Three aviation companies and the Experimental Aircraft Association have joined forces to help orphaned Kitfox customers obtain engines for their airplanes. When SkyStar Aircraft Corp. declared bankruptcy last month, it left dozens of Kitfox builders in the lurch who had paid for, but not received, their Rotax engines. As unsecured creditors, their chances of receiving […]
Cub vs. Cub
The Light Sport Aircraft movement has gone from the airport to the courtroom as CubCrafters has filed a lawsuit against American Legend Aircraft Co. over its Cub-inspired design, the Legend Cub. The lawsuit was filed in a Texas federal court to stop Sulphur Springs, Texas-based American Legend Aircraft Co. from using the names “Cub” and […]
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 […]
Potomac Airfield closed for alleged security violations
November began on a sour note for pilots at Potomac Airfield (VKX). The Transportation Security Administration issued a letter informing the airport that its security program has been suspended. Simply stated, the airport is closed. The Maryland airport had been notified recently – and repeatedly, according to Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta – about its […]
Order in the court: Are lawsuits — frivolous or otherwise — to blame for the high cost of flying?
A small airplane crashes in a thunderstorm. The passengers who survive the crash sue the pilot’s estate for negligence. The pilot’s family files a lawsuit against the FAA, the National Weather Service and the FBO claiming the weather briefing the pilot got from the FBO and Flight Service was not accurate as to the severity […]
Cessna 190: A classic from the day it rolled off the assembly line
“A classic from the day it rolled off the assembly line.” That’s how owners of Cessna 190s and 195s describe their machines. The cantilevered, high-wing, round-cowled airplanes were among the first to be mass-produced as America shifted back to a peacetime economy after World War II, yet because they evolved from the 1930s AirMaster, the […]
Daley to dig up the dead
How would you feel if your city government wanted to dig up and relocate the graves of your loved ones to expand an airport? The congregation of St. John’s Church of Christ in Chicago is taking a dim view of the idea. The church has gone to court to keep O’Hare International Airport (ORD) from […]
Repairs continue at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Although the airport has been open for commercial operations more than a month, officials say it will take years to repair the damage done by Hurricane Katrina at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). “The airport still has a lot of repairs to do,” notes Michelle Duffourc, public relations manager. “Everything has been made […]
‘Dago Red’ still for sale
Although more than 40 people put in bids when “Dago Red,” the word’s fastest P-51 Mustang, was auctioned on eBay, no one wanted it enough to meet the $1.5 million reserve price. The plane, a perennial favorite on the air race circuit, was put up for auction Oct. 10. Bids were accepted for 10 days. […]