QUESTION: Who did Lt. Russell Maughan take the air speed record from when he set the record in March 1923? Sue Hechinger Flower Mound, Texas ANSWER: Lt. Russell Maughan set his record in 1922, not 1923, when he won that year’s Pulitzer Race on Oct. 14 at 205.856 mph in a Curtiss R-6, beating a […]
Opinion
Here we go again: Lawmakers introduce bill to open Reagan National to GA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — It has been tried before, but here we go again: an attempt to get Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport reopened to general aviation. This time a bipartisan bill has been introduced in the U.S. House directing the Department of Transportation to allow general aviation access within six months. Except for a number […]
Why accidents make headlines
Nice story (Flying with the NASCAR Air Force, March 11) and very complete, except that one major fact is wrong. The recent accident involving the Hendrick Motorsports Team occurred in Stuart, Va., in the Martinsville, Va., area, not in Richmond. What is important here is that the flight originated in Concord, N.C., less than a 100 […]
Bridging generations in Dallas
I can now honestly say, “I was on the grassy knoll.” I visited Dealey Plaza in Dallas when I was in the Lone Star State attending the 16th annual Women in Aviation International Conference. I was not born when President Kennedy was assassinated, but I have seen the film of the motorcade and the black […]
A story worth telling
Just wanted to say thanks to Tom Norton for the nice book review you ran on “Things My Flight Instructor Never Told Me” (Need to know info, Feb. 25 issue). I see you ran my good friend Jim Gardner’s seaplane story as well (Buying an amphibian? How about some tips from someone who’s been there, […]
The real reality
As per the letter to the editor, “Filmmakers need to get it right,” (March 11 issue), I’m one aviation buff (I presume this goes for many others too) who also has been disappointed by the special effects that have been produced lately. I haven’t seen “The Aviator,” or the other two films he mentioned yet, […]
Overhauled engine means relearning how it operates
QUESTION: First, let me say thanks for your excellent column. It’s always one of the first things I flip to when GANews arrives. In my 1947 PA-12 (I’m new to the plane, purchased after complete restoration), I have an O290-D2B with about 18 hours on a new limits field overhaul, including new exhaust valves, seats, […]
Could we be regulated out of all airspace?
Several recent letters were critical of the National Rifle Association (To create a powerhouse GA, model the NRA, Jan. 28 issue). Well rest assured, if it wasn’t for the NRA, the Second Amendment Foundation, The Gun Owners of America, and The Citizen’s Committee to Keep & Bear Arms, their rights to own a gun of […]
Knowledge equals understanding
I disagree with Lohren Applegate’s letter regarding the NRA and the Second Amendment. I would call his attention to a 103-page memorandum put out in December 2004 by top lawyers of the U.S. Justice Department: “The text of the Second Amendment points to a personal right of individuals: A right of the people is ordinarily […]