John Chirtea submitted this photo and note: “Pilots Heather and John Chirtea are a father and daughter team and one of five private owners in the country flying the BlackFly eVTOL. They fly it regularly out of their backyard without requiring a runway or a road. This flying car is being developed by Pivotal Aero in Palo Alto, California.”
Pilots
Carb heat for better or worse
Carburetor heat is a gift from the engineers who created it. Without carb heat I would have disappeared into the woodlands of New England, or Florida, or somewhere in between long ago. That simple knob on the panel of my Cessna has revived my ailing engine on more than one occasion.
Non-profit donates $50,000 to high school plane-building project
Friends of Farmington, a non-profit organization in Farmington, New Hampshire, recently raised more than $50,000 in partnership with the new Lilac Club Casino in Rochester, N.H., for a new student plane-building program at Farmington High School.
Textron Aviation opens Career and Learning Center
The new facility features a simulated manufacturing floor to prepare newly hired mechanics with hands-on experience, as well as a dedicated space for students from K-12 to spark interest in aviation as a career.
Air show star Rob Holland dies in aircraft accident
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I am sharing that Rob Holland lost his life today, 24 April 2025, in an accident at Langley AFB, VA. The cause of the crash is not known at this time, and is under investigation by the FAA, NTSB, and DOD.”
Training flight on wrong frequency rattles nerves
Later in the day we found that our radio silence had rattled nerves and caused problems for the flight school. We spoke to the flight school manager and offered our apologies for causing a disruption.
Picture of the Day: Flying off into the sunset
Pete Mapes submitted this photo and note: “An 18-year-old woman finishes her check ride at Carroll County Regional Airport/Jack B Poage Field (KDMW) in Westminster, Maryland, on Jan. 15, 2025, and takes off — into the sun — to return the 1953 TriPacer she borrowed for her training. Two months later, she was appointed to the United States Air Force Academy. Photo taken from the #2 aircraft, a 1964 Mooney Master.”
Hawk One Canada was an air show stunner
Through the 1970s, air shows in the Northwest U.S. and across the border in British Columbia could count on a roaring, rousing opener performed by McDonnell F-101 Voodoo interceptors.
Beaded MiG-21 premieres at Museum of Flight
South African artist Ralph Ziman took five years to transform a decommissioned Cold War era, Soviet-designed MiG-21 fighter jet into a stunning work of art, entirely covered in tens of millions of colorful glass beads, according to museum officials.