For many pilots, the names Middlebrook and Penn Yan Aero are synonymous with aviation. The Middlebrook family has owned and operated the engine maintenance facility in Penn Yan, New York, for three generations. “It really began with Harold ‘Eagle’ Middlebrook in the 1930s,” says Patricia Middlebrook, who is part of the second generation and mother […]
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F-22 on display at Air Force Museum
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton has become home to the only F-22A Raptor on permanent public display. The Raptor was one of nine built for engineering and development testing in 1999. The museum’s restoration team restored the F-22, painting it to represent those flown by the 1st Fighter Wing, based […]
Pilots fly in to help out in the Bahamas
The Bahamas Habitat Fly-In and Help-Out, slated for March 6-9, is looking for pilots who are interested in volunteering their aircraft for transportation, as well as their labor to help local residents restore their homes and improve living conditions. “Living in paradise is not without its drawbacks,” states John Armstrong, chairman of the Bahamas Habitat […]
Avation Radio Network debuts
A new radio network devoted to aviation debuted Feb. 1. The Aviation Radio Network broadcasts via the Internet. The network’s founders also are “pursuing radio stations countrywide to carry our broadcast,” said Derrick Beeler, president. The network’s first show is “This Week in Aviation,” a two-hour program consisting of news, current events, technical tips, a […]
B-29 ‘FIFI’ to fly again
The Cavanaugh Flight Museum and the Commemorative Air Force (formerly Confederate Air Force) have reached an agreement to get the world’s only airworthy B-29 back in the air. Jim Cavanaugh has pledged $1.2 million to rebuild the engines on “FIFI,” the CAF’s B-29. “This sponsorship, together with additional donations from CAF members, should go a […]
Congressional impasse on FAA funding holds AIP grants hostage
The fall-out from the Congressional impasse on the pending FAA Reauthorization continues. That’s because grants from the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) cannot be released by FAA officials until the legislation is passed — or Congress gives FAA officials “contract authority,” which would allow them to start parceling out the grant money to airports. “A continued […]
MIT creates oil-repelling materials
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed a material that can repel oil. According to researchers, the materials could be used to help protect parts of airplanes that are vulnerable to damage from being soaked in fuel, like rubber gaskets and o-rings. “These are vulnerable points in many aerospace applications,” said Robert Cohen, […]
BRS logs 208th life saved
A pilot experiencing a probable control surface failure deployed a Ballistic Recovery Systems whole aircraft parachute at Laurel, Maryland, near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, becoming the 208th save documented by the use of the parachutes. The plane, a Slipstream Genesis, a fabric and fiberglass homebuilt, “rolled over on its back and headed straight down,” […]
Financial woes at Adam Aircraft: Company lays off 300employees as it tries to raise more capita
Adam Aircraft laid off 300 people in January in what is described by company officials as a “strategic adjustment.” The company, based in Englewood, Colo., manufactures the A500, its distinctive centerline piston twin, and is in the process of certifying its VLJ, the A700. A few days after the layoffs, Adam Aircraft President Duncan Koerbel […]