While modern air races pit airplanes against airplanes, like Reno favorite “Dago Red,” early air races had airplanes racing against cars — with the cars winning most of the time. The ‘good old days’ of racing The very first air races were not races between airplanes, but rather races between airplanes and automobiles. It was […]
F-22 Raptor wins Collier Trophy
Lockheed Martin and the F-22 Raptor team have won the 2006 Robert J. Collier Trophy from the National Aeronautic Association. Created in 1911, the trophy is considered to be one of the most prestigious aviation awards. It is granted each year “for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America during the preceding year.” […]
Honda establishes HQ at Greensboro NC
Honda Aircraft Co. will establish its world headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., where it will build a new 215,000-square-foot facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI). The company also confirmed its long-rumored plan to build the HondaJet at a new plant to be built close to its new headquarters. Honda plans to begin delivery of the […]
Master the E-6B flight computer
Even if the FAA’s current proposal to allow the use of personal computer flight simulators to maintain currency doesn’t make it into the FAR/AIM, you can still use Microsoft Flight Simulator to develop your pilot skills. Bruce Williams, a Seattle-based flight instructor, tells you how in “Microsoft Flight Simulator as a Training Aid.” The book […]
Study shows older pilots perform better: Not a surprise to older pilots
Does age affect a pilot’s ability to fly? That question was asked of scientists at several clinical research centers in California. Their answer, after three years of study, was reported in the Feb. 27 issue of Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Their findings showed that older pilots performed better than younger […]
Bob Hoover celebrates 85th birthday
Bob Hoover turned 85 on Jan. 24. He has been called a “living legend,” “a magician in the cockpit” — even “the greatest stick-and-rudder pilot who ever lived.” Hoover may actually deserve all that fulsome praise, for his has been a life of doing wonderful, almost magical things with airplanes, not only thrilling a great […]
Bondhus goes gold
Bondhus Corp. has expanded its line of 14K gold-plated hex tools to now include straight hex end tools in both short and long arm styles. The GoldGuard finish provides good corrosion protection and makes tools easy to find on a work bench or in a tool box, Bondhus officials say. For more information: 800-328-8310
Heaven’s Landing: Pilots find paradise atop Georgia mountain
When Mike Ciochetti does something, he does it big. So when he decided to develop an airpark, he didn’t just shoot for the stars. He’s shooting for heaven. Ciochetti is the man behind Heaven’s Landing, an upscale airpark in the mountains of Georgia, about 90 miles northeast of Atlanta. A race car driver and pilot, […]
It doesn’t have to work
Toward the end of the 19th century the United States Patent Office was inundated with designs for so-called flying machines. The Patent Office accepted the designs, and issued patents without questioning whether the designs worked. Most of the designs were never built and those that did make it off the drawing board very rarely got […]