Most families have stories that are passed down generation to generation, but rarely shared with the public. But sometimes the story must be shared. Such is the case of John Tippets of Alaska and his book “Hearts of Courage.” Between the covers of the paperback book, Tippets documents the airplane crash his father, Joseph Tippets, […]
Book review: Black Wings
If you are looking for a book that shows the contributions of African Americans to aviation, telling as well of their challenges and grit, “Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African Americans in Aviation and Space History,” is for you. Written by Von Hardesty, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum, the book begins […]
Book review: Two Gold Coins and a Prayer
We get a lot of books at General Aviation News that are memoirs of pilots. “Two Gold Coins and a Prayer: The Epic Journey of a World War II Bomber Pilot and POW” is one of the most enjoyable reads that I have had in a long time. The book details the exploits of James […]
Book Review: Aviators in Early Hollywood
Airplanes and movies were born during the same decade and have been intertwined since. In fact, back in the day, the way most people were first exposed to aviation was through the movies and newsreels, which usually ran preceding the featured movie. If you are a vintage movie buff and aviation fanatic, “Aviators in Early […]
Three’s the charm
The aviation gene is particularly strong in some families. The Boyd family from Washington state is a prime example. On Dec. 16, 2010, Jason Boyd, 19, passed his private pilot check ride. He’s the second member of his family to earn his wings through the professional pilot program at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood, […]
One-of-a-kind Stinson
If you want to draw a big crowd at an aviation event, you need to have a vintage design, a red airplane, or a one-of-a-kind airframe. If you happen to own a Stinson Model “O”, also known as a Senior Trainer, you have all three. The Stinson, a replica of the 1930s-era design, made its […]
The Kitfox Retro Radial
If you want to attract pilots to your airframe, go for a classic vintage look. That’s what the folks at Kitfox Aircraft have done with the Radial S7 Super Sport. The black and yellow tailwheel design sports a radial bump cowling and wheel pants that look as though they were spirited off a Gee Bee […]
Gweduck: The experimental dream machine
If you are not from the Pacific Northwest the term Geoduck — pronounced “Gooey duck” — probably conjures up an image of a mallard in molasses. Actually, it’s a form of shellfish native to Washington state. Recently, the term became synonymous with an experimental aircraft. The Mahon-Ellision Gweduck — note the phonetic spelling — is […]
Celebrating the centennial of women in flight
On Sunday, Dec. 5, Renton Municipal Airport (RNT), south of Seattle, was calling itself “the most woman-friendly airport in the world” as 171 women took flight to celebrate the Centennial of Women Pilots. As part of the celebrations, pilots around the world are attempting to introduce a record number of girls and women to flying […]