A rare and sometimes blinding sight awaited visitors to the Vintage aircraft parking area at the Experimental Aircraft Association‘s AirVenture 2016 as likely the largest-ever gathering of Spartan Model 7W Executives were featured in the front row to celebrate the type’s 80th anniversary. Eight of the 20 remaining examples of the original 34 produced were together […]
Reporter’s Notebook: Oshkosh 2016
Perhaps it was the newly-passed Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 and improved business conditions, but the mood at AirVenture 2016 was especially positive and upbeat this year, with Experimental Aircraft Association CEO and Chairman Jack Pelton calling it the best Oshkosh ever. Although this year’s overall attendance was up only slightly — 563,000 versus 558,000 last year — camping […]
Medical reform: ‘It’s not over’
As pilots at AirVenture 2016 and throughout the nation celebrated the July 15th signing of the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 and the Third Class Medical reforms it included, the bill’s sponsor, Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahom) warned “it’s not over.” During an interview at his North 40 camp site at Oshkosh, Inhofe expressed concern regarding […]
Beech Party
Although you’d expect the Beechcraft Heritage Museum to be in Wichita, Kansas, the “Air Capital of the World” and home of the Beech factory since 1932, it’s located 825 statute miles to the southeast in the small town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. Founded in 1973 by a group of Beechcraft Staggerwing enthusiasts, the privately funded facility […]
Company’s airplanes work for a living
“Take this job and love it…” Our variation on the title of an old country song is how we at T.J. Snow Company introduce the unique flying job we’ve developed over the years at our Chattanooga, Tennessee-based business, which was founded by my father in 1963 and is now owned by my son and me. […]
Luminati Aerospace debuts solar-powered electric plane at SUN ‘n FUN
With a goal of “perpetual flight,” Daniel Preston and a small group of engineers and professors are working to design an unmanned, autonomous, solar-powered electric airplane that can achieve that milestone of staying aloft around the clock … even during the longest, darkest night of the year. And why, you might ask, would you need […]
Searey obtains first LSA certification in China
Progressive Aerodyne of Tavares, Florida, manufacturer of the Searey Light Sport amphibian, achieved a significant milestone March 18 when CEO Adam Yang traveled to China and flew the first LSA to be certified there, a Searey Elite.Originally a kit plane and still available as such, the popular Searey flying boat has a 20-year history in […]
The ultimate man cave
Hidden in the rolling hills near Summerville, Georgia, is perhaps the ultimate “man cave” for anyone who likes classic cars, airplanes, and related memorabilia. Owned by Greg Wyatt, 56, one of the country’s leading dealers in investment-grade vintage Corvettes, the building is crammed full of collector cars for sale, typically 30 or more at a […]
An old-fashioned fly-in
If you’re looking for an old-fashioned fly-in, the annual Aviation Migration at Lee Bottom Flying Field is the place to go. With no planned activities other than catered meals, “it’s the most nothing you’ll ever do,” say Rich and Ginger Davidson, co-owners of the expansive grass strip located in a scenic river bottom south of […]