Search Results for "stories that fly"
One thing leads to another, and another…
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With Oshkosh in full swing, the eyes of the aviation minded are on Wisconsin. But here in central Florida there is one city commissioner who has just become a major fan of aviation, thanks to a husband and wife who restored a Stearman and shared the excitement with him. I love it when the fever spreads.
It was only a few weeks ago that I wrote about Elizabeth Amundsen, a CFI and IA who was busily restoring a Stearman to its former glory along with her husband, Jonathan. That story may have been the impetus for the local newspaper here in Winter Haven to run a story about the same couple as they prepared to get the last few details completed in preparation for their departure for AirVenture 2010.
That newspaper story gave our new interim airport manager an idea. It stood to reason, she thought, that if one couple was headed off to Oshkosh for the big wing-ding, maybe others from our field were making the trek, too. What if the city’s staff and commissioners showed up at the airport to provide an official send-off? That would be great!
A flying legend: S.C. collector prepares his DC-3 for the 75th anniversary at Oshkosh
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By BILL WALKER, For General Aviation News
The real welcome sign in front of the H.E. Avent Marlboro County Jetport at Bennettsville, S.C., is not the neatly scripted greeting near the front door, but the flying legend parked at the entrance.
N59NA, a 1943 Douglas DC-3 (C-47), peacefully stands watch over the Jetport. This oil-dripping, sometimes cantankerous, always-demanding flying machine measuring two stories tall and a railcar long still commands utmost respect from those who know airplanes. When you’re 67 years old with 31,000 hours in the sky and still flying, that’s the way it should be.
N59NA, called “Bones” in honor of a onetime mechanic, is no hangar queen all dressed up and polished just to be admired. It is an aviation history exhibit flown by a South Carolina collector with a keen sense of history and a love for almost anything that takes flight. That collector is Barry Avent, a Bennettsville businessman, who plans to fly his DC-3 to AirVenture in Oshkosh this month to participate in the 75th anniversary gathering of the iconic aircraft.
Book review: ‘DC-3: A Legend in her Time’
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Can you believe the DC-3 has been around for 75 years? As celebrations for the anniversary take off this year, you can learn all about the history of the airplane through the pages of “DC-3: A Legend in Her Time” by Bruce McAllister.
Yes, we can reach out and make a difference
Posted by: | CommentsA question I recently found in my e-mail inbox intrigues me. “So how do we, as aviators, get the general population to engage?” Steve, from Midway, Georgia, poses this query. And in doing so he puts his finger on what is arguably the greatest challenge to pilots and aviation enthusiasts in the political arena. Because without engaging the public at large we are little more than a minority splinter group that appears to insist on special treatment.
More often than not, that’s the public perception of us. Fortunately, we can change that.
The easiest way for us to make a pro-aviation impact is on a personal basis, one-on-one. Read More→
Rocky Mountain Fly-In takes off Aug. 28
Posted by: | CommentsThe 31st annual Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In (RMRFI) will take place Aug. 28-29 at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) in Denver.
“The wide range of pilot-related activities at the 2010 event represents Colorado Sport Aviation’s continuing dedication to the flying community,” says Jim Cimiluca, president of CSA, which hosts the event.
An unexpected IA
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I stopped into the hangar looking for the IA. So it was no great surprise to be directed to a back room, where the wing of a Cub sat on sawhorses. The bright yellow finish indicated that it was in the final stages before being mounted back on the airplane.
I’ve met several Airframe and Powerplant mechanics with Inspection Authorization who specialize in fabric work. In fact, I enjoy fabric work myself. There’s something almost therapeutic about the pace of the process. Being relegated to a back corner of the hangar is just one of the perks, in my view. It allows the covering process to continue with a minimum of contamination and the least chance of interruption. I was in my element. Everything was familiar, comfortable, just as it was expected to be. Then the IA walked in. Elizabeth Amundsen doesn’t look like the prototypical IA. She isn’t male. She isn’t old enough to remember Sunday nights capped off by the Ed Sullivan Show. She isn’t even grumpy or bossy. And, believe it or not, whether it is because of her youth or her high level of enthusiasm for her chosen trade, she can trace her current career back to the exact moment of its birth.
‘The Aviators’: Must-see TV
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the major complaints pilots have about television shows depicting aviation is that they often get it wrong. In Hollywood, airplane engines suddenly quit with alarming frequency and pilots attempt to fix the problem by holding the stick full aft until impact.
Don’t you wish for a TV show made for aviators by aviators? Introducing “The Aviators,” a Canadian-based program slated to premiere on Public Broadcasting Stations in Canada and the United States in September. “The show is essentially a magazine show of aviation stories,” explained Anthony Nalli, executive producer. “We like to say that it is for anyone who has ever gazed skywards.”
Producer Anthony Nalli and correspondent Sara Rependa were at Sun 'n Fun hunting for stories for the new television series.
Radio show, forum complement WomenVenture activities
Posted by: | CommentsAdding to the activities scheduled for this year’s WomenVenture at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010 are a daily radio program and an all-new forum. The forum, scheduled for Thursday, July 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., is called, “Aviation Scholarships: Not Just for Kids.” It is intended to brief the aviation community about scholarship opportunities for career enhancement or change and technical training, including flight training offered by the aviation industry.
10,000 miles in an LSA, 10,000 to go
Posted by: | CommentsWith the total distance traveled at nearly 11,000 miles, Michael Combs has piloted his Remos Light Sport Aircraft beyond the halfway point of The Flight for the Human Spirit, designed to inspire people to never give up on their dreams.
At the 79th stop in 19 flying days of a 50-state journey, Combs was greeted by fans and well wishers as he stepped onto a carpet laid out by employees at Showalter Flying Service at the Orlando Executive Airport (ORL) in Florida. They had even created a chalk drawing of the Flight Logo by their entrance.
Less FedEx, more corporate jets
Posted by: | CommentsOfficials at San Jose International Airport (SJC) in California are considering an amendment to the airport’s master plan to nearly double the acreage for general aviation flights, estimating it could add up to $8 million annually, half of which would go to the airport and half to the city’s weakened general fund.
According to a news report at MercuryNews.com, the City Council will decide today whether the airport can make those changes when it is asked to consider amending the airport’s general plan. The story notes that a focus on GA would bring several benefits to the airport, reporting:
Not only do so-called general aviation flights pay to lease space at Mineta San Jose International Airport, but they also pay property taxes. And the smaller, quieter planes can do something big cargo jets can’t do in San Jose: fly between 11:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., when the city’s curfew curbs most major air traffic.
Read the full story here.
