As the first Eclipse 500 customer delivery drew near, the company issued three Customer Technical Communications revealing several problems and their solutions. Typically of Eclipse, the issues were presented in a straightforward manner. They are not expected to hamper initial deliveries by much, if at all, said Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn. Eclipse still expected to […]
“Preemptive Strike”: What if America had bombed Japan before Pearl Harbor?
If you think the United States of America never considered a preemptive strike until the current fights in Afghanistan and Iraq, “Preemptive Strike” is for you. Author Alan Armstrong practices aviation law in Atlanta. If he researches his cases as deeply as he researched this book, you want him on your side. Five appendices, extensive […]
Thought-controlled flying?
Cessna drew a lot of puzzled looks from visitors to their indoor display at AOPA Expo in Palm Springs last month because of the mock-up of the Next Generation Piston aircraft. The door to the cockpit was open and astute pilots noted that there was neither a yoke nor a stick inside. “How will it […]
Rotex kills V-6 engine project
An innovative engine being watched with eager anticipation by pilots and airframe manufacturers has been scrapped by Rotax, a division of Bombardier Recreational Products. The liquid cooled REV V-6 will reach certification this month, according to a BRP-Rotax statement, but will not be manufactured and marketed. Neither is the technology for sale, said Luc de […]
FAA warns ‘mogas’ users about ethanol: Alcohol and airplane engines don’t mix, agency says
The FAA finally has taken notice of the potential problems posed by ethanol to users of automobile gasoline in airplanes. The Experimental Aircraft Association and many aviation publications, including this one, have been warning pilots flying on ‘mogas’ about the hazards of ethanol – a form of alcohol – for several years. In a Special […]
Gen. Jacob Smart dies at 97
Retired Air Force General Jacob E. Smart died Nov. 12 at his home in Ridgeland, S.C. He was 97. Smart planned the audacious low-level raid on Romania’s Ploesti oil fields and refineries during World War II. A third of Nazi Germany’s oil was produced and refined at the Ploesti fields. The legendary raid was flown […]
Ed Davis, Viet-nam POW, dies at 67
Retired Navy Capt. Edward A. Davis, who was 67, died Nov. 7 of pancreatic cancer near his home in Lancaster, Pa. Davis was a North Vietnam prisoner of war for 7-1/2 years. After retirement he became an outstanding motivational speaker, focusing on management under difficult circumstances – a subject he knew well. Davis had flown […]
‘A Legacy of Letters’: Book chronicles World War II hero’s hopes, dreams, fears
In 2002, Clinton Frederick returned to his grandparents’ house for a family wedding. Remembering from his childhood that the attic contained Japanese swords, a parachute and other World War II memorabilia, he decided to look around up there. In an old trunk he found more than 100 letters written by his father, Capt. George Frederick, […]
Smithsonian or bust…
Charles E. Taylor joins Smithsonian’s aviation pioneers A bronze bust of Charles E. Taylor now sits proudly at the Air & Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center. Dubbed the father of aircraft maintenance, Taylor was the Wright brothers’ mechanic. Kenneth MacTiernan, director of the Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Association, was the driving force behind raising both the awareness […]