Potomac Airfield (VKX) near Washington, D.C., has reopened. The TSA closed the airport in November, claiming Airport Manager David Wartofsky was not following TSA-approved security procedures established in 2002 for the three airports in the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). Wartofsky countered the measures that were used at Potomac went beyond the scope of those […]
Admiral William P. Lawrence dies
Vice-Admiral William P. Lawrence, who died Dec. 2 at the age of 75, was a lot of things to a lot of people. One “achievement” he enjoyed talking about was his daughter, Capt. Wendy Lawrence, who became an astronaut and mission specialist. The admiral, a test pilot and first Naval Aviator to fly twice the […]
Lyons painting in Texas competition
“Polished Perfection,” a painting by artist Sam Lyons of a gorgeous Luscombe Silvaire, has been selected for exhibition in the Horizons of Flight Aviation Art Exhibition and Competition at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The juried aviation art show is sponsored by CAE SimuFlite and Flying magazine. More than 100 entries were submitted but only 32 […]
First Liberty delivered
The first Liberty XL2 was delivered to the company’s first private buyer in December. Retired American Airlines captain Thomas Sams and his wife, Mary Jane, live at South Lake, Texas. Sams has logged some 23,000 hours with the airline, as a CAE SimuFlite instructor and privately, said Liberty’s president and CEO Tony Tiarks, who sees […]
Eclipse certification delayed, suppliers behind schedule
Certification of the Eclipse 500, scheduled for March, has been delayed until late in the second quarter of 2006 due to what CEO Vern Raburn described as “supplier delays.” “We have been working with our suppliers to recover their schedules. Unfortunately, an in-depth assessment has made it clear that these slips will force a delay […]
A DC-3 anniversary
Dec. 17 – the 103rd anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight – also was the 70th anniversary of another first flight that changed aviation. That was the day in 1935 that the Douglas DC-3 first took to the air. Donald Douglas apparently saw nothing remarkable in the event, although he did schedule it for […]
‘Wings for History’ preserves history of women in aviation
To preserve the history of women in aviation, the Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots is launching a worldwide fundraising campaign. Its “Wings for History” endowment fund is asking for donations of airplanes. Helen Holbird of Oklahoma City was the first donor. Money from the sale of her Cessna 172 initiated the museum’s new endowment. The […]
AOPA educating the non-flyign public
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association ran a series of television commercials on The Weather Channel during the Christmas season. They showed many benefits of general aviation, from assisting with hurricane relief efforts to air ambulance and other humanitarian flying. They emphasized that GA is a vital part of American life which poses no threat. […]
Sun ‘n Fun to honor astronauts and Rutan
John Young and Bob Crippen, commander and pilot of the first Space Shuttle flight, are set to appear at this year’s Sun ‘n Fun evening program on April 8. The fly-in runs from April 4 to 10. The program is part of a celebration of the first Shuttle launch, April 12, 1981. Programs honoring the […]