With apologies to both playwright Neil Simon and Brighton Beach, it was a sentimental journey Nov. 10 to Vero Beach, Florida, for Piper’s Factory Fly-In, the final event of the Cub’s 75th Anniversary year. Scattered among the 40 yellow taildraggers at the invitational fly-in were the all-metal Pipers of MY youth. I could only reminisce. […]
Last flying B-29 grounded, faces costly repair
During the last airshow flight of the season, the world’s only flying B-29 Superfortress, FIFI, experienced an engine problem. The crew returned the airplane safely to the ground, but it was soon determined that FIFI’s number two engine would need major repairs. In response, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) has launched a major fund raising […]
Wolf Aviation Fund grant proposals due Dec. 15
Each year the Wolf Aviation Fund provides grants for a number of individuals and organizations doing great work in general aviation. To date more than 330 awards have been given, providing worthy applicants the funding and recognition that is so vital for folks working on new ideas. This year’s deadline for applications is Dec. 15. […]
IEA report suggests lower fuel prices ahead
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that the United States will overtake Saudi Arabia as the world’s leading producer of oil by 2020. Due in part to the remarkable yields enabled by hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and directional drilling, technology developed since the 1940s, the […]
Plane crash kills CAP Mississippi Wing officers
JACKSON, Miss. – A plane crash here Tuesday evening killed three of Civil Air Patrol’s Mississippi Wing members – Col. John E. Tilton Jr., former member of Civil Air Patrol’s Board of Governors and Alabama Wing and Southeast Region commander; the Mississippi Wing’s standardization/evaluation officer, Lt. Col. David Williams; and Capt. William C. Young, finance […]
Wind gust bends LSA
Aircraft: FlightDesign CTSW. Injuries: 2 Minor. Location: Fullerton, Calif. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot, who was practicing landings, aborted the first two approaches because the airplane was too high and fast. On the third landing, he descended to about 10 feet over the runway, when a gust of wind blew the plane […]
Currency flight ends with crash
Aircraft: Beech Bonanza. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Theodore, Ala. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The accident happened during a night currency flight in marginal VFR conditions. The 164-hour pilot did not file a flight plan or obtain a weather briefing prior to departure from an airport in a sparsely populated area. About four minutes […]
Van’s unveils fully built RV-12
Honestly, I didn’t expect much LSA news at AOPA’s Aviation Summit in Palm Springs. Despite several LSA on display, including Kitfox, Evektor, Flight Design, Arion, Jabiru, SportCruiser, Skycatcher, and CubCrafters, the AOPA event is not a common place for LSA announcements. Certainly I didn’t expect the world’s largest supplier of kit aircraft to offer a […]
Jet flies on 100% biofuel
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) recently flew a Falcon 20 jet powered by 100% unblended biofuel. “This historic flight symbolizes a significant step not only for the aerospace industry, but also towards advancing sustainable sources of renewable energy,” officials said in a prepared statement. “I have now flown the world’s first 100% biofuel […]