This December 2009 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Cessna 310. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Alva, Okla. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: Prior to departing on a night, instrument cross-country flight, the […]
Meet the new president of Sun ’n Fun
Just a few months ago, John “Lites” Leenhouts was thinking about retirement. “My life was set,” the 27-year Navy veteran said. “I was going to retire after 10 years at Northrup-Grumman and we knew exactly what we were going to do.” He and his wife Nancy had built a good life in Jacksonville, Florida, during […]
Who should be the next FAA administrator?
Just days after FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt’s resignation, rumors were abounding on the Internet about possible successors. Some people mentioned that Capt. Chelsey “Sulley” Sullenberger, pilot of the Miracle on the Hudson flight, would make a good choice. When we mentioned this on Facebook, the responses were fast and furious. “Sully might be a good […]
Pipistrel introduces Alpha trainer
Pipistrel, the Slovenia company that has won the NASA CAFE Efficiency Challenge three years in a row, is now developing the Alpha Trainer, aimed squarely at flight schools. The Alpha, based on the company’s Virus SW (pictured), will sport a price tag of about $83,000 (US), fully equipped. “The name ‘Pipistrel Alpha Trainer’ describes the […]
Fascinated by helicopters?
Sporty’s has released a new app, “So You Want to Fly Helicopters” for iPad and iPhone. The app contains over 90 minutes of 3D animations and in-flight video from the team at Sporty’s Academy. It also includes the complete FAA Rotorcraft Flying Handbook, the Helicopter Practical Test Standards, two advisory circulars and a 30-question review […]
Sonex workshops hits milestone
Sonex Aircraft will achieve a milestone in 2012, holding its 50th Sonex Builder Workshop on the weekend of Jan. 28-29. This milestone comes in the kit aircraft and engine company’s 14th year of business, which has held three to four workshops a year since 1998. The Sonex Workshop, held at the Sonex factory in Oshkosh, […]
Construction on new hangar project at SUS begins
Aviation Development Group of Denver has begun construction of the first building in a multi-phase hangar complex at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS) in Chesterfield, Missouri. The project will supply a mix of corporate and executive box hangars designed to accommodate everything from single-engine piston aircraft to mid-size corporate jets. Each hangar will include […]
CAP partners with FAA for safety training
The Civil Air Patrol has established a safety education partnership with the FAA that will provide CAP members with automatic education credits for completing safety education within the FAA’s WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program. The WINGS program is designed to address accident-causing issues that plague the general aviation community. The FAA hopes the program will help […]
Santa to help celebrate first flight
On Dec. 17, the 108th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ famous first flight, Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive in an airplane to kick-off the Museum of Flight’s annual Wright Spirit Holiday event in Seattle. The pair will fly-in via a classic de Havilland Beaver floatplane at 10 a.m.After greeting well-wishers outside, the couple will […]