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CAP cadet awarded scholarship

August 24, 2009 by 2 Comments

Col. Edward Phelka, Wing Commander Colorado Civil Air Patrol, Jonnie Berkman (widow to Herb Berkman), Cadet 1st Lt. Skylar Caldwell (16-years-old from Ft. Collins, CO) and Jim Cimiluca, President Colorado Sport International Airshow.

Cadet First Lt. Skylar Caldwell was awarded a $3,000 scholarship from the Berkman Langen Memorial Fund to continue flight training. Caldwell has already soloed, and will continue his training in Colorado Wing CAP aircraft from donated instructor time. His goal is to earn his private certificate with the awarded funds.

Two years ago, long-time Rocky Mountain and Copperstate fly-in announcers Herb Berkman and Terry Langen died in a plane crash following the 2007 Rocky Mountain Fly-In.

In honor of their memory, Colorado Sport International Airshow established the Berkman Langen Memorial Fund to support Civil Air Patrol cadets.

Filed Under: News

Scenes from the Rocky Mountain Fly-In

August 22, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Aircraft, News

FORE! Watch for golf balls on final

August 21, 2009 by Leave a Comment

The Sarasota Herald Tribune reports the “FAA wants driving range near Venice (Florida) airport closed”. It is rather odd to read an airport story from this angle. There is no mention, in the story itself, of restricting operations of the airport in any way. Reporter Terry O’Connor does cite some airport lease questions from the FAA, but the jist of the story is concern that an arrant golf ball from the driving range will end up on the runway.

“Sarasota golfer Robert Downey said he is concerned that losing the driving range may be the beginning of the end for the golf course.”

Read the complete story and comments here.

Filed Under: Airports, News

MarionStar.com: General aviation a crucial driver of local economies

August 21, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Niel Ritchie of Minneapolis, writes in a letter to the editor to the Marion (Ohio) Star that, “Your recent article on stimulus money used for small airports (“Gov’t watchdog questions airport stimulus projects,” 8/11) neglects to mention the overall benefits these small airports provide to small towns and rural communities across the country.”

Read the complete letter, and make a note of it. This is exactly the kind of well-reasoned, and well-written, rebuttal we must have for those times we see the mainstream media “report” on general aviation.

Filed Under: News, Opinion

Allegheny County Airport open for business during G-20 summit

August 21, 2009 by Leave a Comment

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting that the Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, will be open for business during the September 24-25 G-20 summit. Pittsburgh International will also “business as usual, or maybe business as close to usual as possible”.

Filed Under: Airports, News

OthelloOutlook.com: Weaver takes championship with homemade aircraft

August 19, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Gary Weaver holds the plaque he received for taking reserve grand champion at a recent aircraft show in Arlington.

Gary Weaver holds the plaque he received for taking reserve grand champion at a recent aircraft show in Arlington. (OthelloOutlook.com)

The Othello (Washington) Outlook profiled owner/pilot Gary Weaver and his Just Aircraft Highlander. Weaver won reserve grand champion at July’s Arlington Fly-In.

Filed Under: Aircraft, News

Wired.com enamored with electric-powered aircraft

August 18, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Wired.com writer Jason Paur is enamored with electric-powered aircraft. His story starts with

Sometimes history can make you jealous. Imagine what it would have been like, as an aviation buff, to see the Wright brothers fly the Flyer II around Huffman Prairie. Or to stand at Roosevelt Field and watch Charles Lindbergh fade into the eastern sky. Or to have been in the Mojave and heard the boom when Chuck Yeager broke the mythical sound barrier.

We’re at one of those moments right now. No one can say for sure where electric aircraft will take us, but as we watched the first generation of battery-powered airplanes hum across the sky at the AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, we couldn’t help but feel we were witnessing the dawn of a new era in aviation. It felt like one of those moments we’ll look back on with stories that begin, “I remember when…”

Filed Under: Opinion

Aircraft Spruce Receives Platinum Award from Garmin

August 17, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co, received the Platinum Award for achieving the highest sales performance among Garmin International distributors. Aircraft Spruce has received similar awards from Garmin for elite performance over the past ten years, always ranking among the top distributors for Garmin aviation products worldwide.

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co, received the Platinum Award for achieving the highest sales performance among Garmin International distributors. Aircraft Spruce has received similar awards from Garmin for elite performance over the past ten years, always ranking among the top distributors for Garmin aviation products worldwide.

Filed Under: News

The Hudson River Conga Line

August 17, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Submitted by Arthur G. Allen, Commissioner, Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission

Those of us who have flown the so called “VFR Corridor” through the New York Airspace, often looking up at the skyscrapers, have had the flying thrill of a life time. I believe that pilots who have flown the Hudson River at the prescribed altitude know the degree of risk they run. Few places in the world offer the kind of challenge — except maybe the annual Oshkosh fly-in.

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Filed Under: Accidents, Opinion

Reno Air Races to be broadcast live

August 17, 2009 by Leave a Comment

LiveAirShowTV will cover the championship races in all classes, a performance by the United States Navy Blue Angels, other top air show acts and the National Aviation Heritage Invitational competition on Sunday, September 20 at the Reno Air Races.

“We did a live audio stream last year,” says Reno Air Racing Association President/CEO Mike Houghton. “The fans really loved it, but they really wanted to see the live racing action from the World’s Fastest Motor Sport. With the economic challenges many people have this year, we are excited to have found a way for them to see Sunday’s Gold Racing finals live.”
[Read more...]

Filed Under: News