Robbie Culver submitted this photo and note: “On Monday, May 11, 2020, I was fortunate enough to fly a low approach to Chicago O’Hare Airport in my Sonex experimental. I left Clow International airport (1C5) about 10 a.m., contacted Chicago approach, and made my request. I was cleared into the Class Bravo almost immediately and given a heading towards ORD. I followed an American Airlines 737 in to Runway 28 Center, kept my speed up, and made a low approach. I can’t thank the controllers at Chicago Approach and O’Hare tower enough. Definitely a bucket list item!”
[Read more…]Tips for that first flight after down time
By JAMES B. BLAKLEY
You’ve probably had some down time from flying since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Your flights may have been reduced or stopped, or maybe winter kept you away from the hangar. Chances are you haven’t touched your aircraft in some time.
Have you thought about how you will approach your next flight?
Here are a few ideas and useful resources to refresh your skills prior to pushing those levers forward.
[Read more…]Backcountry pilots deliver aid to Navajo Nation
About 50 members of the Backcountry Santa Pilots delivered essential items in June to the Navajo Nation, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
The pilots took off from the Salt Lake International Airport, with their planes loaded with food, paper items, educational items and more.
“We are taking food and PPE and toilet paper,” Backcountry Santa Pilot member Michael Warlde told the local television station. “All the supplies you need in an emergency are the kinds of things we’re providing.”
[Read more…]Schedule released for Spirit of Aviation Week
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — Highlights from across the world of flight will be featured July 21-25, 2020, as part of the schedule for the Experimental Aviation Association’s Spirit of Aviation Week. The week’s lineup includes top aviators, dozens of forums, and “best of” moments.
With more than 170 scheduled events, the free five-day online aviation fest includes streamed and on-demand content encompassing nearly every facet of aviation, with a focus on educational, informational, and entertaining moments, according to EAA officials.
EAA’s special interest groups will be heavily involved, bringing highlights that include homebuilts, warbirds, vintage, aerobatics, ultralights, and much more at EAATogether.org.
[Read more…]Could your airplane be a calendar girl?
Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings has put out a call for the finest aircraft paint schemes and exterior finishes in the sky.
Whether it’s a newly painted business jet, single or twin engine, kit plane, sport plane, or helicopter, the company is looking to feature the finest looking aircraft in its 2021 Aerospace Coatings Calendar.
[Read more…]Corrosion debris leads to fuel starvation
The mechanic who maintained the Piper Aerostar 601 reported that, on the morning of the accident, the right engine would not start due to water contamination in the fuel system.
The commercial pilot and mechanic purged the fuel tanks, flushed the fuel system, and cleaned the left engine fuel injector nozzles.
[Read more…]Picture of the Day: Coot amphibian
Richard Steeves submitted this photo and note: “This Coot amphibian is resting by a beach along the Wisconsin River. It is owned by Richard Steeves of Madison, Wisconsin, who has been publishing the Coot-builder’s Newsletter bimonthly for 45 years.”
[Read more…]Benefactor U
Looking back, I realize I had an interest in flying things from a very young age.
I lived in East Hartford, Connecticut, not far from the Pratt and Whitney factory that pumped out enough radial engines to power an Air Force just a couple decades earlier. In my youth P&W was pushing turbine engines out the door. Sonic booms were a common occurrence.
To this day that deep, thunderous clap of sonic disturbance brings me a bit of joy. Others may find rattling walls to be unnerving. Me? I like it. I always did.
Cessnas and Pipers and Beechcraft flew over my home on a regular basis, as did C-119s and C-124s from Westover Air Force Base. My eyes lifted skyward to see those airframes glide past. My young tender ears basked in the sound of round engines, flat engines, any kind of engine that caused sound to cascade down from the heavens.
[Read more…]Zenith STOL Serial No. 001 flies again
The original Zenith STOL CH 701, serial number 7-001, is back in the air after having been neglected in the back of a barn for two decades.
Built in 1986 by aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz, the STOL CH 701 became a hit with builders and pilots, combining the features and advantages of a “real” airplane with the short-field capabilities of an “ultralight” aircraft, according to Zenith officials.
[Read more…]Book delves into the soul of an old airplane
Now available is “As The Prop Turns: The Soul of an Old Airplane,” by John Wood.
The book chronicles the adventures of a 1940 WACO UPF-7, which has “lived a long and adventurous life,” according to the publisher.
[Read more…]