The private pilot, who was also the builder of the experimental, amateur-built Sonex, reported that, during initial climb for the local flight, about 3,000 feet mean sea level, the propeller separated from the airplane and fell to the ground. He turned the airplane toward an airport in Morganton, N.C., that had a longer runway than […]
Flying over the Golden Gate Bridge
Mitch Naegle of Santa Rosa, California, sent us this photo in response to our call for favorite pictures of 2017. He took the photo of himself flying a Cessna 172 over San Fransisco Bay on Oct. 23, 2017. Would you like to submit your photo for favorite pictures of 2017? You can on the form below […]
Red Bull in style
Dispatch from the Brickyard, Indianapolis, Indiana: I’m trying to decide if the 2014 California Avalon Cabernet or the 2017 Columbia Valley 14 Hands Merlot will go better with my goat cheese, pear, and micro arugula beet cup. Well, what the hell, it’s an open bar… I’ll start with the Cab and follow it up with the […]
Bremerton Aviation Center for Education in the works
Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 406 in Bremerton, Washington, and the Port of Bremerton have signed an agreement to use the former Bremerton National Airport firehouse as an aviation education center. The Bremerton Aviation Center for Education (BACE) will provide an opportunity for hands-on learning for young people interested in a future in aviation. The facility […]
Oklahoma boosts aircraft registration fees 50%
A 50% increase in aircraft registration fees, a new aviation-themed license plate, and a new airport inspection program go into effect Nov. 1, 2017, in Oklahoma as part of an effort to provide “fiscal stability” to the Oklahoma Airport System. During the 2017 state legislative session, the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission (OAC) prepared a “flight plan” to […]
Smithsonian unveils plans to revitalize National Air and Space Museum
The Smithsonian has unveiled plans to revitalize the National Air and Space Museum and transform its exhibitions. The project, which will take approximately seven years, will be done on a phased sequencing schedule that will keep many exhibitions open during the construction process, according to officials. The building will undergo complete refacing of the exterior, […]
Safety Alert: Use all available runway for takeoffs
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued Safety Alert 071-17, to highlight the potential hazards associated with conducting intersection takeoffs and the need for general aviation pilots to use all the runway available to them for takeoff. It also has posted a video (below) to accompany the safety alert. Intersection takeoffs — where only a portion […]
New book on America’s first combat ace to be released soon
Slated to be released Nov. 27, 2017, is “Hoosier Aviator Paul Baer: America’s First Combat Ace” by Tony Garel-Frantzen. Baer was an American pilot of many firsts. Born into a modest midwestern family in the late 1800s, he grew up short and shy in Fort Wayne. Not short on ambition, he volunteered to join a […]
Fuel starvation leads to forced landing
The pilot reported that he had filled the Rans S6S fuel tanks the day before the cross-country flight, but did not visually check the fuel level in the tanks during the preflight inspection. He estimated the flight would take about 1.5 hours, and full fuel tanks would have given him more than three hours of […]