Owen Gassaway Sr.’s name is synonymous with aviation in Palm Beach County, Fla. In fact, the Lantana Airport Terminal where he plied his trade since 1942 bears his name: the Owen H. Gassaway Aviation Center. Gassaway died Dec. 29. He was 83. His love of aviation started when, as a child, he flew model airplanes […]
Go online for local NOTAMs
Pilots will be able to receive new local NOTAMs on their computers, beginning Jan. 28. That’s when all new local (L-designated) NOTAMs will be reclassified and published on the national NOTAM system. This means pilots won’t have to call FSS to get local NOTAMs. However, FAA officials advise continuing to make the calls until the […]
LSA updates
Toxo test flights begin . Test flights towards certification for the Toxo have begun in Cincinnati, Ohio. The LSA, manufactured in Spain by Composite Aeronautic Group, S.L. (CAG), arrived by air cargo earlier this month according to Amy Christian of Toxo Aircraft North America LLC, based at Cincinnati-Blue Ash Airport (KISZ). The test flight team […]
the buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
“These guys are heroes and we can’t forget them.” — Former NFL all-pro Matt Blair on the Tuskegee Airmen “Pilots are really great at this because they are used to looking down at the Earth.” — Ken Barbalace, who created an online search and rescue site using Google Earth “We want to encourage the grass […]
Aviation and the green hysteria
Last September this column warned that environmental activists were starting to pose a serious threat to aviation. Not just general aviation, but the entire spectrum of powered flight. At the time, we took flak from readers who seem to think, mistakenly, that the human contribution to atmospheric carbon affects global warming and that no price […]
How many wonderful stories are lost?
In your Dec. 7, 2007, issue, in the article about David Tallichet (“David Tallichet, restaurant pioneer and airplane collector, dies at 84”), I found one lonely sentence that really caught my attention. “He found another fleet of Martin B-26s in western Canada, where the whole lot had crashed on the way to Alaska.” What a […]
Diary of a mad Luscombe pilot
Every new year brings contemplations, convolutions and resolutions, most of which are held dear for a week or two and then thrown out with that final bit of holiday trash. Contemplations of the New Year sort can get deep and perplexing at times. One realizes the Earth is another year older and one’s backside is […]
Airplane, heal thyself
Are self-healing airplanes the next big thing in GA? Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed technology by which airplanes can heal their own skins and engine parts can protect themselves from hazardous materials. Scientists are working on a process where damage triggers the repair mechanism in epoxy-based materials. When a crack […]
Put a Mustang in your house — or on top of it
Want to own a Mustang — or Spitfire, Corsair or Air Tractor — but just can’t come up with the cash? Now you can express your love for these classic planes with a 1/5th scale replica that can be used as home décor or a weather vane. “If the house is big enough, some of […]