NASA and the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation have teamed to award the largest technology prize ever offered for general aviation. The organizations have recast the Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) challenge for 2008, renaming it the General Aviation Technology Challenge. Several winners will share in the $300,000 prize purse, funded by NASA, including the […]
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Neil Armstrong honored at Purdue University
A bronze sculpture of Neil Armstrong was recently unveiled at Indiana’s Purdue University. The sculpture is in front of the university’s new engineering research and education building, which is named for the first astronaut to walk on the moon. Artist Chas Fagan, from Charlotte, N.C., created the work. The sculpture of Armstrong, depicted as an […]
No more takeoffs for Red Baron Pizza Squadron
After 28 years of air show performances, Schwan Food Co.’s Red Baron Pizza Squadron is retiring. A “refocusing” in marketing strategy at the company led to the squadron’s grounding, according to Bill McCormack, executive vice president. “The Red Baron Squadron has been an incredible asset to our company,” he said. “The retail grocery industry has […]
What’s in a name?
What does it take to have an airport named for you? How about setting an around-the-world speed record? In 1938 there was an effort to rename an airport in Texas to honor Howard Hughes (pictured) after he circled the world in 91 hours, besting the previous record by four days. For a short time, Houston […]
the buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
“Counties have realized that if you don’t have a good-sized airport — one with at least a 4,000 to 5,000 foot runway — businesses will look at you and rule you out because you are behind the times.” — Steve Parker, deputy commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Aviation on the state’s push to open […]
San Diego building near MYF trimmed
The FAA says a building near San Diego’s Montgomery Field no longer presents a hazard. The building was under construction when it was brought to the attention of the FAA. It measured 180 feet high, roughly 20 feet past the limit for a building within a mile of the airport. In June a stop work […]
Long-time pilot Muriel Ferris dies at 97
Muriel Ferris, who started flying in 1929 and earned her pilot license in 1931, died of a stroke Nov. 7. She was 97. Born in Syracuse, N.Y., she learned to fly on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, instructed by pioneer pilots Malcolm and Steve Hathaway. Local lore has it that she was the first woman to fly […]
When the Super Bowl comes to town. As airport management prepares for the big game, pilots spring into action to protect their rights — and their planes
Television commercials aren’t the only thing that cost more during the Super Bowl. Pilots based at Glendale Municipal Airport (GEU) in Arizona say the cost of hangar space has jumped dramatically in response to the news that the community is hosting the 2008 Super Bowl. In addition, tenants are being told that they may not […]
Washington State airport recovers from floods
When heavy rains hit southwestern Washington earlier this month, Chehalis-Centralia Airport (CLS) was a staging area for rescue operations. But on Dec. 3, when the Chehalis River, which runs beside the airport, rose 24 inches in just one hour, CLS was swamped. State officials say a dike that was supposed to protect the airport was […]