“Only nine steam gauge airplanes were ordered in 2007 and it shocked us.” — Jack Pelton, president, chairman and CEO of Cessna Aircraft Co. “There are still flight schools that pay instructors only for their flight hours. The pedagogical aspect of flight instruction is at least as important as the pilot in command aspect and […]
Full leather jacket: it’s much more than a fashion statement
“Why are you wearing that thing?” “That thing” is my leather A-2 flight jacket, the one with all the patches. I wear it all the time, including at Sun ‘n Fun in Florida in April. I have a weakness for flight jackets. When I decided I was going to learn to fly, one of the […]
THE BATTLE IS ON
The battle over FAA funding and its proposed user fees is now heating up on Capitol Hill. That’s why I’m asking all GA pilots to stay informed and ready to be heard in the halls of Congress. And make no mistake, GA pilots are being heard in Washington loud and clear. So far we have […]
WHY NO NATIONAL HOLIDAY TO HONOR CHARLES LINDBERGH?
I was a 4-year-old in 1927 when the greatest man of my generation, Charles Lindbergh, flew across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris. On May 20 and 21, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of that historic flight. No one person has ever achieved a greater accolade from Europe or America than this man […]
SHAME ON YOU
Shame on you, Senator Maria Cantwell, for supporting FAA user fees. The last thing the general aviation industry needs is for Congress to allow airlines to dictate the funding of FAA operations. I hope you will correct your misguided decision if this bill ever comes to the floor. DAVID STAHL Gig Harbor, Wash.
LITTLE DIPPER
In reading the article on the Air Trooper in the March 23 issue of General Aviation News (The Littlest Warbird: Flying the Air Trooper), reference was made to the single-place airplane designed by John Thorp for Lockheed Aircraft during the Second World War. At the time Lockheed was still naming airplanes after celestial bodies and […]
COME VISIT ANYTIME
On behalf of the Board of Trustees for the Frank Phillips Foundation, the employees of Woolaroc and the thousands of guests and members of Woolaroc, I want to thank you for the wonderful article that you wrote in the April 20 issue about “Woolaroc” the airplane and Woolaroc the place (Woolaroc Museum and Ranch: The […]
What is the greatest airplane?
First, you have to define “”greatest;”” that is, the greatest airplane in what respect? Bomber, fighter, transport, general aviation or the greatest fun to fly? The greatest bomber has got to be the Boeing B-52. It’s been our first-line bomber for nearly 60 years and, with modifications and upgrades, it’s expected to be around for […]
Look Sharpe! Tackling Sun ‘n fun with triplets
If you think it is challenging to attend a fly-in with one toddler in a stroller, then you will appreciate the courage of Robbie Sharpe from Greensboro, N.C., who made the scene at Sun ‘n Fun with triplets Cole, Connor and Collin. The boys were 19 months old when they attended the show and, according […]