Beechcraft unveiled an American Bonanza Society (ABS) Sport Package option for the Beechcraft Bonanza G36 at AirVenture 2016. The factory option includes a custom interior and paint scheme that will be available starting in 2017 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the American Bonanza Society and the 70th anniversary of the longest continuously produced aircraft in history, the […]
Platinum Air Center opens at KJKA
A new FBO, Platinum Air Center, opened its doors July 29 at Jack Edwards Airport (KJKA) in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The independent, family-owned FBO is a member of the Paragon Network of FBOs. Its new facility features a pilots’ lounge, flight planning room, and work stations with high speed WiFi, and a full-service concierge. “While Platinum […]
Failure to open fuel valves brings down Kitfox
During preflight refueling, the Kitfox pilot reported he closed a fuel shutoff valve located at each wing root to prevent cross feeding. Upon starting the engine and preparing for takeoff, he verified that the main fuel valve was in the on position, but failed to open the fuel shutoff valve located on each wing, causing […]
Pictures of the day: Another view of Oshkosh
Will Goldstein of PlaneLogix sent in these photos he snapped at this year’s AirVenture:
The upside of adversity
Something wonderful happened on Aug. 1, 2016, in the sleepy hamlet of Winter Haven, Florida. A flight instructor named Jim Porterfield rifled through pages in his student’s logbook, affixed his signature beneath the exact wording of a required endorsement, then climbed out of the C-150 he’d been instructing his student in. He set his 17-year-old […]
FAA plans to eliminate 308 VORs
According to a news story on the National Business Aviation Association website, the FAA is finalizing a policy that includes identifying 308 very high frequency, omnidirectional radio range (VOR) navaids that will be decommissioned as part of industry’s transition to satellite-based instrument approach procedures. The FAA’s policy statement, published July 26, lists 308 VORs that are […]
Independence Fly-In this weekend
The SocialFlight.com event of the week is the Independence Fly-In, slated for Aug. 13-14 at Independence State Airport (7S5) in Independence, Oregon. Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 292 will host its neighbors at Van’s Aircraft, and its founder, Richard (Van) VansGrunsven. The weekend will be filled with all kinds of events including aviation forums, a tour of a B17 […]
SUN ‘n FUN co-founder John Best flies west
LAKELAND, Florida — John Best, Jr., one of the original founders of the SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In, passed away July 30, 2016. He was 79. Born in Bethesda, Maryland, he moved to the Lakeland area in 1963. The U.S. Air Force veteran worked as a Ford automotive mechanic. Besides being one of the original founders of SUN ‘n […]
CAF Red Tail Squadron expands team
The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Red Tail Squadron, America’s tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, has hired a new “logistics team” tasked with expanding the efforts to spread the inspiration message of the Tuskegee Airmen. Kristi Younkin, the organization’s new Senior Logistics Coordinator, is a longtime CAF Red Tail Squadron volunteer. Younkin holds a private pilots […]