Roger Starr’s Fairchild is the reason he gets up in the morning There are some airplanes that you don’t acquire and fly — you have a relationship with them. That’s how Roger Starr of Canby, Oregon, describes his “ownership” of his 1946 Fairchild 24W-46. “With the exception of my wife, it’s the reason I get […]
Aviation News
Solo times two at Sporty’s Academy
Two brothers, each enrolled in the University of Cincinnati’s Professional Pilot program, soloed within one hour of each other at Sporty’s Academy last week. Brothers Will and Andrew Gilliland each soloed in Cessna 172 Skyhawks. The brothers are both first year students in the University of Cincinnati’s Aviation Technology: Professional Pilot Training Program. The flight […]
Microsoft embraces LSAs
Microsoft recently announced the return of Flight Simulator, once one of the best-selling games on computers. Well, in truth, it’s no longer called Flight Simulator, rather simply “Flight.” In 2009 Microsoft abruptly dropped Flight Sim, leaving only the techy X-Plane for digital joystick jockeys. It’s way above my pay grade to understand why the Microsoft […]
Fracking, Bakken, Marcellus and GA
Some of the best energy news in recent years is the discovery of massive oil and gas reserves in the Bakken and Marcellus fields, among others. Thanks to advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking), deposits once thought unprofitable have now created an economic boom in Montana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and other places where […]
Residential Through The Fence protection in FAA bill
After three and a half years of hard work by many Residential Through The Fence (rTTF) advocates, H.R. 658, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act containing language preserving rTTF, has passed the House and Senate and sent to President Obama for his expected signature. RTTF access is defined as homes with attached […]
AOPA boss warns House committee of threats to GPS
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Craig Fuller offered recommendations on new protections needed to preserve GPS’s critical role in the national airspace system in testimony today before a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s aviation subcommittee hearing. Fuller noted that pilots rely on satellite-based systems for everything from en route navigation to precision approaches. “Just […]
Tuskegee Airmen to visit Fantasy of Flight
Fantasy of Flight is celebrating National Black History month this month by kicking off its Fourth Annual Legends & Legacies Symposium Series with a visit from famed World War II heroes, the Tuskegee Airmen, as well as a student essay contest honoring the aviators’ leadership, excellence, advocacy and determination (LEAD). During this three-day limited engagement […]
New book captures the history of Louisiana aviation
With more than 20 years of experience in the aviation industry, pilot and freelance writer Vincent P. Caire chronicles Louisiana’s history of flight in nearly 200 vintage and contemporary photographs, many never-before published. Photos of early aviation pioneer John Moisant, air racing champion General James Doolittle, barnstormer Roscoe Turner, aircraft designer James Wedell, and founder […]
IMC Clubs begins new weekly Internet radio program
In addition to its “Plane Talk” on IMC Radio, IMC Club has opened another broadcast channel: IMC Radio 5. IMC Radio 5, designed as a weekly platform for leaders in general aviation, began its first weekly episode on Feb. 7 with Jason Blair, executive director of the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI). The weekly […]