In olden times – that’s 60 to 70 years ago – wrist watches with glow-in-the-dark radium numbers were popular. Whether we wore a Timex or a Rolex, that’s what we wanted. In those days, many aircraft instruments glowed in the dark. That, too, was accomplished with minute amounts of radium-226. Thousands of World War II […]
One size does not fit all: Mineta says no to user fees
The FAA’s funding problems won’t be solved by user fees if Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has any say in the matter. “I can tell you right now, from my perspective, the solution will not be user fees,” Mineta told more than 1,000 pilots at the opening session of the AOPA Expo earlier this month. “The […]
Cirrus outsells Cessna — again
Year-to-date shipments released by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) confirm Cirrus Design Corp.’s “dominant position” as the market leader in high-performance, single-engine, four-place airplanes. “For the past three years the Cirrus SR22 has been the world’s best selling airplane,” said John M. Bingham, executive vice president of sales and marketing. “We’re pleased that our […]
A legend is poised to fly
Robert Garcia is nearly ready to fly the legendary biplane that he has been restoring for six years. It’s an airplane that is doubly legendary. First, it is an elegant 1944 Beech D-17S, the legendary Staggerwing. It also fulfills the fantasies of all who love historic airplanes: Garcia found it in a St. Petersburg, Fla., […]
One hit wonders
Although the Hughes HK-1, dubbed the “Spruce Goose” by mainstream media, was designed to haul massive amounts of equipment and personnel, only a handful of people have ever been inside of it when it was in motion. Most of them were crew members. Three of the crew who were part of the airplane’s one and […]
Learning from others’ mistakes
Amidst the rubble of a fatal King Air crash, accident investigator Greg Feith found something strange: A Velcro strip on the panel. When he asked the pilot’s wife what it was for, she told him that her husband would put an alarm clock there, set for 15-minute intervals. During his regular flights from Oklahoma to […]
Why flying is expensive
Flying is expensive, at least in comparison to lesser modes of transportation. If everyone agrees that the cost is high, it is difficult to find any two people who agree on why. Some – indeed, many – blame the Federal Aviation Administration and its myriad rules and regulations. Others say that engines are too costly […]
The Wright Experience builds a Wright Model B for the Navy
An elegant replica of a pioneering Navy airplane soon will hang in Dahlgren Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy. Built by Ken Hyde and his team of master craftsmen at The Wright Experience in Virginia, it is an authentic, but non-flying, Wright Model B like the one the Wright Co. delivered to the Navy in […]
Head to the Sunshine State for great golfing
Florida is well-known for its great flying weather. That weather also makes it ideal for golf. There are more than 1,000 golf courses throughout the state. And while courses may be getting crowded now as snowbirds head South, one tourism official notes that from May through October golf courses “are never crowded, so you can […]