Norbert C. Ruff, of Bloomer, Wis., died Nov. 28, following a stroke. He was 88. Born in 1919, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1940. During the war he was stationed in the South Pacific and flew a P-38 with the 80th Pursuit Group. After the war Ruff left the military and became […]
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GA safety: Nall Report mostly encouraging…But some things never change
There’s encouraging news mixed with some discouragement in AOPA’s annual Nall Report on aviation safety. The good news is a 10-year trend downward in general aviation accidents, from 7.19 per 100,000 hours flown in 1997 to 6.32 in 2006. In fact, the report states, 2006 was the safest year in the history of general aviation. […]
Former Viking Matt Blair joins Red Tail Project
Former Minnesota Vikings All-Pro linebacker Matt Blair, a 2008 candidate for induction into the Football Hall of Fame and a successful entrepreneur, has become involved in the Red Tail Project. Blair, who owns Matt Blair’s Celebrity Promotions, Inc., says he plans to “help raise awareness, build momentum, and get information out about the Red Tail […]
An historic airplane rises from an abandoned wreck
“Wow! Wow! Wow!” Those were the only words one Oshkosh visitor could utter as he stood beside Tom Dinndorf’s elegant Stinson SR-10, an airplane once owned by Shell Oil Co. and flown by Jimmy Doolittle. The gleaming red and yellow Stinson, correct to the smallest detail of its original 1938 appearance, is a past Vintage […]
AvTek celebrates silver anniversary
Mike Peter’s AvTek is celebrating 25 years of developing and producing a variety of aviation products, including pulsing landing lights, door seals, standby electrical systems, panel lighting, electric system alert warning meters and more. Founded in 1983 as Sammamish Valley Avionics in Redmond, Wash., Peter changed the company’s name to AvTek in 1991. He has […]
EAA asks for exemption from E-LSA registration deadline
Citing the FAA’s paperwork backlog and its lack of available inspectors, the Experimental Aircraft Association has filed for an exemption to the Jan. 31, 2008, deadline for the conversion of two-place or “fat” ultralights to certification under the Experimental-Light Sport Aircraft category. In its request, the EAA asks that owners who already have submitted their […]
King Air winglet popularity soars
More than half of the world’s turboprop airplanes are King Airs, which makes the popular Beech line a vast market for the winglets being offered by BLR Aerospace of Everett, Wash. Don’t expect to get a set on your King Air very soon, however, unless you plan to get them from Elliott Aviation or Cutter […]
Kitfox expands
Kitfox Aircraft has broken ground on a new 5,000-square-foot facility at Homedale Airport (S66) in Homedale, Idaho. “It will be a separate building from our current facility,” notes John McBean, CEO. “Business is going very well and we simply need to make room for the future. The ground preparation has been done and after the […]
Antique fly-in to commemorate air mail anniversary
The Antique Airplane Association, in tandem with the Air Power Museum, will host the 2008 Invitational Fly-In at Antique Airfield (IA27), in Blakesburg, Iowa. The fly-in, slated for Aug. 27 to Sept. 1, will commemorate the 90th anniversary of the beginning of air mail service in the Unites States. “I cannot remember a theme of […]