A South Carolina entrepreneur is leading a group that is bidding $40 million to buy bankrupt Eclipse Aviation. According to a story by John McDermott in the Charleston Post and Courier, Mason Holland Jr. is “looking to turn a stinging loss on an aircraft deal into a high-flying gain.” Eclipse Aerospace Inc. hopes to finalize […]
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Recession eating into GA businesses
For more than six decades, the Hinson family has operated an aviation company in the Baltimore area. They have weathered various recessions, including the current one. According to a recent story at Maryland Community Newspapers Online, the current downturn is buffeting Maryland’s airports, both large and small, and the businesses that operate out of them […]
Solo at 16
Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, was a big day for Tobie Stamsta, of Hartford, Wisconsin. According to a story at EAA.org, not only was it her 16th birthday, but she also made her first solo flight — as well as passed her driver’s test. Read her story here.
Air Academies score high
More than 50 middle school and high school students have attended one of several dozen Air Academies hosted by the Wathen Foundation at Flabob Airport in Southern California. As part of their experiences, the students have learned about aviation weather from a former astronaut, about history from a pilot who participated in the Berlin Airlift, […]
Mooney Acclaim takes top prize in air race
A Mooney Acclaim took first prize in Category C of the Ultimate Challenge Air Race held Aug. 15 in South Africa. The Mooney, piloted by Patrick Hanly and owned and navigated by Frikkie Greefe, flew the 297.32 nm course in 1:30:44. Other aircraft in the category included Cirrus SR22s and Beech Bonanzas. “The idea behind […]
Brantner joins Groom Aviation
Doug Brantner has joined Groom Aviation LLC as a partner in the consulting firm, which is dedicated to the general aviation industry. Brantner’s nearly 20-year executive management career in general aviation, most recently as vice president responsible for Hawker Beechcraft Services, includes operational and financial leadership experiences with aircraft manufacturing, fixed base operations, and after-market […]
Historic plane to become Wichita monument
At Westport Airport on Wichita’s west side (better known to some as Dead Cow International), airport owner Earl V. Long III is touching up an old flying friend, according to a recent AP story in USA Today. Long was hired to turn the retired plane, a Twin Beech Model 18, into a public aviation monument. […]
Branson West Airport to open in fall
Yellow markers crisscross the gravel runway at Branson West Municipal Airport in Missouri warning pilots in the air that the airstrip is not safe to land on, yet. But in just a few months, officials say planes will be landing and taking off when the $16 million general aviation facility opens for business, according to […]
NTSB removes ATC union from Hudson River mid-air investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board has removed the National Air Traffic Controllers Association as a party to its investigation into the Aug. 8 midair collision of two aircraft over the Hudson River that killed nine people. Under the NTSB’s procedures, organizations and agencies are invited to participate in investigations if they can provide technical expertise. […]