Author Chuck Stewart passed away before the book’s publication, but his children completed the project to share the story of a pilot who saw himself as a “white hat smuggler” operating by a personal moral code.
Pilots
Frustrated Pilot Takes Off With Fuel Selector on Empty Tank
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and the pilot’s mismanagement of the available fuel.
Picture of the Day: Waiting For A Mission
Henry Spang submitted this photo and note: “Sunrise at Pearson Field Airport (KVUO) in Vancouver, Washington, on one of our not so rainy winter days. Sad to see the beautiful Civil Air Patrol aircraft having to spend their days exposed to the wind and rain.”
For The Love of John Wayne’s Ghost
Female pilots exist. They commit to the same training as their male counterparts. They pass the same tests and ultimately fly the same missions. This should not be a problem. But it can be.
1940 Air Terminal Museum Closes
In a March 5, 2026, post on the museum’s website, officials say the closure of the museum “is the result of mounting financial pressures that accumulated over time, ultimately reaching a breaking point. The problem is straightforward: The museum’s revenues simply do not match its expenses.”
New Airpark Launches in Central Florida
A new residential airpark, Glide Path Fly-In Homes, has opened in east central Florida offering 15 private estate lots across 70 acres, which includes a 3,300-foot grass airstrip.
Flight School Opens New Location at KFWS
Dallas-based Thrust Flight, which offers pilot and mechanic training, has opened its Fort Worth campus at Spinks Airport (KFWS). This is the company’s fifth location.
Corrosion Cause of Gear-Up Landing
Probable Cause: Corrosion on a landing gear retract rod assembly, which precluded an extension of the gear and resulted in a gear-up landing.
Picture of the Day: Over Mid Coast Maine
Eric Meltzer submitted this photo and note: “My daughter, Erin, caught this image of my wife, Michelle, and me as we were flying over Mid Coast Maine in our Cessna 172M Super Hawk.”