When you ask the owner of a vintage aircraft why he or she picked that particular model, you’ll likely hear about a family connection. For Don Baggett of Okeechobee, Fla., it was that familial connection that made him chose to become part owner of a Stinson V-77. The other owner is Bill Watkins, but it […]
Talk about your early birds! Woodpecker Tiger Moth arrives months, yes months, before the big show
When you fly a light vintage airplane, you have to factor in lots of extra time when you want to be some place. For Sun ‘n Fun fly-in attendees Tom Dietrich and Steve Gray of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, that extra time meant leaving home several months in advance. You read that right: Months. “We tried […]
WASP airport beacon saved from dumpster
Rotating airport beacons have to be large so they can be seen from the air at a distance. “But you don’t realize how large they are until you get right up close to them. They are HUGE!” said Rich Davidson, co-owner of Lee Bottom Flying Field (64I) in Hanover, Ind. Davidson learned this when he […]
Full leather jacket: it’s much more than a fashion statement
“Why are you wearing that thing?” “That thing” is my leather A-2 flight jacket, the one with all the patches. I wear it all the time, including at Sun ‘n Fun in Florida in April. I have a weakness for flight jackets. When I decided I was going to learn to fly, one of the […]
Russell Shavitz’s 195 proves looks can be deceiving
The “you can’t judge a book by its cover” adage goes for airplanes as well as people. When we spotted a black, orange, gold and yellow Cessna 195 with the image of a black widow spider on it in the vintage display area at this year’s Sun ‘n Fun, General Aviation News photographer Will Jones […]
Airport workers wrangle wallaby
Baggage handlers at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) became animal wranglers, albeit briefly, when a wallaby staged an escape recently. The animal was on its way to a family-owned zoo and animal preserve near Deadwood, South Dakota, when he managed to escape the kennel that held him and a female wallaby. The female wallaby […]
‘Red Tail Reborn’ makes its air show debut at this summer’s AirVenture
The documentary film “Red Tail Reborn,” which tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African Americans to serve as military pilots, has been added to the 2007 AirVenture schedule. Michael Dorn, an actor and accomplished pilot who is known around the world for his portrayal of Commander Worf in the Star Trek franchise, […]
Cessna kicks off 80th anniversary celebration: Pelton provides updates on LSA and NGP
After 80 years in the airplane manufacturing business, the Cessna Aircraft Co. knows a thing or two about aircraft design development. For starters, it’s easier to develop a jet using wind tunnel tests. When it comes to piston-powered airplanes, however, you have to build a proof-of-concept model and get it in the air, says Cessna […]
Fighting fires with the FireBoss
What do you get when you combine an aircraft created specifically for agricultural work and amphibious floats designed specifically for firefighting operations? You get the FireBoss, which may be the most efficient firefighting aircraft in use today, or so says Charlie Wiplinger, director of research and development for FireBoss LLC. “We built the FireBoss based […]