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 […]
Political climate creates uncertainty for GA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington political situation will make the climate for general aviation “”uncertain”” this year. That’s according to James Coyne, president of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), who stressed this at a recent meeting for the Washington, D.C., press. Uncertainty brings with it many issues that can cause concern, he notes. However, […]
What to do about a ‘slightly’ rough running engine
I always look forward to hearing what you have to say, so here is my question: I fly a 1954 Piper PA-22/20 with an O-320 (no suffix) Lycoming, with about 975 hours since major. I fly it 150 to 175 hours per year, and keep up with all the maintenance an old ship requires. The […]
A new fuel takes flight
On Dec. 17, 2007, the United States Air Force flew a C-17 Globemaster III from McChord Air Force Base in Washington to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey on a 50/50 blend of synthetic fuel and JP-8, a traditional hydrocarbon jet fuel. On Dec. 17, 2007, the United States Air Force flew a C-17 […]
A nighttime approach ends badly
A missed approach not performed by the pilot and the directional control not maintained by the pilot during landing. Contributing factors were the crosswind, unavailability of wind information due to inoperative meteorological equipment, and a NOTAM not issued by airport personnel indicating that the meteorological equipment was inoperative.
An historic airplane rises from an abandoned wreck
“Wow! Wow! Wow!” Those were the only words one Oshkosh visitor could utter as he stood beside Tom Dinndorf’s elegant Stinson SR-10, an airplane once owned by Shell Oil Co. and flown by Jimmy Doolittle. The gleaming red and yellow Stinson, correct to the smallest detail of its original 1938 appearance, is a past Vintage […]
GA safety: Nall Report mostly encouraging…But some things never change
There’s encouraging news mixed with some discouragement in AOPA’s annual Nall Report on aviation safety. The good news is a 10-year trend downward in general aviation accidents, from 7.19 per 100,000 hours flown in 1997 to 6.32 in 2006. In fact, the report states, 2006 was the safest year in the history of general aviation. […]
Spreading the good news: Wolf Aviation Fund supports projects promoting GA
You wouldn’t think a group called Stumps R Us has anything in common with the Air Care Alliance or a show for school kids telling the story of Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman to earn her pilot’s license. But each of these is one of the 170 winners of grants from the Wolf Aviation […]
Pearl Harbor photos donated to Museum of Flight
A Washington state resident who snapped the first photographs of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has donated them to the Museum of Flight in Seattle. The images, shot by Lee Embree, will be on permanent display. At the time of the attack, Embree was a staff sergeant and photographer with the Army Air Corps. […]