Blog Archives
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Oil & The Free Market
- Monday May 1, 2006"Hark! Hark! The dogs do bark, The beggars are coming to town." That was the beginning of a Mother Goose rhyme during 16th century England. Methinks it applies today. Then, the English homeless were begging for food. Today, the beggars want the guvmint to "do something" about the price of gasoline. They say that the free market "isn't working" in the case of oil and fuel. Hogwash! The free market is working perfectly! The price of oil is basically a matter of supply and demand. When demand goes up and/or supply goes down, prices rise. That tends to cut down on consumption (demand) which tends to lower price. That's the free market and it is working perfectly. The problem is, we the people aren't happy with the resulting price right now... -
A Nice-Guy Legend is Gone
- Monday April 24, 2006"Damn. Just damn." That was one of many heartfelt and appropriate comments posted on AVSIG, world's oldest aviation online forum, after legendary pilot Scott Crossfield died in an airplane accident last week. This blog will not join the many who try to figure out exactly what happened in the accident, nor will we list the many aviation deeds and exploits that created the Crossfield legend. Others will report on those areas expertly and in detail. We will comment on the fact that Scott Crossfield was one more nice man. This was a true top gun, ace of the base aviation hero who was approachable and, well, just an all around nice guy. Before I get into this, let me state up front that Crossfield would not have remembered ever meeting me... -
Airlines Raise Prices
- Monday April 17, 2006Perhaps the biggest news in aviation last week slipped by with but little notice. It was the big story, front page and center of USA Today on Wednesday, April 12: "Airlines raise base fares sharply, still fill planes." Everybody shout Hallelujah! Why am I, a fellow who makes a living speaking at conventions, conferences, and other business meetings, happy to see airfares rise? Because it is so obvious that the airlines can't continue to lose money on every ticket but also stay in business. I need airlines as does the country so I want them to profit and prosper. Yes, the airlines are currently carrying more people more safely and for a lot less money. Many experts say we are now paying on average and after adjusting for inflation... -
User Fees & Toilets
- Monday April 10, 2006Aviation user fees? Hell, no! I believe users should pay their fair share. The guvmint says the FAA needs more money and therefore we need more user fees. It sounds so reasonable that I was beginning to agree. Then I got to thinking about it again. As I wrote in 1990, user fees work only if you trust the party that holds the money. You can trust dog tracks, bookies, and insurance companies, but not the guvmint, and they have proved it. I still remember all those years that they collected our money for the Aviation Trust Fund and then refused absolutely refused to use it as promised. That 1990 column I wrote said..."Does anyone, anywhere, still doubt that the guvmint is using the Aviation Trust Fund to make the deficit appear less... -
Prize as Motivator
- Monday April 3, 2006It can be an incentive for alternative fuel usage... The big prize harnesses the free market subsidies work against the market. So, can you guess which tool our guvmint uses to promote alternative fuels? The big prize has changed the history of aviation almost since the beginning of the industry. Lindbergh and his investors sought the Orteig Prize of $25,000, offered for the first nonstop flight from New York to Paris. Seaplanes tend to be slow, yet for years between World Wars I and II the world's fastest airplanes were seaplanes. Why? Because the Schneider Trophy was for seaplanes only. The first airplane to fly 400 miles per hour was a Schneider winner, and the famed British Spitfire was a derivative of a Schneider winner. Why did...
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