When Brad Larson learned to fly, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president and “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” was at the top of the jukebox hit parade. The year was 1932. If you do the math that’s 78 years of aviating. The 94-year-old is still flying. During Sun ‘n Fun 2010 he could be found […]
Flying on tandem wings
Among early design considerations were the layout, location and configuration of wings. Several early concepts included that of the tandem wing, including Langley’s first successful powered aircraft in 1896 (pictured, below). A tandem wing aircraft implies use of two full-sized wings mounted on each end of the fuselage. It might be considered a biplane with […]
PrayerFlight’s ’50 Capitals’ takes off May 6
PrayerFlight’s “50 Capitals” has reached 100% coverage, with pilots set to fly over all 50 capitals in the United States as part of the National Day of Prayer. For the third annual PrayerFlight, organizers said they reached out to past participants, organizations, the National Day of Prayer, and others to “place prayer in the skies […]
Why aren’t more women flying?
Colorado pilot Penny Hamilton was recently awarded a grant from the Wolf Aviation Fund to conduct a research study to find out why more women aren’t pilots. According to a story at AOPA.org, Hamilton will conduct in-depth interviews with female general aviation students and pilots regarding their flight training experiences. The story, which notes that […]
More delays for HondaJet
The HondaJet program has once again been delayed, according to a report by Aviation International News, which notes that Honda Aircraft began notifying buyers this week that delivery of the first HA-420 HondaJet is now planned for the third quarter of 2012. The story quotes HondaJet spokesman Stephen Keeney: “Regrettably we’ve experienced delays in some […]
Testing continues on HF120 engine
GE Honda Aero Engines continues to make steady progress toward certification of the HF120 engine, according to company officials. “The HF120 engine has demonstrated that it is meeting design objectives for thrust, fuel burn and operability,” said Bill Dwyer, president of GE Honda Aero Engines. The HF120 engine has undergone a comprehensive test program in […]
Air Safety Foundation courses honored
The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) presented the AOPA Air Safety Foundation May 4 with one of its highest honors, the Platinum level Best Practices Award for Distance Learning Programming. The award honors the Air Safety Foundation’s wide range of online safety courses, including “Runway Safety,” “Know Before You Go,” “Essential Aerodynamics,” and “Accident […]
‘Air Crashes’ now an eBook
First published 25 years ago, “Air Crashes” examines the aviation accident scene where Dick Collins examines what went wrong, why and what can be done about it. The eBook version includes the original book as well as updates at the end of each chapter with Collins’ thoughts 25 years later. He reflects on which aspects […]
Arizona school kicks off transition program
Arizona Flight Training Center has developed several programs for military aviators who are looking to transition to the world of civilian aviation. Programs include flight and ground training for ATP, multi and single-engine ratings, as well as initial and add-on flight instructor ratings. AZFTC President and Chief Flight Instructor Rick Rademaker commented, “I have been […]