Pilots

The flying Franklins started with Kyle’s grandfather, Oliver Gene “Zip” Franklin, who bought a 1929 Doyle Special at the age of 16. The eldest Franklin mainly used airplanes as farm equipment to fly between two family ranches, and he had his son Jimmy with him in the cockpit while still in diapers before the lad […]

I kept reminding myself, late last summer, that I had to let the editor of Flying‘s back page, Bethany Whitfield, know that the first article I ever wrote for Flying had appeared in the December 1965 issue, and, therefore, would qualify for mention in the “50 Years Ago” slot in the December 2015 issue. Given […]

It was a perfect early summer day in Minnesota, warm and clear with a wisp of breeze, the sort of day that we northern fliers will be dreaming of when the snow flies — right about the time you’re reading this. I relaxed on our back deck, savoring my morning coffee and watching our dog, […]

I’m not proud to say it, but last winter got the best of this northern aviator. The face-numbing cold and monochromatic gloom wore at me until I just couldn’t take it anymore. The breaking point came on a brutally raw January morning as I attempted to preheat and start my Piper Pacer after it sat […]

Space-geeks rejoice! NASA recently released into the public domain a collection of thousands of digital photos from the Apollo era, including a wide collection of spectacular shots from the lunar landings. The collection includes images from Apollo missions 7 through 17. Many of the images have never previously been released. In addition to loads of […]

It’s a deepening mystery that probably will only lead to more questions than answers as we try to get to the bottom of the case of a stolen Piper Cub by an absconder that can only be described as, well, “skinny.” YouTube poster Gizmo brought us the creepy video of Mr. Skeltal, a decent-enough pilot […]

Discovering the wonders of flight can be some of the most memorable experiences, and young Léa Langumier can’t seem to get enough of it. You might remember when we featured a viral video of the four-year-old’s first aerobatic flight with her pilot father, Raphael Langumier, earlier this year. Well, not long after, Léa was already […]

The first part of the flight was peaceable enough. It was just two hours from Savannah, Georgia, to White Plains, New York, with two passengers (one a spry 95 years of age, delightful smile included) and plenty of gas. The weather at the destination was the only wrinkle in the silk fabric of a perfect […]

Have you ever dreamt of doing some real adventure flying, going into remote, special spots that are best accessed by airplane? Now you can follow avid adventure pilot Ramona Cox, known in the aviation community as SkyChick, in a new series of live broadcasts that will launch on Friday. The live broadcasts are free and […]

Grumble, grumble. It was a bad morning around the breakfast table at the Hilton near Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. There were three crews altogether. Two of us pilots were billeted at the nearby Holiday Inn, definitely not to be confused with a ­Ritz-Carlton, and we’d driven over to join the others. It was a […]