Paul Tibbets, pilot of the aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb, died Nov. 1 at the age of 92 at his home in Columbus, Ohio. He had been in failing health in recent months. Paul Warfield Tibbets was born on Feb. 23, 1915, at Quincy, Illinois. He planned to have a career in medicine, […]
A new way to add lift?
You’ve likely already been inundated with comments pertaining to “What the well-dressed airplane wears?” photo caption in the Oct. 5, 2007, edition of General Aviation News. It seems obvious to me that the red brassiere was placed, not as a way of protecting the cowling, but rather to add “lift.” JOHN BURTON via email
Let’s keep common sense in aviation
I just read the letter about the guy who thought it would be a great idea to place the prop in a horizontal position after every shutdown to prevent engine damage in the event of nosewheel collapse (A lesson learned, Sept. 21 issue). Phil Boyer was all for it. Huh? I have taught my students always […]
Blast from the past
I just ran across your July 2002 article about Tommy Martin and his sons (Sons follow father to create Midwest aviation legend). My dad, Frank Reinhold of Sioux City, learned to fly in an Aeronca C3 in about 1937 or so, and his instructor was Tommy Martin. My brother, Frank Martin “Marty” Reinhold (deceased), was named for […]
Alcohol as fuel: Just say no
A short response to Tom Gribble’s Letter to the Editor in the “Quit Whining About Ethanol” in the Sept. 21 issue, sort of one point at a time: 1. You are correct — alcohol does take more petrochemical energy to make than it produces, so we should use it for…what? 2. It costs more than […]
Buzzzz…….
“If the younger generation doesn’t learn to fly, what’s going to happen?” — Anna Pennington, 85, a long-time North Carolina pilot “Thank goodness for DUATS.” — AOPA President Phil Boyer, in talking about the many failures of Lockheed Martin’s FSS “A lot of people in GA don’t get involved in politics, but when something like […]
No reprieve: Look out for commercials from your plane
It had to happen: The advertising industry finally realized that people flying in planes —whether airliners or their own Cessnas — are captive audiences. That’s why one advertising agency, London-based Ad-Air, has developed outdoor advertising designed to be viewed from aircraft in flight. The ads, which are about the size of five NFL football fields, […]
A rose by any other name?
Picking a name for an airplane, especially the first of its kind, is never easy. Recently Cirrus Design Corp. bypassed the hassle by naming its entry into the Very Light Jet market simply “the jet.” Other aircraft manufacturers leaned toward celestial phenomena (Eclipse) or weapons (Javelin). When Cessna introduced its first business jet in the […]
Bombardier launches Learjet NXT
Bombardier Aerospace has launched its all-new Learjet aircraft, provisionally named Learjet NXT, which company officials are calling “the next generation in Learjet excellence.” A public unveiling of the new jet is expected in October 2008, in time to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the first flight of a Learjet, according to Pierre Beaudoin, president and […]