West Valley Flying Club (WVFC) in Palo Alto, Calif., has appointed Steve Blonstein Chief Pilot. Blonstein has been a flight instructor at WVFC since 1998, and recently retired from a career in technology marketing. Established in 1973, WVFC is the largest flying club in the country with 1,200 members. It operates a fleet of 80 […]
Classic Aviation hosts safety event
Technologically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) pilots recently converged on the Pella Municipal Airport in Iowa for a weekend safety event hosted by Classic Aviation. Saturday, June 13, 20 pilots attended a Critical Decision Making Seminar led by Classic Aviation’s Shane Vande Voort. The seminar is a popular outreach of the Cirrus Owners’ and Pilots Association, that […]
Failure to relinquish controls leads to accident
The student pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed, resulting in a stall. The failure of the student to relinquish the flight controls when instructed to do so was a factor.
Maple seeds, bugs, helos use same tricks to fly
The twirling seeds of maple trees spin like miniature helicopters as they fall to the ground. Because the seeds descend slowly as they swirl, they can be carried aloft by the wind and dispersed over great distances. Just how the seeds manage to fall so slowly, however, has mystified scientists. In research published in the […]
AZ aviation businesses urge caution on noise issue
A recent federal court decision overturning a ban on corporate jets at Santa Monica, California, could weigh heavily on efforts to control noise and enhance safety at Mesa, Arizona’s Falcon Field, the fourth busiest general aviation airport in the country, The Arizona Republic reported on June 16. The ruling essentially supports the Federal Aviation Administration‘s […]
Aviation High School students earn AirVenture trip
Seventeen of the students at the Wathen Aviation High School near Riverside, California,have set their sights on this year’s EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh. The students, who have dubbed themselves “The Aviators,” came up with a plan to attend AirVenture on their own, without input from the school’s faculty. They overcame one major obstacle when Oshkosh […]
NJ Casino board approves aviation research center
New Jersey’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority endorsed plans for an aviation research center in Atlantic County on June 16, opening the door for funding support from Atlantic City casinos, the Press of Atlantic City reported on June 17. The new NextGen Aviation Research and Technology Park is expected to create some 2,000 jobs at a […]
Michigan communities seek aviation-based development
Nine southeastern Michigan communities are signing on to a plan to create a 60,000-acre “aerotropolis” to lure aviation-related businesses to the area near Detroit Metropolitan Airport, according to a June 16 Forbes online report. Officials are scheduled sign a deal in Taylor, Michigan, on June 17 to form the Aerotropolis Development Corp. Backers say the […]
CAF’s B-29 gets first of new engines
The Commemorative Air Force‘s B-29/B-24 Squadron members, based at Midland, Texas, have hung the first of four new engines on the CAF’s B-29 Superfortress, FIFI, the group said on June 12. The hanging of the new engine is the first step in a lengthy process, said Crew Chief Dave Miller. In April, the engine arrived […]