What does it take to have an airport named for you? How about setting an around-the-world speed record? In 1938 there was an effort to rename an airport in Texas to honor Howard Hughes (pictured) after he circled the world in 91 hours, besting the previous record by four days. For a short time, Houston […]
Parts liability legislation introduced. House bill would protect GA parts manufacturers
Legislation to provide general aviation airplane parts manufacturers with “common sense protections against frivolous lawsuits” was introduced Dec. 7 by Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.) and Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.). “These lawsuits are driving up insurance costs and, in some cases, forcing manufacturers to stop production of parts certified by the Federal Aviation Administration,” Ehlers said. […]
Pilots join Epic 500 Club
High performance jet and turboprop manufacturer Epic Aircraft is finding that customers are reporting ground speeds in excess of 500 mph in the single-engine, turboprop-driven Epic LT. It’s a speed only rarely achieved by the top fighters of World War II and matches the performance of many current civilian jets. Those confirming their reaching of […]
New direction for N.C.’s Rocky Mount Airport
A dramatic transformation has taken place at Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport in North Carolina during the past nine months. The airport’s terminal has been changed from a building that used to serve commuter airline passengers to a fine business aviation terminal, serving private and corporate business customers. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the […]
Ups and downs
When you sell airplanes for a living, life has its ups and downs…literally. Like many of the other air shows — and many other sales people — Gobosh salesman Tony Settember gave demonstration rides all day long during the Copperstate Fly-In held earlier this fall in Arizona. The high-wing LSA, which made its debut at […]
The first time…
The circus-like paint scheme of this Kitfox IV provides a backdrop for a family portrait of the McGrath men. Ron (far left) is a pilot and was at the Copperstate Fly-In with his son, Mike, and grandson Ryan, 3-1/2. “We wanted to bring him to his first air show,” Mike explained as Ryan, noticing the […]
Epps family celebrates a century of flight
This year the state of Georgia is celebrating its centennial of powered flight. Celebrating along with the rest of the state is the Epps family, for it was Ben Epps who started it all and his descendents have played major roles in Georgia aviation from that day to this. In 1907, only four years after […]
Music to the ears
Is the sound of an airplane’s engine music to your ears? Do conversations with Air Traffic Control have a certain lyrical quality for you? If so, then you will enjoy Belgian composer Bruno Misonne’s newest CD, titled “Aviation Music.” Misonne has made the airplane an instrument in his music. Vocals are sound bites of air […]
Patriots, heroes and wars
The Gathering of Mustangs and Legends, held at the end of September at Columbus, Ohio, was an inspiring lesson in history and patriotism. I have been telling everyone who would stand still long enough that it was certainly the best-organized, most thrilling, most moving air show I’ve attended in some 60 years of attending them. […]