By REBECCA HOPKINS “When I was little, I wondered how an airplane could fly if it couldn’t breathe,” said Yunike Hermanus. Hermanus was talking about the Cessna 185 with the affectionate name of “Charlie Brown” that has served indigenous Kalimantan, Indonesia, communities for almost 50 years and 23,000 hours of flight time. It is one of […]
News
Yingling’s Lynn Nichols to receive Wichita Aero Club Trophy
WICHITA, Kansas —The Wichita Aero Club‘s eighth annual Wichita Aero Club Trophy will be presented to Lynn Nichols and Yingling Aviation. According to officials with the club, Nichols led the “revival of a virtually dormant business to impressive levels of success.” The nomination stated that Nichols literally “rescued” Yingling from imminent closure and has brought it […]
American Aero FTW donates to Navy SEAL Foundation scholarship
FORT WORTH, Texas – American Aero FTW, an FBO at Meacham International Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, has helped launch a new scholarship program for Navy SEALs. The company made a $22,000 donation to support pilot training for former SEALs. The Navy SEAL Foundation provides support to the Naval Special Warfare community and its families. […]
Basking in the sun
Tim Walker of Brockport, N.Y., responded to our call for our readers’ favorite pictures of 2017 with this one of his 10-year-old son “basking in the warmth of the late evening sun sometime in June, just outside the Rochester, N.Y., area in our Piper Cub. Pop and son time — and son’s smile…priceless!” Want to […]
Miss Vermont cleared for takeoff
By STEVE SCHAPIRO Mention a runway to most Miss America contestants, and they’ll likely think of evening gowns and heels. But not Miss Vermont. Mention a runway to Erin Connor, this year’s representative from the Green Mountain State, and she’s expecting to hear, “Cleared for takeoff.” Erin earned her private pilot certificate at the age […]
What’s wrong with experimental pilots?
That’s the question Richard Collins asks in a new blog post at Air Facts. He notes: “The higher incidence of accidents in experimental aircraft is just as logical as the fact that the fatal accident rate in private (general) aviation is almost infinitely higher than it is in airline flying. When more freedom is granted […]
16-year-old solos in 100-year-old Jenny
By CAROLINE DOUGHERTY I pushed the throttle forward, quickly glanced at the tachometer to check for the full 1450 RPM, let my feet dance on the rudder bar to keep the nose straight down the runway, and thought, “Wow! I’m actually out here on my own!” That’s how I celebrated my Sweet 16: Making my […]
Do you have what it takes to survive a GA accident?
The FAA has just released a fact sheet on surviving a general aviation accident. “Every pilot needs to prepare for the unexpected. Although surviving a crash is one of those ‘I hope it never happens’ events, it’s something you need to consider both for yourself, and your passengers,” the fact sheet begins. Accidents can happen […]
On this day in history: Record skydive
On this day in history, Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver and pilot, set three world records when he jumped from a balloon that had taken him to the edge of Space on Oct. 14, 2012. Baumgartner, who was 43 at the time of the record, set world records for free-fall distance and speed, as well […]