One of the more confusing aircraft at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo was the Warner Aerocraft Sportster. At first glance people thought it was a one-place vintage metal airplane, but closer inspection revealed that the fuselage is made of fabric. The design can be converted to a single place aircraft by changing out the canopy. […]
Knickerbocker’s 1943 time machine
“I decided that I wanted to have some fun after all these years.” That’s how Shawn Knickerbocker of Jacksonville, Fla., explains his decision to buy a 1943 SNJ-5. Knickerbocker, who has been a pilot for 40 years, doing everything from flying for the U.S. Customs Service in Blackhawk helicopters to being a pilot examiner, acquired […]
Personalizing her plane
Monogramming a prized possession is nothing new. With pilots, this distinctiveness comes in the form of vanity tail numbers for their aircraft. Rose Pelton, wife of Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton, went this route when she took delivery of the very first SkyCatcher. The tail number is N450RP. Her plane was on display […]
Terrafugia’s momentum continues
It’s been just under a year since Terrafugia, the Massachusetts-based company that is building a roadable aircraft — known popularly as a flying car — conducted its first flight. Momentum from that flight continues, according to Richard Gersh, vice president. The company flew the proof-of-concept vehicle last March, racking up 28 flights at Plattsburgh International […]
Zenith shows off the beef up
Is pilot safety worth an additional 15 pounds? The folks at Zenith Aircraft think so. The company, which makes the Zodiac CH 601 XL and CH 650 kits, recently beefed up the aircraft’s design in response to the FAA’s Nov. 6 Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin concerning aerodynamic flutter in the airframes. The SAIB was released […]
Skycatcher deliveries pushed back
Several visitors to the Cessna exhibit at this year’s U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, have already bought a Skycatcher, but the LSA on display at the show is the closest they may get to one for several months. Earlier this month, Skycatcher customers received notice that delivery dates of their airplanes are being […]
Pilots panic over plastic
Did the news that paper pilot certificates are about to become obsolete catch you by surprise? Our recent story (Time running out to get new plastic certificates) generated several telephone calls from readers who were just learning about the change. But the change shouldn’t have come as a surprise, says Ian Gregor, communications manager for […]
‘It’s a plane thing’
Do your family and friends say they have no idea what you are saying when you talk aviation? Are you tired of explaining yourself? Maybe you need a shirt to do it for you. This T-shirt design, which was available at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, late last month, is laden with […]
A family affair: The Culver Cadet is this family’s airplane
You’ve probably heard that the aviation gene runs in families. Very often it manifests as a preference for a particular aircraft. For the Morris family of Poplar Grove, Ill., the Culver Cadet is the “family” airplane. The two-place, low-wing aircraft, designed by Culver Aircraft employee Al Mooney circa 1939, has a semi-monocoque fuselage instead of […]