Usually, when a school is built next to an airport, school officials express concerns about the proximity of airplanes to the classrooms. At Tradewind Elementary School in Amarillo, Texas, Principal Kim Bentley couldn’t be more excited about the location. The new school is being built next door to Tradewind Airport (TDW) and Bentley, who is […]
Another airport in the crosshairs: Proposed development next to Washington airport stirs up pilots and alphabet groups
Pilots in Eatonville, Washington, say that a developer’s plan to build homes adjacent to their local airport, Swanson Field (SW3), is a back-door attempt to close the airport. The proposed development would create 23 to 27 lots on 18 acres that wrap about the south and east sides of the airport, which was built by […]
ANOTHER TRIBUTE
On July 26, 2003, the town of Barry’s Bay, Ontario, (pop. 1,100) honored its most famous resident, Janusz “Zura” Zurakowski, the first test pilot to fly the Arrow, by dedicating a park and future museum to him. The arrow-shaped park, located across from the town’s railroad station, contains a large-scale replica of the Avro Arrow […]
Wiley Post Spirit Award presented to international aviator for first time
This month the Wiley Post Commission will present Jon Johanson with the Wiley Post Spirit Award. Johanson, a nurse and midwife from Australia, is the first international award recipient. His accomplishments include being the first person to fly solo over the South Pole in a single-engine aircraft and the first person to circumnavigate the world […]
‘Diamond Lil’ undergoes extreme makeover: Reconfiguation may bring name change
The Commemorative Air Force’s “Diamond Lil” may be no more. The B-24, the oldest in existence, is in the midst of a restoration that will return it to its original B-24A status. Based at the B-29/B-24 Squadron at the CAF’s Midland, Texas, headquarters, “Diamond Lil,” was put in the paint scheme and markings of the […]
Toxo: Soaring into the second century of flight
It was a decade ago that Composite Aeronautic Group of Spain was founded with one goal in mine: design and produce a Light Sport Aircraft that would bring together the simplicity and low cost of an LSA with the performance and utility of a more complex and expensive airplane. The Toxo is the culmination of […]
Go online to speed up the process
The FAA is expected to launch MedXPress, an online system that will allow pilots to electronically complete their applicant information on FAA Form 8500-8 before going to their AME’s office, sometime soon. Yet another effort to speed up the medical process, the system is designed to be as user friendly as possible. While initially slated […]
The FAA and LASIK surgery: Approval comes with many warnings
About 55% of the civilian pilots in the United States require some sort of vision correction to meet the FAA’s requirements for medical certification, according to the FAA. While glasses are the most common choice, a growing number of pilots are choosing laser refractive, or LASIK, surgery. The procedure alters the curvature of the cornea […]
Margery Taylor Ware, former WASP, dies
Margery Taylor Ware, who flew as a WASP during World War II, died Nov. 22 of renal failure at the age of 91. Ever a fighter, she stood up against sex discrimination, bigotry, poverty and violence all of her long life. Her father, an Episcopal minister, told her that to whom much is given, much […]