Publication of aviation books has been something of a “cottage industry” almost from the beginning of manned flight. No less a figure than Benjamin Franklin self-published one of the first accounts of manned balloon flights, which he witnessed from the streets of Philadelphia. While not exactly a book – pamphlet might come closer – it […]
Doctors pressured to ‘go along’ on Horace Williams closure: University continues push to shut down the North Carolina airport
Doctors at the University of North Carolina’s Area Health Education Center (AHEC) say they have been pressured to go along with the university’s controversial plan to close Horace Williams Airport (IGX) in Chapel Hill. The on-campus field allows doctors to fly to far-flung areas of the state quickly and efficiently. The university wants to close […]
The fight of thier lives… Is DUAT an endangered species?
Every day, pilots — lots of pilots — go online to check weather and file flight plans through the two FAA-approved DUAT providers. In fact, in one month alone, CSC DUAT provides 2.5 million weather briefings. “We run giant numbers,” says Leon Thomas, DUAT program manager at Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC). And those numbers have gone […]
Air Force pilots return to their training grounds: Texas Fly-In hosts a mini-reunion
Thousands of U.S. Air Force pilots earned their wings at Hondo Field in Texas when it was a major training base in the 1940s and 1950s. Any graduate of the rigorous program will tell you that the year spent learning to fly “the Air Force way” was a special time in their lives. Paul Kalisch […]
Whale of a ride
Who would be willing to pay $84,000 for an airplane trip from Chicago to Tacoma, Wash.? The folks at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma would, when the passenger is a beluga whale calf. The whale was flown aboard a chartered Air Force DC-8. “The animal was in a cradle made of fiberglass and reinforced […]
Why airplanes are better than women
You may have heard the jokes about “Why airplanes are better than women.” George Artigas from Pembroke Pines, Fla., has a shirt that outlines the argument and what better place to wear it than at an air show like Sun ‘n Fun? According to Artigas, the shirt does generate chuckles from some people, but caused […]
The promise of things to come… Engine makers report progress and innovation
In his delightful, often bitingly witty novel, “Tom Sawyer,” Mark Twain used the term “news of no news” to describe the kind of reporting that says, in effect, there’s nothing new to tell you but I’m compelled to tell you something. Although little of real substance has turned up among engine manufacturers so far this […]
Frustrations abound with FSS: Lockheed Martin working to fix problems, but pilots say transition glitches compromise safety
It started out as frustration for Dave Davidson, a veteran GA pilot from Texas. Now he’s angry — like so many other pilots who have tried, and failed, to contact a Flight Service Station run by Lockheed Martin. “This is a big mess,” said Davidson who, at 86, has been flying for more than 64 […]
A new way to reach kids: Todd Trainor hopes Aircraft Trading Cards will inspire dreams of flight
Like many good ideas, Aircraft Trading Cards was born because of a young child’s dreams. Todd Trainor’s 6-year-old nephew was bitten by the flying bug after a Young Eagles flight. And, like most kids these days, he also was fascinated by the Pokemon cards that are all the rage today. Unfortunately, his mother said no […]