Forget about the business jet as a sign of affluence. Today the well-heeled are pursuing dreams of space. Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos has plans to build a rocketship complex in south Seattle to support his new aerospace venture, Blue Origin. The Seattle location will house the design and construction teams. Launch site of the reusable […]
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Sopwith Camel shunned by bidders
The Sopwith Camel is perhaps the most famous Allied airplane of World War I. During the war approximately 5,490 of them were built, yet less than half a dozen still exist. Only one is airworthy and it recently went up for sale on eBay. The California-based seller proudly noted that the plane is an authentic […]
Wild horses – Cessna’s Mustang gallops towards certification
Several companies competing for the personal jet market are turning the downwind leg toward certification. One of those is Cessna, known for its piston-powered trainers and Citation business jets. In 2002 the company announced it was entering the Very Light Jet race with the Citation Mustang. The road to certification is often filled with challenges […]
“Flight from Fear”: A novel look at the WASP
It has been 60 years since World War II ended, yet some people still believe the only women to have contact with military aircraft were the “Janes that built the planes” and Rosie the Riveter. Author Sarah Byrn Rickman is helping educate these people through her books about women who flew for Uncle Sam during […]
Lycoming recalls more crankshafts
Lycoming is recalling 391 crankshafts which, it suspects, may suffer from the same metallurgical problem that affected hundreds of others the company has already replaced. “It’s not a new problem,” said Ian Walsh, Lycoming’s general manager. “It’s the same type of problem – subsurface defects – that we had before.” All of the suspect shafts […]
ADIZ public meetings set
Two public meetings on a proposal to make the Washington, D.C., Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) permanent will be held this month. The meetings, scheduled by the FAA, also will be attended by officials from the departments of defense and homeland security. “This represents the first time since Sept. 11 that security officials and the […]
The Year of the Sport Pilot
2005 was “The Year of the Light Sport Aircraft and the Sport Pilot Certificate.” The LSA rule was approved in September 2004 and by April 2005 FAA certification of aircraft was well under way. Among the first to get the nod were European imports qualifying as Special-LSAs, ready to fly models that can used for […]
Legends race to Cleveland
The Society of Air Racing Historians is gearing up to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the post-World War II National Air Races. The society’s 22nd Annual International Symposium of Air Racing History is slated for May 5-7 in Brook Park, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, where the races were held from 1946-1949. “The society has […]
Modern aviation to protect Great Wall
For the first time in history, a helicopter will be used to monitor the Great Wall of China. The helicopter will be used to take photos and videos of the 4,000-mile wall. A database will be created from the images so future inspections can be done by air to look for changes. Members of the […]