Usually the creation of a master plan is thought of as a tool to help protect an airport. But as airport officials at Blaine Municipal Airport/Dierks Field (4W6) in Blaine, Wash., have learned, a master plan — or rather a lack of federal funding for one — can lead to an airport closing. “The issue […]
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BUT COULD IT BEAT A CAR?
While modern air races pit airplanes against airplanes, like Reno favorite “Dago Red,” early air races had airplanes racing against cars — with the cars winning most of the time. The ‘good old days’ of racing The very first air races were not races between airplanes, but rather races between airplanes and automobiles. It was […]
Angel Flight gets boost from private donations, federal grant
iFly, a GA fractional club started by Erik Lindbergh, will donate 20 flight hours per year per member to fly Angel Flight missions in its fleet of Columbia 350s. “I am an Angel Flight member and a strong believer in their mission,” Lindbergh said. “Those living in rural areas, or needing specialized care that can […]
Honda establishes HQ at Greensboro NC
Honda Aircraft Co. will establish its world headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., where it will build a new 215,000-square-foot facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI). The company also confirmed its long-rumored plan to build the HondaJet at a new plant to be built close to its new headquarters. Honda plans to begin delivery of the […]
F-22 Raptor wins Collier Trophy
Lockheed Martin and the F-22 Raptor team have won the 2006 Robert J. Collier Trophy from the National Aeronautic Association. Created in 1911, the trophy is considered to be one of the most prestigious aviation awards. It is granted each year “for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America during the preceding year.” […]
iPlane?: LoPresti Fury makes innovative iPod use
The LoPresti Fury, Roy LoPresti’s last and most-admired design, now has the iPod fully integrated into its systems. “It would be very nearsighted to think of the iPod as merely an entertainment device,” said RJ Siegel, vice president of operations at Vero Beach, Fla.-based LoPresti Speed Merchants, the airplane’s manufacturer. Rather, it is “a watershed […]
Master the E-6B flight computer
Even if the FAA’s current proposal to allow the use of personal computer flight simulators to maintain currency doesn’t make it into the FAR/AIM, you can still use Microsoft Flight Simulator to develop your pilot skills. Bruce Williams, a Seattle-based flight instructor, tells you how in “Microsoft Flight Simulator as a Training Aid.” The book […]
Bob Hoover celebrates 85th birthday
Bob Hoover turned 85 on Jan. 24. He has been called a “living legend,” “a magician in the cockpit” — even “the greatest stick-and-rudder pilot who ever lived.” Hoover may actually deserve all that fulsome praise, for his has been a life of doing wonderful, almost magical things with airplanes, not only thrilling a great […]
the Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
“This is real and it’s just as bad as we thought it was going to be.” — AOPA President Phil Boyer on the recently released federal budget, which calls for user fees and increased fuel taxes “It is an ironic twist that while DOT Secretary (Mary) Peters said the budget proposal will help get our […]