Smitty Smith of FunPlacesToFly.com sent us this video he shot at the 2017 Texas Antique Airplane Fly-in in Gainesville, Texas, which was held Oct. 13-14. He explains: “We flew a completely restored 1956 Cessna 172, named “My Metal Mistress,” to the fly-in. There was a huge variety of antique airplanes on display. One of the best […]
General Aviation
Airport Courtesy Cars upgraded
Airport Courtesy Cars is in the process of being upgraded, with the service — which lists more than 1,800 courtesy cars nationwide for pilots — becoming fully web-based. According to developer Glenn Brasch, several users over the past couple of years have asked for upgrades and improvements, with the biggest complaint being that the site […]
Yingling’s Lynn Nichols to receive Wichita Aero Club Trophy
WICHITA, Kansas —The Wichita Aero Club‘s eighth annual Wichita Aero Club Trophy will be presented to Lynn Nichols and Yingling Aviation. According to officials with the club, Nichols led the “revival of a virtually dormant business to impressive levels of success.” The nomination stated that Nichols literally “rescued” Yingling from imminent closure and has brought it […]
American Aero FTW donates to Navy SEAL Foundation scholarship
FORT WORTH, Texas – American Aero FTW, an FBO at Meacham International Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, has helped launch a new scholarship program for Navy SEALs. The company made a $22,000 donation to support pilot training for former SEALs. The Navy SEAL Foundation provides support to the Naval Special Warfare community and its families. […]
Maule driver picks wrong field for landing
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped Maule M7-260C reported that he landed in a field near Grace, Idaho, that had numerous gopher holes and mounds. During the landing roll, the main landing gear encountered a soft spot in the terrain and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing strut, rudder, […]
A picture is worth 1,000 words
Every year, we devote our two December print issues of General Aviation News to photographs sent in by our readers. It’s amazing the number of photos we receive showing airplanes in all their glory — from backcountry flying to a Cub sitting on a grass runway to a dad taking his daughter for her first […]
Basking in the sun
Tim Walker of Brockport, N.Y., responded to our call for our readers’ favorite pictures of 2017 with this one of his 10-year-old son “basking in the warmth of the late evening sun sometime in June, just outside the Rochester, N.Y., area in our Piper Cub. Pop and son time — and son’s smile…priceless!” Want to […]
Miss Vermont cleared for takeoff
By STEVE SCHAPIRO Mention a runway to most Miss America contestants, and they’ll likely think of evening gowns and heels. But not Miss Vermont. Mention a runway to Erin Connor, this year’s representative from the Green Mountain State, and she’s expecting to hear, “Cleared for takeoff.” Erin earned her private pilot certificate at the age […]
What’s wrong with experimental pilots?
That’s the question Richard Collins asks in a new blog post at Air Facts. He notes: “The higher incidence of accidents in experimental aircraft is just as logical as the fact that the fatal accident rate in private (general) aviation is almost infinitely higher than it is in airline flying. When more freedom is granted […]