These October 2009 accident reports are provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, they are intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Cessna P210. Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: Rifle, Colo. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The commercial pilot, who held an instrument rating, had logged […]
Meet Larry Cruz, Reno Air Races crash survivor
Meet Larry Cruz. Larry was at the Reno’s National Championship Air Races last month when The Galloping Ghost crashed. Actually, Larry was under The Galloping Ghost when it crashed. When the dust and debris settled following the horrific crash of September 16, Larry was barely conscious. Injuries included: a severed right hand, crushed right leg […]
Blakesburg: A field of family
A couple of months ago I was in a particularly optimistic mood and booked us a couple of days at the world’s biggest fly-in in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Almost immediately, I realized that trip wasn’t going to work. Even if we drove and weather was no issue, Keely had band camp one week, there was a […]
Celebrating 40 years at Antique Airfield
The annual invitational Antique Airplane Association (AAA) fly-in every Labor Day weekend is a closely-held tradition for hundreds of aviators. Through the years, it has evolved into an exciting-yet-relaxing “old home week” — providing a respite from the frenetic pace of the world. It’s a terrific place to see antique, vintage (including homebuilts), and classic […]
Cleveland Air Race Revival — in Texas
Building on the history of the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio, two air racing visionaries have teamed up to honor the event in a town with the same name — Cleveland, Texas. Reno Sport Class Silver Winner Ernie Sutter and Cleveland Airport Manager Alf Vien have designed a race that will feature both experimental […]
A 2-hour flight for $7
For the first time in history, full-scale electric-powered aircraft have performed in competition, taking the top two spots in the CAFE Green Flight Challenge, organized in part by NASA. According to a story at Government Computer News, the winning team, Pipistrel-USA.com, based at Penn State University, took the first prize of $1.35 million — the […]
Elder Statesman award winners named
The National Aeronautic Association will present this year’s Wesley L. McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation Awards to General Jack Dailey, Leon Potts, James Coyne, and John Cashman. The awards will be presented at the NAA Fall Awards Banquet on Monday, Nov. 7 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. AWARD WINNERS General Jack Dailey, […]
New program to reduce waste on tradeshow floor at NBAA
SmartBag Digital Tradeshow Bag will debut at the National Business Aviation Association’s Annual Convention, which kicks off Monday, Oct. 10, in Las Vegas. The program was developed to simplify the process of sharing information and reduce the massive amount of printed materials that are wasted on the tradeshow floor using Quick Response Codes (QR codes). […]
Breitling fleet formation flight
A spectacular flight above Lake Lucerne, at the heart of Switzerland, featured a gathering of the essential components of the Breitling “fleet,” with the seven L-39C Albatros planes composing the Breitling Jet Team (the world’s largest civilian aerobatics team flying on jets); the Breitling Super Constellation (one of the world’s last three flightworthy “Super Connies”); […]