Aircraft

For the first time since it began seven years ago, the annual “migration” of Cirrus owners will not flock to Duluth, Minnesota, but rather to Dayton, Ohio next June 17-20. Curtis Sanford, president of the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association said the group is moving from the place “where two brothers brought a new generation […]

Out of the mouths of babes, seen through the eyes of a child; you’ve heard the clichés that describe the cut-to-the-heart-of-the-matter thought process of children. What, I wondered, would Oshkosh be like this year with a youngster in tow? Would a child’s needs slow me down or would a child’s view take me somewhere I’d […]

At this year’s EAA Airventure, there was just a whiff, or lack thereof, of change in the air, as a small bevy of electric airplanes made an appearance on the AirVenture stage. And there were a few such creatures flying at the show, including the first electric two-seater to go airborne at Oshkosh. The e-plane […]

The hamstrung economy has affected almost all aviation projects, and the developmental single-engine PiperJet is no exception. Piper now plans first deliveries for 2013 – a schedule based partly on available funding, but also on when the company expects the economic recovery to occur. Piper initially announced program delays, then enjoyed a funding infusion from […]

There used to be this guy on late-night television who would promote a home decorating store and would yell, “It ain’t just paint!” Wandering around Wittman Field at Oshkosh during AirVenture, I was reminded once again that, for me, the annual gathering “ain’t just planes!” Sure, on display there were more than 2,500 airplanes of […]

At about 8:25 A.M. on Sept. 3, 2007, Steve Fossett took off from a friend’s ranch, about 60 miles southeast of Reno, Nevada, in a borrowed 1980 Bellanca Super Decathlon. A few minutes later, about nine miles south of the airstrip, an employee of the ranch who knew the airplane well saw the Decathlon fly […]

Someone once told me that aircraft accidents happen every 5,000 hours during a pilot’s flying career. Well, mine came at 6,000 hours rather than 5,000. I have been flying small airplanes and helicopters since I was a teenager. My life has been pretty much the epitome of “will fly for food.” Stints as a police […]

Hawker Beechcraft is in the odd position of having two Hawker jets in its lineup that are many generations apart. The Hawker 4000 is a high-tech, super midsize jet with a carbon-fiber fuselage and the latest in system sophistication. The Hawker 900XP is the newest version of one of the very first business-jet designs. This […]

Jack Benny, the legendary comedian, was asked once about the secret to being funny. Benny looked away to his right. Beat. Benny cupped his chin in his hand. Beat. Benny looked left, and then his eyes ricocheted back to the right. Beat. A small smile. Beat. Then, with explosive exclamation, “Timing!” Very loud. Timing indeed. […]

The year was 1979. I walked into a gray and sterile office below the gates of the relatively new Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Less than a year earlier, President Jimmy Carter had signed the Airline Deregulation Act. Before the ink was dry on the document, Braniff Airlines was already expanding its route system. Before the ink […]