Jay Carpenter sent in these two photos, along with a quick note: “Tropical Storm Sergio passes from Baja California over Texas. Red clouds gather at sunrise at Winston Field (KSNK) in Snyder, Texas. My RV-7 “Odette” preps for a dawn departure just ahead of the approaching storm.”
A spaced-out Ercoupe adventure
Dispatch from Restricted Area 5111B: This is it. I key my mike, and in my most professional pilot voice, broadcast: “Good morning Spaceport America, Erco, flight of 22, 10 miles south for landing.”
I turn to my son Rio and smile ear to ear. A year and a half of hard work has finally paid off. He gives me a thumbs up. Then the radio crackles in my headset and I hear, “Good morning Erco Zero-Two-Two. Wind three-three-zero at seven.”
I deflate. I know it didn’t sound like much, but I’d actually spent a lot of time planning what to say on that radio call announcing the arrival of our fleet of Ercoupes at America’s first purpose-built Spaceport. [Read more…]
First BAY FLIGHT brings together San Francisco Bay pilots
SAN CARLOS — The first BAY FLIGHT conference for San Francisco Bay area general aviation pilots was held Oct. 27, 2018, hosted by the San Carlos Flight Center.
Hailed as a great success by organizers, the conference featured sessions on safety, weather, wilderness survival, and air traffic control.
A fleet of Bay Area aviation luminaries shared their expertise on topics “beneficial to novice and experienced pilots alike,” organizers noted. [Read more…]
EAA inducts five into Halls of Fame
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — The Experimental Aircraft Association recognized the contributions made to the world of flight by five people as they were inducted into the EAA Sport Aviation Halls of Fame Nov. 8, 2018. [Read more…]
New owner for WACO Classic Aircraft Corp.
WACO Classic Aircraft Corp. has a new owner: Dimor Group of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Besides the aircraft manufacturing business, the acquisition includes Centennial Aircraft Services, an FBO and FAA Part 145 maintenance facility also located in Battle Creek. [Read more…]
Blackhawk pilot disabled in accident returns to flight
Able Flight has selected Chief Warrant Officer Anthony Radetic, US Army (retired), as the 2018 recipient of the Lockheed Martin/Able Flight Scholarship.
Founded as a non-profit organization in 2006, Able Flight provides flight training and aviation career training scholarships for people with a variety of physical disabilities, including wounded and disabled veterans. [Read more…]
Fuel exhaustion leads to crash
The pilot reported that the Grumman American Corp. AA-1C was last refueled and flown about a month before the day of the accident.
He added that, on the morning of the accident, he believed the plane still had about 17 to 18 gallons of fuel for the flight.
He mentioned that the airplane’s fuel float gauges were not accurate, so he looked inside of the left fuel tank from the filler cap and observed fuel. He did not check the right fuel tank because the style of tank restricted his view of any fuel. [Read more…]
Picture of the Day: Optical illusion
Rick Nihda submitted the following photo and note: “In a Cessna 172 passing by CN Tower in Toronto at 2,000′.”
Starships, Bonanzas, Staggerwings and more flock to Beech Party
Every October, it’s time to head to the Beech Party in Tullahoma, Tennessee, where Beechcraft owners and aficionados enjoy a gathering of the family clan.
This year was the 44th annual Beech Party held at the Beechcraft Aviation Museum. However, the Staggerwing Club has been hosting the fly-ins since the mid-1960s, according to Jody Curtis, who has been associated with the museum since 1997.
“The most rewarding thing about Beech Party is the camaraderie and celebration of general aviation,” said Curtis, who wears many hats at the museum, filling the roles of director of marketing and membership and Beech Party and event planner. [Read more…]
Video: High Sierra Fly-In STOL Drag Air Race Finals 2018
A new video posted to YouTube covers the STOL Drag Air Race Finals at the 2018 High Sierra Fly-In.
The video, which runs almost 15 minutes, shows the finals from round one through the finish. Among the competitors is Mike Patey in Draco, his monster bush plane. [Read more…]