“I don’t think we’ve ever had a mission like this one,” said Lt. Col. Dave Roberts of the door-to-door ground team sorties Civil Air Patrol is performing for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The mission, which began last Wednesday, is to photograph up to 12,000 home sites damaged by the Oklahoma tornadoes. “We’ve had boots […]
Hard braking for tailwheel
Aircraft: Luscombe 8E Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: Apex, N.C. Aircraft damage: Substantial What reportedly happened: The pilot was conducting a full-stop landing. He executed a normal landing, lowered the tail and was rolling fast. The airplane was on the center line with 300 to 400 feet of runway remaining. He stated he applied the brakes […]
Connecting pilots to promote GA
By JEFF SIMON, Guest Editorial As hobbies go, flying has become a fairly solitary experience, at least in the air. The vast majority of general aviation flights are with a single occupant — the pilot. Added to that is the fact that flight hours have been in a steady decline for years, so we’re flying […]
Visiting Rotax and Pipistrel
We paid two memorable visits after AERO ended and I’ll tell you a little about each one … but first … While I was at Pipistrel in the office of boss Ivo Boscarol, he received word that Matevz Lenarcic had reached the North Pole on his flight reported earlier. Congratulations on this achievement; a long […]
RAF Museum launches restoration of rare Dornier 17
BARROWFORD, England — A team of restoration experts is currently at work salvaging a unique World War II aircraft from the floor of the English Channel. Using cutting edge restoration techniques within a purpose-built polytunnel from First Tunnels, the team hopes to have the rare Dornier 17 ready for exhibition within two years. British television […]
Icon seeks FAA answer by May 31 on weight exemption
Kirk Hawkins, CEO and founder of Icon Aircraft, has asked the FAA to issue a final decision by May 31 on his exemption request to increase the weight of his Icon A5 amphibious light sport aircraft (LSA) by 250 pounds. He based the request on a new design for a spin-resistant airframe, according to a […]
Maryland Festival of Flight slated
The third annual Maryland Regional Festival of Flight will be held on Saturday, June 8, at The Ocean City Airport from 7 a.m. until noon. The airshow begins at noon at the beach. The Festival, hosted by The Federal Aviation Administration’s Safety Team (FAAST), will feature Wings approved seminars for aviators of all backgrounds throughout […]
Plane-Power debuts high-power alternator
GRANBURY, Texas — Plane-Power, Ltd. has received FAA approval of its newest lightweight, high-power aircraft alternator. The Plane-Power ALT-FLX alternator is a lightweight, high-output, belt-driven alternator sold as a single part number for both 12V and 24V aircraft. Optional mounting kits make it easy to replace heavyweight, Ford DOFF series alternators often used both Continental […]
SkyCraft begins production on SD-1 Minisport
OREM, Utah — SkyCraft Airplanes began production of its SD-1 Minisport this month, which will be available for order as an S-LSA starting in July. The SD-1 boasts a 118 mph cruise speed, 1,400 fpm climb rate, 39 mph stall speed, and 5 hours of endurance, according to company officials. The price of the SD-1 […]