Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, a unique reunion of World War II bombers will gather for this year’s AirVenture, July 25 through 31. Five B-17s and several B-25s will be featured, joined by the only airworthy B-24 and B-29 in the world. Neither has been at Oshkosh within the […]
Curtis Pitts dies
If the Pitts Special was the standard by which aerobatic biplanes were judged for more than half a century, Curtis Pitts was the inspiration behind much of today’s sport aviation. Tom Poberezny, president of the Experimental Aircraft Association, has given Pitts a lot of the credit for inspiring him, his father, Paul, and the very […]
CAF PT-26 in Georgia crash
A Commemorative Air Force World War II trainer, a Fairchild PT-26 Cornell, struck a tree and crashed at Peach State Airport near Williamson, Ga., June 16. The crash killed the pilot, James Ford of Marietta, Ga., and passenger Robert Lang, also of Marietta. Ford and Lang both were CAF members. Ford was a retired Delta […]
Aviation stamps to take flight
Ten classic American aircraft from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s will be doing their flying in the form of postage after the Postal Service dedicates its American Advances in Aviation commemorative stamp sheets at EAA’s AirVenture in July. The first-day-of-issue ceremony will take place in AeroShell Square July 29, beside at least six of the […]
CarterCopter sets elusive record — later crashes
During a flight test on June 17, the innovative CarterCopter unofficially broke the Mu-1 barrier — a goal that eluded rotary wing builders until that day. Mu is the ratio of the aircraft’s forward speed to its rotor tip speed. As forward speed increases, the effective airspeed over the retreating blade decreases. At Mu-1, the […]
Liberty XL2 gets IFR certification
Liberty Aerospace of Melbourne, Fla,. received Type Inspection Authorization for IFR operation of its single engine XL2 aircraft late in June. The XL2 already is certified for VFR day and night operations. The Liberty XL2 is the only piston powered production aircraft with a full authority digital engine control (FADEC). It has a carbon fiber […]
It’s 2,000 for Cirrus
Cirrus Design Corp. recently rolled its 2,000th airplane out of its Duluth, Minn., plant. “The Cirrus SR22 is now the best-selling airplane in the world,” claimed company co-founder and Executive Vice-President Dale Klapmeier as a crowd of about 700 employees encircled — what else? — N2000M, for the 2,000 Milestone. “Now it’s on to number […]
Elusive HondaJet to debut at Oshkosh
The experimental, and long-elusive, HondaJet will make its public debut at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. It is an “advanced, lightweight, compact business jet featuring better fuel efficiency, a larger cabin, and higher cruise speed than conventional aircraft in its class,” according to Honda, which denied the airplane’s existence until its roll-out in December 2003. […]
Training better, happier pilots
I read with great pleasure Joel Elman’s article in the May issue titled “With a grimace or a smile.” I just have to tell you that it was a great article and many CFIs — new and old — should take your advice to heart.I am a CFI and I work in Aiken, S.C., at […]