It’s one of those feats that many a pilot dreams of tackling: Land at all public-use airports in their state in one day. For Wisconsin pilots Matthew McDaniel and Bruce Kaufman, their record-setting journey had an added element: Their flight raised more than $10,000 for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. The flight, which took […]
A different kind of flying
What is Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s name doing on a dragster? The jet-powered vehicle, which races at National Hot Rod Association events around the country, accelerates from zero to 60 mph in less than a second and reaches a top speed of 270 mph. So it’s no wonder it attracts attention wherever it goes, whether it’s […]
The one with the most toys wins
If big boy toys like airplanes, sports memorabilia and classic cars make your pulse quicken, you may want to be in Lubbock, Texas, July 15 when Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers auction off the assets of Jonathan D. “Jody” Nelson. Nelson pled guilty in April to embezzling more than $77 million from his employer. As he’s awaiting […]
Small New Jersey airport ready to take on Teterboro
An underutilized but capable airport near Toms River, N.J., may become the next business aviation airport serving New York City, as Teterboro (TEB) and Morristown (MMU) approach capacity. The Robert J Miller Airpark (MJX), about 75 miles south of the city, currently is the base for five business jets, but Tim and Len Boyd, whose […]
While celebrating its 100th anniversary, Continental looks to the future
Teledyne Continental Motors is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, using that milestone to unveil its ideas for the future of aircraft engines and, more important, how it is turning those ideas into products and services. A major part of TCM’s plan is called the Alpha System, which ranges throughout the company from manufacturing to […]
Pass the salt–and a pen
After Jimmy Doolittle made the first flight solely by reference to instruments, the Doolittles celebrated by throwing a dinner party. Ever the gracious hostess, Josephine Doolittle asked the guests to help commemorate the event by signing the white linen tablecloth. She then embroidered the names in black thread. Among the guests who signed the tablecloth […]
Under cover
The next time you struggle with your aircraft’s canvas cover think about this: When Howard Hughes moved the HK-1 to Long Beach, Calif., for final assembly, he insisted that a tent made of canvas and pipe be erected to protect the behemoth aircraft from the elements. The tent was an engineering marvel itself since the […]
Records fall in 2005
Last year saw aviation records set that will be hard to beat, if not utterly impossible. The biggest story, which made news all over the world, was Steve Fossett’s non-stop, unrefueled solo flight around the world in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, but there were other, less dramatic records set. Most may endure longer, for Fossett […]
Rules for flight
Some common wisdom that’s good to revisit now and then: 1. Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory. 2. If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick back, they get smaller. That is, unless you keep pulling the stick all the way back, then they get bigger […]