The weather attempted to put a stop to Tree of Hope 2012 in Minnesota, but thanks to all who participated, there were many hospitalized children who received a gift this holiday season, according to organizers. The all-volunteer program, started in 1990 by Ray and Celeste Shefland, collects toys for children who are hospitalized during the […]
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Survivor: The return of Bill Williamson’s Thorp
Bill Williamson was at home in Lakeland, Fla., on the afternoon of March 31, 2011, when the phone rang. It was a friend calling to tell him that his airplane, a Thorp S-18 that was parked at Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport as part of the SUN ’n FUN Fly-In, was one of the casualties of the […]
Travel writer hitchhiking around the country — on GA aircraft
A veteran travel writer has embarked on a journey across the U.S. to answer the question: Is it possible to hitchhike around the country on private jets and small planes? The attempt has been registered with Guinness World Records. Rochester, N.Y. native Amber Nolan is attempting to visit all 50 states on a shoestring budget […]
Gliding the Wright way
By AMELIA T. REIHELD It’s a beautiful view from the top of Jockey’s Ridge, the towering sand dunes on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. To the east, there are cheek-by-jowl beach cottages and then the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, topped with whitecaps. To the west the Currituck Sound forms a swath of blue between dunes […]
Flying high in Iowa
Every year since 2004, the Iowa Department of Transportation holds a photography contest to celebrate aviation in the state. The contest showcases the wide range of aviation activity connected to Iowa, notes Tim McClung of the Iowa DOT Office of Aviation. “Aviation is an integral component in Iowa’s economy, and it’s important to be able […]
Santa One cleared for flight
NORTH POLE – The FAA has announced that Santa One, the reindeer-powered sleigh Santa Claus uses to deliver presents to good children around the world, has been cleared for its worldwide Christmas Eve flight. Santa One will be faster, quieter and more efficient this year with the help of NextGen technologies, FAA officials said. “As […]
What fuel does Santa burn?
As Christmas approaches, we wondered what fuel Santa Claus will be using this year? With the average price of avgas having risen from $1.81 in December 2008 to nearly $6 in December 2012, the nice folks up on the North Pole must be thinking about alternatives, just as many pilots are these days. The image […]
The show goes on
Conversations drifted to tragedy in Connecticut, but the holiday season’s 25th annual Toy Parade went on as scheduled at the Spruce Creek Fly-In community in Florida. The parade boasted an ingeniously decorated Cub, Cherokee and Waco, the latter owned by 2012 Grand Marshalls Pat and Lenny Ohlsson, long-time real estate gurus (pictured below) Spruce Creek’s […]
The time of her life
Type “women’s pilot watch” into an Internet search engine. Chances are high that the first — and possibly only — company name that pops up will be The Abingdon Co. And that’s just fine with 28-year-old Chelsea Abingdon Welch, the company’s founder. “I knew from about the age of 14 that I wanted a […]