I just received the Dec. 24 issue and was surprised and pleased to see your story on the Lockheed Orion “Shellightning.” Your mention of my book “Revolution in the Sky” was additionally generous and heartwarming. You might like to know that “Shellightning” is still in existence. l don’t have all the details, but I understand […]
“Shellightning” update
Re: More to the story than meets the eye: Sam Lyons’ ‘Shellightning’ hides a fascinating tale in the Dec. 24 issue: I took this picture in 1967 at the old Movieland of the Air. The plane was in a sorry state of condition. I wonder what happened to it. As I remember, the collection was […]
The corsair: Stories abound about one of the best fights to come out of World War II
The F4U Corsair was one of the best fighters to come out of World War II. Some claim it was the best. Marine Corps fighter squadrons such as Boyington’s “”Black Sheep Squadron,”” VMF-214, and the Navy’s VF-17, Blackburn’s “”Jolly Rogers,”” made the Corsair front-page news during World War II. Stories abound about its ruggedness and […]
Now that’s whale watching!
One of the best shows on earth is getting underway off the coast of California as the gray whales make their annual migration north. Biplane, Air Combat & Warbird Adventures in Carlsbad, Calif., offers you a chance to watch the show from a vantage point 1,500 feet in the air, from the cockpit of a […]
The newest jet jockeys
University of Florida scientists have grown rat brain cells in a petri dish and taught them to fly a fighter plane, according to school officials. The “”brain,”” grown from 25,000 neural cells extracted from a single embryo, has been taught to fly an F-22 jet simulator, they claim. “”When we first hooked it up, the […]
Snail mail becomes air mail
If you are an aircraft buff and a stamp collector, the United States Postal Service is about to deliver for you in a big way. This summer the post office will make available 10 stamp designs titled “”American Advances in Aviation.”” The designs, painted by William S. Phillips, an award-winning historical aviation artist, are models […]
Too many rules
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Do you ever get the feeling that there is an increasing number of rules and regulations for flying? I do, because here in Washington I am constantly exposed to what the FAA, Congress, NTSB, Homeland Security, and other agencies and departments are doing. I did some cursory research to see just how […]
Can you have more power and reliability?
QUESTION: It seems that most automotive engines can be boosted in power to approximately one horsepower per cubic inch (obviously at the expense of reliability). Would it be possible to boost a Lycoming 720 engine to, say, 500 or 600 hp and be reliable enough to compete in a race such as the ones at […]
What can be done about exhaust valve sticking?
I received an interesting letter from Kurt Wegge, who flies a VariEze with a TCM O-200 engine, and has experienced numerous incidents of exhaust valve sticking. He was wondering if Marvel Mystery Oil would help reduce this. Kurt also noted documents from the FAA (Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin No. NE 03-45, dated June 27, 2003) […]