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Keeping user fees out of the new FAA reauthorization bill was a "big win" for general aviation--but vigilance and education efforts must continue, said Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), the House GA Caucus co-chairman and member of the conference committee that produced the final bill.

A proposed hike in aviation registration fees would only "further depress" a tax-burdened aviation economy in Illinois, AOPA said, urging officials to reject the plan.

Two AOPA-backed bills - one providing aviation sales-tax relief and the other establishing funding sources for airport ground-access maintenance - have won overwhelming passage in the Indiana House and are now before the Senate.

The Senate, following up on House action last week, has passed a four-year, $63.4 billion FAA reauthorization bill with no user fees or fuel-tax increases. The bill, now headed to the desk of President Barack Obama for signing, would give the FAA its first long-term operating authority since 2007.

"It was probably the greatest thing to ever happen to me. It made me realize many things are possible, and opportunities are available if you seek them out." That's the sentiment from Zachary Alcantar, one of four winners of $5,000 flight training scholarships last fall.

Whether the view-limiting device you use makes you look like a welder, a scuba diver, or a student in a college chem lab, remember that you are preparing for the time when you can't just peel off the gizmo and squint at splendid scenery.

Micron Technology CEO Steve Appleton died in the crash of a Lancair airplane at the Boise, Idaho, airport Feb. 3, according to a report on the company website. He was 51.

The F-16 suddenly appeared off the left wing of the GippsAero G-8 Airvan. It wagged its wings, and its engine, in afterburner, shook the sky like an aerial earthquake.

Proposed changes to Victor airways transiting Connecticut offer a small-scale preview of how the nation's airspace will likely be modernized via NextGen, from a system based on decades-old technology to performance-based navigation based on GPS.

The Idaho House of Representatives has unanimously passed a bill exempting aircraft parts, supplies, and other components from the state's sales and use tax. The bill, strongly supported by AOPA and the general aviation community, is now headed for Senate committee.

AOPA has requested that the Air Force, which plans to establish a temporary military operations area during military exercises scheduled for June from Volk Field Air National Guard base in Wisconsin, assure unimpeded airway access for general aviation flights. Members are encouraged to submit comments on the plan by Feb. 3.

A southern California flight school owner faces the loss of his two-year-old business, along with the Cessna 172 he rented to a well-known customer. The Jan. 20 seizure of N5283E and arrest of Lino Rodriguez-Chavez by border patrol agents marked the fourth arrest and seizure of a light aircraft involved in the smuggling of people, rather than drugs, since 2010.

A careful study of aviation safety concerns is "imperative" when the Oregon Department of Energy reviews a proposed gas-fired power plant to be built near the Portland-Troutdale Airport, AOPA said in a Jan. 31 letter to the state agency.

As if programming an IFR flight plan into a Garmin GNS 430W or 530W with the sound of your voice wasn't easy enough, VoiceFlight Systems has shaved yet another step for Apple iPad users.

AOPA and the Experimental Aircraft Association are on track to submit their request for an exemption allowing pilots flying recreationally to use the driver's license medical standard in the coming weeks--but there's still time to sign up online to receive email alerts on the progress of the request and when you can submit comments.

Jim Lawson of Afton, Wyo., was descending through the clouds when the second tank ran dry. The instrument-rated--but not current--pilot had departed for Ellensburg, Wash., in beautiful weather, but ground fog moved in at his destination, he said. So he headed toward his alternate, where ceilings were broken and he heard pilots on the frequency taking off and landing. When he got there, the clouds had closed in: He was low on fuel and trapped above the cloud layer. He needed help.

Pilots could face stiff fines - up to six figures - for violating new overflight regulations that place the National Airspace System on a slippery slope. The FAA has ceded to another federal agency - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - authority to enforce what amount to new airspace restrictions.

NASA has launched two free games aimed at inspiring the next generation of engineers and aviators--an air traffic control game adapted for Apple iPhone and iPad devices, and a multi-player space and technology trivia game hosted on Facebook.

The House and Senate ironed out details on a long-term FAA reauthorization bill Jan. 31, paving the way for a full vote in both houses before the latest short-term funding extension expires Feb. 17.

A negative-G guns jink sprays maps, charts, and approach plates onto the top of retired Air Force pilot Larry Brown's F-15 canopy, teaching him a valuable lesson he adheres to today in his Cessna P210--even though he won't be doing any negative-G pushovers.