Imagine, if you can, an eight-place corporate jet kit plane. Imagine that it cruises at 400 mph, at nearly 30,000 feet, and will carry you 1,224 statute miles on its 480 gallons of Jet-A. Steve Young and Ron Lueck of Aerocomp not only imagined such a plane, they built it, they’ve flown it and they’ll […]
Epic’s impressive epic
The Epic LT turboprop is a phenomenon. Two years ago it was artwork on display stands. Fourteen months later it was an airplane, flying to the Oshkosh air show, where it was introduced. Last month, it was in the Homebuilt area at Sun ‘n Fun, fully fitted with a glass panel cockpit and luxurious interior. […]
Lancair controls the weather
If luxury cars can have set-and-forget climate control, why not far more expensive airplanes? That question was raised by the people at The Lancair Co., whose answer was along the lines of “Why, indeed?” As a result, new Columbia 350 and 400 certified Lancairs now can be delivered with that option, a $22,500 add-on. It […]
A last wish for ‘Memphis Belle’
It has been roughly a year since Col. Robert Morgan, the man who flew the B-17 “Memphis Belle” on 25 missions over Europe, died from complications after a fall. At Sun ‘n Fun in 2004, Col. Morgan had a booth where he signed copies of his book, photographs and artwork inspired by his famous B-17. […]
What’s this? A four-place jet for $600K
It’s a four-place, 320 knots (cruise), glass cockpit jet and you’ll pay only $611,628 for it. No, it isn’t one of the new crop of very light jets. In fact, it’s a very old jet in one sense, having been designed in the 1960s. In another sense, though, it is virtually new, says Greg Webster […]
‘Hoover’s Fighting Spitfire’ nears completion
If you have been following this series about the creation of a Sam Lyons painting, you have seen his latest work progress from its earliest sketches to a full, 24-inch x 30-inch canvas featuring a Spitfire flown by Bob Hoover during World War II. As we rejoin Sam Lyons, the airplanes are complete in every […]
Omlie, not Amelia
The average high school textbook gives the impression that Amelia Earhart was the only female pilot during the 1920s and 1930s. Rarely do you read about Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie. Born in 1902, she was one of the first women to become a licensed pilot in the United States and the first to receive an aircraft […]
Jimmy Doolittle: A noteworthy test pilot
In addition to being able to put an airplane through its paces and get out alive, test pilots have to be good communicators. Their notes help aircraft designers and engineers fine tune and improve designs. But during the Golden Age of aviation, test pilots sometimes flew stunts to benefit their reputations rather than improve aircraft. […]
A passion for fashion
NASA has awarded a $100,000 grant to the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC) to design and build a prototype Mars planetary suit. The year-long project, which involves students at several universities and colleges around North Dakota, will culminate in the production of a prototype spacesuit in March 2006. College teams from around the state […]