This is part one in a series of stories about flying to Alaska. Read about Bill’s Flying to Alaska, Flying the Alaska Highway and Return from Fairbanks. Recently a friend asked me to help him prepare for a flying trip to Alaska. I said I would, using notes taken from my own 3,500-mile journey in a Cessna 172 from […]
Sonex reveals B models now in development
Sonex Aircraft has unveiled its latest aircraft development project: Sonex and Waiex B-Models. “What is the B-Model?” asks Sonex designer and founder John Monnett. “It’s what you’ve been asking for. More of everything you want in a sport aircraft: More room and comfort, more panel space, more fuel, more engine choices, and more standard features combined with reduced build time and the […]
Cobalt Valkyrie pre-orders top $50 Million in 90 days
SAN FRANCISCO — Cobalt reports it received more than $50 million in pre-orders for the company’s first two models — the Co50 Valkyrie and the Valkyrie-X — within the first 90 days. The fully certified version, Co50 Valkyrie, and the experimental version, Valkyrie-X, were publicly introduced Nov. 12, 2015. Upon opening the order book, Cobalt officials said they received hundreds […]
Switchblade flying car development advances
Sam Bousfield, CEO of Samson Motors and designer of the Switchblade flying sports car, recently unveiled the latest advances in the company’s multi-year program to establish a viable flying car. “The idea of landing at an airport, pushing a button to stow wings and tail, and drive to your destination not only brings us new-found […]
The Sporty’s Foundation releases annual report
The Sporty’s Foundation made bequests totaling $152,500 during 2015, acting on its commitment to attract more pilots and aviation technicians to general aviation. The Sporty’s Foundation has provided more than $1 million since its inception to assist a variety of groups and organizations whose goals align with theirs. Overhead and administrative costs for the foundation are […]
Charlie Johnson named Wings Over the Rockies chairman
DENVER — Charlie Johnson, President and Co-Founder of Aero Electric Aircraft Corp. (AEAC), the developer of the Sun Flyer solar-electric flight trainer, has been named chairman of the board of the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver. Johnson is also a former president of Cessna. John Knudsen, executive vice president of […]
Icing brings down SR22
About 90 minutes before the flight, the pilot received a preflight weather briefing, which included an advisory for moderate icing between the freezing level (expected to be at or below 10,000 feet mean sea level and 22,000 feet msl.) The pilot reported that the Cirrus SR22 encountered instrument meteorological conditions with light icing accumulation about […]
Picture of the day: Sons’ first flight with dad
Walt Harderr sent in this photo, explaining: “Me and my two boys on an morning flight from Colorado Springs Airport (COS) to Animas Air Park (00C) near Durango, Colo., for a barbeque with my sister. First time in plane for both the boys — dad’s a newly minted pilot just a couple months earlier. Smooth air, beautiful […]
Tips for safe winter flying
Recently published by AOPA Insurance were several tips to help pilots get into air during the coldest time of the year: Winter. “Pilots who enjoy winter flying acknowledge that while your preflight might be a shiver-inducing experience, you will likely not face thunderstorms, one of warmer weather’s traditional hazards,” the report begins. “The cold air also provides […]