee of $200 or $225 at the door.

Aviation Awards Banquet - January 23rd 6:30pm to 8:30pm
The banquet will celebrate the presentation of awards earned by fellow aviators, conveniently held at the Maryland Heights Center in conjunction with all other MACTS events.

Aviation Auction - January 23rd 9am to 8:30pm
An aviation auction to help raise funds for programs in the St Louis Aviation Community will be held in conjunction with the Greater St Louis Aviation & Space Museum. The Aero Experience wholeheartedly supports the museum and its efforts to preserve St. Louis and southwestern Illinois area aviation heritage. (See December 23, 2008 museum profile posting on this blog).

Learn to Fly Day - January 24th 11am to 3pm
A new event will be provided to provide opportunities for the non-flying public to learn more about becoming a pilot or pursuing a career in aviation. The event will have simulators on hand to earn a "first logbook" endorsed with flight time that counts towards a Private Pilot Certificate, experienced pilots and instructors to answer questions and demonstrate the basics of flight training and more.

For more information, please check http://www.gslfia.com/2010MACTS/2010MACTS.htm today!

(To preserve accuracy of the program contents, much of the content for this posting was taken from the MACTS site cited above).

Aviation Adventures eBook - The Purpose and Format

NOTE TO PARENTS

Thank you for purchasing this activity book!  We are happy to provide this fun and educational resource for you.  There are pictures to color and puzzles to complete.  The aircraft featured here are examples of great aviation accomplishments over the last century, and they are featured in pairs in order to illustrate the progress made over the years.  For example, there is a picture of Igor Sikorski flying the first practical helicopter, the S-300, in 1940.  The Bell Jet Ranger is the next aircraft - it is recognizable as the model flown by news organizations, traffic reporters and rescue teams today.  Another set of aircraft contains the Spirit of St. Louis, the plane Charles Lindbergh flew on the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in over 33 hours.  The next aircraft is the Concorde, a supersonic jetliner that crossed the Atlantic in about three hours.  We hope that the contrasts will illustrate how far aviation has developed, and inspire future generations to learn about aviation history and also dream of new creations. 

There are brief descriptions and labels on each page to introduce the featured aircraft. The text also contains the information necessary to complete the puzzles that follow the pictures. Parental assistance may be necessary to complete the puzzles.  It is hoped that the reader will be inspired to do further research using the references listed in the Sources section.  In addition to the knowledge gained by studying the drawings and text, the activities in this book will help the reader develop reading comprehension, symmetry and logic skills.

Parents should actively assist their children in learning about aviation, especially considering the enormous contribution that the United States has made in this area.   Children should be encouraged to read about aircraft in general, but more importantly, about the scientific principles of flight.  Age-appropriate biographies of aviation pilot heroes, and aircraft designers and builders, provide an exciting medium for generating knowledge and enthusiasm for aviation.  Field trips to aviation museums, especially those that allow children to touch or enter the aircraft, provide vivid and enduring memories. Constructing models of wood or plastic, both static and flying, gives the child a sense of accomplishment with a physical product to display or fly.  As the child matures, more intense experiences such as air shows may become appropriate, but home video tapes made of a live air show also provide a meaningful and controllable experience.  Fun activities such as kite flying, bird watching and stargazing are also valuable learning experiences.     

As with any other learning experience, creativity and enthusiasm are invaluable when encouraging children to learn.  Fortunately, aviation is one of those inherently interesting scientific endeavors that will continue to fascinate generations to come.

Aviation Adventures is now Available in MS Word Format!

The eBook Aviation Adventures, an activity book for young aviators, is now available in MS Word format.  Please order yours today for your donation of $2.00 via the PayPal button at the top of the first page.  Be sure to give your email address to receive the file.  I will have .pdf version in the near future.  Thanks for your support of this educational adventure, and PLEASE also give generously toward the maintenance of this site!

Sample F-15 Coloring Page from Aviation Adventures eBook

Here is a sample page from the up-coming Aviation Adventures eBook. Additional aircraft will be featured in the eBook. Please leave a comment for feedback and advanced ordering.

Just for Fun! Seek and Find Puzzle from the Aviation Adventures Activity eBook

Here is a sample puzzle from the Aviation Adventures activity eBook. The eBook containing informative coloring pages and other puzzles will be available shortly. Enjoy!