It is said that the better the training, the better the pilot. In 2000 Brandon Kanning, a student pilot at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood, Wash., realized the value of his training when the throttle cable disconnected in his Cessna 172. “I was on my third solo flight, at low altitude and too far […]
‘Savor’ the experience
There is a saying among the builders of experimental aircraft: The project is 90% done and there is 90% to go. In other words, the builder/pilots are more focused on getting the project finished than the building experience. That’s the wrong attitude, says Chris Christiansen of Tempe, Ariz., the designer/builder/pilot of a high-wing one-off airplane. […]
Sending a message: Oregon man uses his rare plane to spur political debate
When Happy Miles of Albany, Ore., brought his deHavilland Heron DH114-X2 to airshows this year, it was hard to say what drew more people to the airplane. The rarity of the British four-engine aircraft in the United States? Or the fact Miles had Fox News painted on the tail, as well as the names of […]
The Pitcairn: The flying dinosaur
“WHAT is THAT?” That is the most common reaction when people see the Pitcairn Autogiro PA-18 fly overhead at air shows. The 1930s-era aircraft looks like a cross between a helicopter and an airplane. The 160-hp Kinner engine sounds like that 20-inch bike you had as a kid when you put playing cards in the spokes. […]
Virtual flying at N.C.’s Transylvania Airport
You can find video of just about everything else on the Internet, so why not approaches into an airport? Randy Bagby, manager of Transylvania Community Airport (3NR3) near Asheville, N.C., knew the Internet was the way to go, so when the airport owner decided to create a webpage for the field, he took matters into […]
Arkansas airport celebrates the Fab Four
Walnut Ridge Regional Airport (ARG) in Walnut Ridge, Ark., has an unusual claim to fame. The airport was used by the Beatles in 1964 for a brief — as in 36 hour — stop during their North American tour. Now that visit is being commemorated with a sculpture of the Fab Four at the airport. […]
Flying Heritage Collection keeps ’em flying
An airplane that is flown on a regular basis stays healthy. The folks at the Flying Heritage Collection at Snohomish County Airport Paine Field (PAE) north of Seattle know this only too well. That’s what it holds Free Fly Days to show off the collection’s airworthy World War II aircraft. The collection, created by Microsoft […]
Super Breezy = Super Open
There are open cockpit airplanes — and then there are airplanes that are open EVERYWHERE. The king of these is the Super Breezy owned by Mike Butterfield of Yakima, Wash. “It is an expansion on the original Breezy design,” he said. The original Breezy was designed and built by Charles Roloff, Carl Unger, and Bob […]
Mr. Melton’s ‘new’ Howard
When you are restoring a vintage aircraft, it can be quite a challenge to meet self-imposed deadlines. Presley Melton of North Little Rock, Ark., knows this only too well as the owner of a 1943 Howard DGA-15P. “It was a basket case when I bought it eight years ago,” he explained when we caught up […]