General Aviation News

Picture of the day: Heat treat

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Ted Luebbers sent in this photo, explaining: “Aviation Youth members of EAA Chapter 534 (L to R) Micaela Mazenko, Joshua Mazenko, and William McCarthy heat treat the reinforcing tape they placed over the rib stitching on the newly repaired Mini Max wings.”

Aviation Youth members meet at the chapter’s hangar at Leesburg International Airport (KLEE) in Florida on Saturdays to work alongside adult chapter members making repairs to a damaged Mini Max aircraft. The program will soon begin building a BD-6, all aluminum airplane, Luebbers adds. [Read more…]

World War II fighter pilot finally gets to fly the P-51

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Most World War II fighter pilots would tell you that the plane they most wanted to fly was the P-51, but not everyone was assigned to one.

In Jack Hallett’s case he ended up flying primarily the twin-engine P-38 or the single engine P-47 during his tour of duty in Europe during the war. He said he always wanted to fly a P-51 Mustang, but never got the chance until the ripe old age of 98, on Feb. 11, 2019. [Read more…]

Wanted: More people to get paid to move to Wichita and train to work at top aviation companies

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A Kansas college is looking for more people who they will pay to move to Wichita and train to work at top aviation companies.

Wichita, “The Air Capital of the World,” is experiencing rapid growth in its aviation and manufacturing operations. WSU Tech, the largest technical college in Kansas, is thinking outside of the box to produce a trained workforce to meet their hiring needs through a scholarship program called “Wichita Promise Move.”

After successfully relocating and training 50 individuals from across the US to Wichita in the fall of 2018, WSU Tech hopes to duplicate this success for the second time this year. [Read more…]

Unfamiliarity with airplane fatal for two

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The commercial pilot, who was the owner of the Ryan Navion, was receiving a flight review from an instructor who was not familiar with the airplane make and model.

The pilot noted they did not discuss the potential differences between the Navion and the airplanes the instructor typically flew before the flight.

After departing, they flew to a nearby airport to perform touch-and-go landings. The pilot was performing the first approach for landing in gusty wind conditions. About 100′ above the runway, the flight instructor took control of the airplane. The airplane landed hard and bounced back into the air. The pilot applied full engine power in an attempt to avoid a stall when the flight instructor yelled “hands off the yoke.” [Read more…]

First WINGS Sweepstakes awards 10 CFIs as new sweepstakes takes off

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The WINGS Industry Advisory Committee (WIAC) reports that 10 flight instructors have been selected to receive cash prizes ranging form $500 to $1,500 in the inaugural Paul and Fran Burger $10,000 WINGS Sweepstakes.

While the 2018 sweepstakes was made available exclusively to members of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) and the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), the 2019 Sweepstakes is open to all CFIs and all pilots. [Read more…]

Aviation legend Clay Lacy contributes to Exploration of Flight

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Clay Lacy has piloted aircraft for more than 55,000 hours. Now his legendary achievements as a pilot in commercial, business, military, racing, and test flights will inspire a new generation at Wings Over the Rockies’ Exploration of Flight Campus at Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colorado.

The Clay Lacy Field of Dreams Flight Ramp will be a launch pad for future aviators who visit the Boeing Blue Sky Aviation Gallery at Exploration of Flight. The gift will help expand the 77,000-square-foot ramp to accommodate additional flight activities, according to officials. [Read more…]

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