The Douglas DC-3 and the Boeing B-17 are two of the most iconic airplanes ever built. Both aircraft celebrated their 75th anniversary at AirVenture this year. The DC-3s and the military variant C-47s arrived en masse, under the guise of the “The Last Time,” a flight organized by Herpa DC-3 owner and pilot Dan Gryder. […]
FIFI takes first flight
FIFI, the world’s only airworthy Boeing B-29 Superfortress and “the Queen of the Fleet” for the Commemorative Air Force, returned to the skies early Thursday morning for its first flight since 2004. “It is an emotional day at the CAF for our volunteer-members and staff,” CAF President Stephan Brown said after the Aug. 5 flight. […]
The world’s scariest airports
SmarterTravel, an online travel site, has released its list of the World’s 10 Scariest Airports for takeoff and landing. While aimed at airline passengers, the airports also prove challenging for GA pilots, with inconveniently placed volcanoes and runways formed when the tide goes out. SmarterTravel picks for the World’s Scariest Airports include: Barra Airport, Barra, […]
iFlyWhere debuts
iFlyWhere, from AeroCharts, is a free app (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch) that allows users to map all available airports in any radius from any airport. The user inputs the home airport identifier along with the minimum and maximum distance radius desired and iFlyWhere drops a pin on every airport. Airports may be selected to zoom […]
FAA issues warning on water contamination and Cessna fuel tanks
The FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin about hazards associated with water contamination of fuel tank systems in Cessna Model 100, 200, or 300 series aircraft, which warns that pilots should “assume some water exists in the fuel tank system on the airplane.” The SAIB also includes more than 10 recommendations on how […]
Air Force officials visit Oshkosh to increase awareness of ‘remotely piloted aircraft’
Members of the Air Force Safety Center attended this year’s Airventure 2010 in an effort to increase awareness among the general aviation community about the service’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) efforts. Partnering this year with the FAA, the goal of Safety Center officials was to build awareness among the general aviation community about ongoing efforts […]
LSAs and immersion training
Learning to fly a powered parachute can be challenging. Weather needs to be nearly perfect. Some folks have been discouraged, especially if they travel a long way only to be frustrated by Mother Nature. Easy Flight has the answer: Immersion Training. The Greenville, Illinois-based company has August and October sessions of its concentrated 12-Day Sport […]
New LSA: Predator powered parachute
Another one managed to slip by my radar. I follow LSA closer than most, yet I can barely keep track of all the approvals. No wonder I frequently get calls asking me to unravel the puzzle of LSA makes and models. Better late than never, welcome the Predator powered parachute to our SLSA List of […]
LEX opens new GA runway
Officials at Blue Grass Airport (LEX) in Lexington, Kentucky, were joined Aug. 4 by Governor Steve Beshear, Mayor Jim Newberry, Kentucky Department of Aviation Commissioner R. Winn Turney, and the FAA’s Doug Martin for a ribbon cutting ceremony of the airport’s new crosswind runway, Runway 9-27. This new 4,000-foot runway will be used by general […]