As hurricane season heats up, Angel Flight Southeast (AFSE) is looking for pilots with experience flying emergency missions. Last year, AFSE became the first organization to use private pilots to fly emergency air missions, including the delivery of water and blood after Hurricanes Jeanne and Ivan, as part of the Homeland Security Emergency Air Transportation […]
Air show pilots collide off Delaware coast
Two airplanes practicing for an air show collided over Delaware Bay July 10, leaving one pilot dead and the other still missing at press time. The two were part of a six plane group that took off from Sussex County Airport (GED) at Georgetown, Del., earlier in the day. They were members of the Vultures […]
Air show pilots Franklin and Younkin killed
Well-known air show pilots Jim Franklin and Bobby Younkin were killed July 10 when their airplanes collided during a performance in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The fiery crash happened in front of thousands of people. No one on the ground was injured. Spectators reported that it appeared the planes’ wings clipped each other. The air show […]
Vimy replica recreates first Atlantic flight
If you think the first flight across the Atlantic was Charles Lindbergh’s, think again. His was the first solo flight. Two British aviators, Capt. John Alcock of the Royal Flying Corps and his navigator, Lt. Arthur Whitten Brown, did it in June of 1919. This month, pilot Steve Fossett and navigator Mark Rebholz did it […]
Another camshaft recall for Lycoming
In what some may see as “déjà vu all over again,” Lycoming has issued a mandatory service bulletin recalling what appears to be 1,227 crankshafts, some installed, some shipped as spares. Engines that have complied with Service Bulletins 552 or 553 are not affected. The affected engines are O-540, IO-540, AEIO-540 and TIO-540s rated at […]
215 NDB approach shut down
Earlier this month, 215 NDB approaches ceased to exist. The FAA decommissioned them July 7, which means they will no longer spend money to flight-check the approaches, maintain equipment and update charts. However, the FAA has not turned off any NDBs. A total of 479 approaches will be decommissioned, with the remaining 288 procedures going […]
New private airport approved in Houston
The FAA has given the nod to the construction of a private airport in Waller County near Houston. Ron Henriksen, a private developer, plans to build what will be known as Air Rice Airport on 1,980 acres. No public money will be used for construction. Several residents oppose the project, saying the airport’s proximity to […]
Ohio aircraft owners to get tax relief
Ohio aircraft owners are finally getting tax relief. Gov. Bob Taft recently signed the state budget, which includes a reduction of the annual aircraft license tax from a flat $100 per aircraft to a $15-per-seat fee. The state first raised the tax from $6 to $100 in 2003.
Sino Swearingen completes wet tests for SJ30-2
Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp. has completed testing of its new SJ30-2 twinjet aircraft for drenched and flooded runway conditions for both rain and slush. The twin engine business jet completed the tests without modifications to the aircraft design, company officials noted. The jet is expected to be certified later this year.