Pilots based at Potomac Airfield (VKX) in Maryland may have their airport open again by Christmas. The Transportation Security Administration closed the airport in early November, after federal officials said it was not complying with security measures adopted for all three airports in the Washington, D.C., Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). Potomac Airfield Manager David […]
‘Fuddy Duddy’ for sale
Looking for an airworthy B-17? “Fuddy Duddy” is up for sale. The yellow-tailed flying fortress, which belongs to the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in Elmira, N.Y., is one of only a dozen airworthy B-17s left in the world. Asking price: $3.5 million. Mike Hall, director of the Discovery Center, notes the decision to put […]
Little Toot graces the skies over Texas
Aerobatic aircraft do not necessarily have macho names like Edge, Eagle or Challenger. In 1957 Texan George Meyer designed a single-seat aerobatic biplane he dubbed Little Toot and flew it to the event we know today as EAA AirVenture. The design was a hit and Meyer came home to Corpus Christi with several awards for […]
Picking up after Katrina
When Hurricane Katrina roared through Mississippi Aug. 29, officials at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT) figured it would take six months to a year for the airport to return to full service. Damage included the loss of the hangar that housed the general aviation FBO, as well as the south end of the airline terminal, which […]
Another fatal Young Eagles creah discovered
The Oct. 15 crash of an airplane participating in a Young Eagles rally in Everett, Wash., was not the first fatal accident tied to the program. According to information obtained from the National Transportation Safety Board, a Grumman American AA-1B crashed in September 1998 during a Young Eagles event in Yoder, Colo., killing the pilot […]
Bobbing for aircraft: The USS Macon exhibit in Monterey
One of the most popular exhibits at the Maritime Museum of Monterey was never intended to go into the ocean. The USS Macon exhibit, which will be on display through December, features the airship that crashed off the California coast in 1934. “It’s a big part of the local history,” notes Tim Thomas, a museum […]
Flying the SparrowHawk
A gyroplane looks like a cross between an airplane and a helicopter. First developed in the 1920s, the gyroplane is one of the oldest forms of aviation technology. However, gyroplanes are not very common in the general aviation world, perhaps because of a reputation for being difficult or dangerous to fly. It’s an undeserved reputation, […]
Sharing more than a love of aviation
Wing walker Teresa Stokes and her business partner and boyfriend, air show pilot Gene Soucy, share more than the love of aviation. They also share a kidney. In 2003 Stokes donated one of her kidneys to Soucy, who was living with a progressive kidney disease. They now tout organ donation during their performances at air […]
The gift of flight: It starts with instructors
Learning to fly is a life-altering experience. While many flight instructors teach as a means to build time for other aviation jobs, there are some who are dedicated to bestowing the gift of flight on others. “If I teach a student, I have taught one person to fly. If I teach a flight instructor, I […]