Once aloft, the Cub door is opened and a chilly breeze blasts into the cabin as the pilot noses closer to the target.
The back-seat bombardier grabs a pumpkin, peering intently at the carefully-placed circle of cones around the target below. Trying to time it just right to score a bullseye, the bombardier liberates the pumpkin for its impressive one-time flight — but alas!
[Read more…]In a sense, Bill Miles has flown a great circle encompassing 73 years from his first solo in a Taylorcraft to the Taylorcraft he currently flies.
[Read more…]“Anyone who can look at a sailplane and not see a thing of beauty hasn’t got a soul.”
That’s what a well-seasoned crop duster pilot told me years ago when I mentioned my love of flying sailplanes to him.
He understood the essence of natural, soaring flight and the requisite skills and techniques that make soaring such a rewarding and fulfilling form of flight. There are coveys of sailplane pilots throughout the country who enjoy this serene and exhilarating type of flying.
[Read more…]Earthrounder and author Ann Holtgren Pellegreno — who recreated Amelia Earhart’s last flight in 1967 — recently received the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.
To be eligible for the award, nominees must be a U.S. citizen, hold a U.S. Civil Aviation Authority or FAA pilot certificate, document at least 50 years of flying experience, and have three letters of recommendation from other pilots certificated by the FAA.
Ann’s award presentation is a story in itself: It was originally scheduled for Dec. 5, 2018. But after President George H.W. Bush died, President Donald J. Trump declared Dec. 5 as a National Day of Mourning. The presentation was rescheduled for Jan. 18, 2018. But then the partial shutdown of the federal government was in effect.
As Ann says with tongue-in-cheek humor, “The award presentation was trumped twice!”
[Read more…]One historically remarkable 1939 Beechcraft F17D was nestled among its brethren Staggerwings, quietly soaking up the sunshine on a lovely autumn day during Beech Party 2018.
The arrival of NC2663 (Serial Number 330) at Tullahoma, Tennessee, heralded this singular survivor’s debut back into the fold of flying Staggerwings.
Owner and pilot Jon Berndsen of Stoney Point Airfield (6GA0) north of Atlanta, who good-naturedly admits that he has more airplanes than sense, thinks NC2663 is a terrific addition to his fleet, which includes an RV-7, turbo Cirrus, Great Lakes biplane, and his current project, a Lancair Legacy.
Jon bought the Staggerwing as a mostly-finished project from his A&P/IA friend Steve McDonald, who had agonizingly-yet-lovingly resurrected it from myriad boxes of parts over the course of 15 years. [Read more…]
Ahhh, the sleek and racey Swift! Popular today in all of its various airframe and powerplant configurations and modifications, it has acquired a reputation for demanding full respect from its pilot.
If you’ve ever seen a Swift – or better yet, been aloft in one – you’ve more than likely been enamored with it.
If you’re intrigued by the Swift’s persona, be sure to stop by the Swift Museum Foundation’s top-notch and recently-completed museum. Conveniently located at the McMinn County Airport (KMMI) in Athens, Tennessee, the museum is equidistant between Knoxville and Chattanooga in the lush, rolling foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. [Read more…]
There was a rather unusual and delightful trio of pilots at Antique Airfield this past Labor Day weekend for the Antique Airplane Association/Airpower Museum’s Invitational Fly-In at Blakesburg, Iowa.
They are the flying Littlefields — a mother, father, and son — from Crest Airpark near Seattle.
They’ve been back to Blakesburg many times, but this was the first year each flew an airplane there.
The Littlefields were camping with their airplanes tied down wingtip to wingtip in the “North 40,” and were as radiant as the morning sun when sharing their multi-faceted aviation stories. [Read more…]
You never know what airplanes will show up at the Antique Airplane Association/Airpower Museum’s (AAA/APM) Invitational Fly-In at Blakesburg, Iowa — and that’s just part of the fun of being there.
When you think Antique Airfield, you expect to see antiques — but you’ll also see experimental aircraft and legacy homebuilts. A couple of years ago, one of Ray Stit’s homebuilt designs, a Flut-R-Bug, was at the field. This year, another Stits design came flying in — a Stits Playboy — thanks to pilot Pat Schmitz from Albion, Nebraska. [Read more…]
Every October, it’s time to head to the Beech Party in Tullahoma, Tennessee, where Beechcraft owners and aficionados enjoy a gathering of the family clan.
This year was the 44th annual Beech Party held at the Beechcraft Aviation Museum. However, the Staggerwing Club has been hosting the fly-ins since the mid-1960s, according to Jody Curtis, who has been associated with the museum since 1997.
“The most rewarding thing about Beech Party is the camaraderie and celebration of general aviation,” said Curtis, who wears many hats at the museum, filling the roles of director of marketing and membership and Beech Party and event planner. [Read more…]
Dave and Jeanne Allen flew their 1930 Waco ASO from Elbert, Colorado, to Antique Airfield in Iowa this year, not only for the Antique Airplane Association‘s annual fly-in, but also for the 15th reunion of the 2003 National Air Tour.
Dave and Jeanne are well known in the antique community as a husband-and-wife restoration team. Together they have tackled several Waco projects, each of which represents their superlative attention to detail. [Read more…]
