The LoPresti Fury, Roy LoPresti’s last and most-admired design, now has the iPod fully integrated into its systems. “It would be very nearsighted to think of the iPod as merely an entertainment device,” said RJ Siegel, vice president of operations at Vero Beach, Fla.-based LoPresti Speed Merchants, the airplane’s manufacturer. Rather, it is “a watershed […]
Hobby Airport celebrates 80 years
From Howard Hughes to the WASP program of World War II to today, the history of William P. Hobby Airport includes many riveting stories. The airport that made Houston an international travel destination is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. Hobby Airport brought the beginnings of commercial aviation to Houston when it was opened in 1927 […]
CubCrafters earns Production Certificate
CubCrafters, manufacturer of the Top Cub and Sport Cub, has been awarded a Production Certificate from the FAA. Receiving the certificate, only the second ever issued in the state of Washington, is a milestone for the company, according to Earl Barnes, director of quality assurance. “While we are not yet quite as large as our […]
Eclipse ends Avidyne relationship
Eclipse Aviation and Avidyne have decided to “terminate their relationship,” according to Andrew Broom, Eclipse’s director of public relations. “Avidyne will no longer supply components for the Avio Total Aircraft Integration system in the Eclipse 500,” Broom said. “We have agreed it is in the mutual best interest of both companies, and our customers, to wind […]
What’s new in training?
Our focus in this issue is flight training and education, obviously something important for all pilots, not just the students among us. In fact, as legendary pilot Johnny Miller, who is still flying at 101, says, “you are never too old to learn.” We open with a story on learning the ins and outs of […]
It’s a long way down… French skydiver hopes to break Kittinger’s records
French skydiver Michael Fournier plans to break skydiving records that have held since 1960, in August. If successful, he will drop from a balloon-supported capsule floating some 130,000 feet over Saskatchewan, Canada, free-fall for about six minutes, and almost certainly exceed the speed of sound. He calls his adventure Le Grand Saut, The Super Jump. […]
You, too, can think like a rocket scientist
Now anyone can think like a rocket scientist, thanks to a new book by a Purdue University professor. “This book is for people who would like to learn the methods rocket scientists use and have them told in a way that you can apply to your everyday life,” said James Longuski, a NASA veteran, professor […]
A GREAT AIRPLANE
I was glad to see someone appreciates a great airplane (Rare Norseman makes its airshow debut, Jan. 5 issue). As I remember it was designed by Robert Noorduyn, who had been a design engineer for Bellanca. I have seen one in the Canadian Museum at Ottawa and at the Bush Flying Museum in Sault St. […]
RETRO THINKING PUBLIC OFFICIALS
Re: A legend lives on: The Avro Arrow remains a source of national pride for Canadians in the Jan. 5 issue: Many of us in the United States were equally dismayed when the Northrop jet-powered flying wing bomber was scuttled in the same manner as the Avro Arrow. Several aircraft were completed and the production […]