Earlier this fall, the TBM Owners and Pilot Association (TBMOPA), made up of EADS Socata TBM 700 and TBM 850 owners, held a record-breaking annual convention in Cœur d’Alene, Idaho. More than 70 TBM aircraft — representing almost 24% of the privately owned TBM fleet — flew in for the event, making it the biggest […]
Traveling in style
If you’re going to make the rounds at Oshkosh — or any other airshow — follow Tyler Eldrup’s lead. Tyler, 4, from Deer Park, Wis., rode around the AirVenture grounds this summer in a stroller styled after an Air Force fighter. Tyler’s father built the stroller which, we were told, also can be converted into a […]
Knee jerks: The selling of fear in America
All the usual suspects have responded to the crash of Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle’s Cirrus into a New York apartment building, Oct. 11. Politicians, newspaper reporters and editors, and television talking heads jumped right in with their standard anti-aviation paranoia. A notable exception was New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is a pilot. Bloomberg, who […]
PiperJet steals the show at NBAA convention
Piper Aircraft’s newly announced PiperJet was the star of the show at this year’s National Business Aviation Association convention, held last month in Orlando. Revealed shortly before the convention to a public anticipating it eagerly, it quickly became the “must-see” airplane even though it was a mockup and not due for certification until 2009. Indeed, […]
It’s full certification for Eclipse
Eclipse Aviation received full FAA Type Certification for its Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet Sept. 30. Full certification clears the airplane through its complete operating envelope, including single-pilot operation, day and night operations, flight under VFR and IFR conditions, and it completes RVSM certification. It also certifies the Eclipse as operating at noise levels substantially […]
“Mama Bird” grounded
Evelyn Bryan Johnson, recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s highest-time pilot, was injured seriously in an automobile accident Sept. 10. Known far and wide as “Mama Bird,” she was on her way to Moore-Murrell Airport (MOR), which she has managed for 53 years at Morristown, Tenn. A tractor-trailer rig slowly pulled […]
Old School Flying: Of Cubs and CLippers and the way we were
The Wright brothers taught themselves to fly. So did other pioneers such as Glenn Curtiss, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Casey Baldwin and many whose names are barely noted in aviation history. Some, notably the Wrights and Curtiss, quickly decided to pass along their hard-earned knowledge and the first flight schools were established. Every flight instructor since then […]
Micro Aerodynamics upgrades STC’d Vortex Generator kits for Cessna 180/182/185 models
Micro Vortex Generator kits have been approved by the FAA for an upgrade to the Cessna 180, 182 (including A & B models) and 185 series. The STC improvement, obtained by Micro Aerodynamics, involves mounting 18 VGs on each side of the vertical fin of each of the models and is now a standard feature […]
A-maze-ing!
Pilots flying over western Washington State can see the future of Boeing carved in the local landscape. Boeing partnered with Stocker Farms to feature its 787 Dreamliner, the latest in a long line of airliners, as the design of the farm’s annual corn maze. The maze uses a series of trails throughout the 10-acre field […]