Part of the fun of visiting an aviation museum is bringing home a keepsake – or two. Just as the exhibits vary from place to place, so do the popular items from museum gift shops. It’s not surprising that toy helicopters are the rage at the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, Pa. “They are […]
Florida’s Opa-Locka West Airport to close
Officials in Florida are preparing to officially remove Opa-Locka West Airport (X46) from the list of active airports in the Sunshine State. The airport was badly damaged in October 2005 by Hurricane Wilma. The unattended facility sports two runways, 9-27 and 18-36. The airport sits on 420 acres. Sunil Harman, director of aviation planning in […]
LSA Mall, Splash In highlight Arlington show
You know it’s July when legions of aviators head north toward Arlington, Wash, for the annual Northwest Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in and Convention. This year it’s slated for July 5-9. One of the first things visitors will see when they enter the grounds is a display of Light Sport Aircraft. “It is patterned after the […]
To protect and serve
A law enforcement agency in Redlands, Calif., is considering adding a Light Sport Aircraft to its crime-fighting arsenal. Recently the Redlands Police Department put a Flight Design CTSW to the test. “We put it through 12 law enforcement scenarios and it passed with flying colors,” said Redlands Police Chief Jim Bueermann. Redlands, located about 60 […]
Classic aircraft tour slated for Pacific Northwest
The skies over the Pacific Northwest will be filled with classic aircraft July 16-21 as dozens of pilots take part in the Oregon Antique & Classic Aircraft Club Air Tour. The tour begins at Cottage Grove Airport (61S) in Oregon. It focuses on family adventure and fun activities, includes opportunities to ride in biplanes at […]
Washington airport expands to accomodate more GA traffic
It will be a busy construction season at William R. Fairchild International Airport (CLM) in Washington state. According to Airport Manager Jeffery Robb, there are plans to develop 22 acres of land to accommodate more general aviation aircraft at CLM, which is the largest airport on the Olympic Peninsula. “We are seeing more of the […]
A solution for quieter skies?
If you’re interested in reducing propeller noise, take a tip from an airport and a glider operator in California. At Truckee-Tahoe Airport (TRK), airport management and glider operator Soar Truckee have been working together to reduce noise from glider tow planes, most of which comes from the tow planes’ propellers and exhaust systems. A Hoffman […]
Reading, writing, arithmetic — and aviation
Florida high school students take off with new aviation magnet program SunState Aviation Flight School, an accelerated flight training center at Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM) in Florida, has teamed with Osceola High School (OHS) to offer an aviation magnet program for local high school students. OHS is the first area school to offer the program, […]
Longtime GAN contributor inducted into Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame
Donald C. Downie was recently inducted into the Arizona Aerospace Foundation’s Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame, which is housed at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson. Also inducted this year were Harold L. “Bud” Abrams, Ralph S. Johnson and James Vercellino. Downie, a full-time aviation writer and photographer since before World War II, […]