In Flight USA Article Categories
In Flight USA Articles
Editorial: Voices from the Past
A Lady, an Airplane, and a Volcano
By Ed Downs
Erva Marche (Courtesy of Ed Downs)The editorials I usually write for In Flight USA frequently spend a lot of words ranting about what is wrong. Let’s take a break. Thanksgiving gave this writer pause to consider the good fortune I have had to spend over half a century in aviation. But, I also remembered my early legal fights with the, then new, FAA and the help given to me by a remarkable lady, Erva Marché, my Grandmother. Her life resembles that of the Kate Winslet character in the movie, Titanic. Erva lived a life of aristocracy, adventure, travel, political intrigue, military service and a successful bid into the Hollywood circles of the 1930s. Her later years were spent as a published writer, newspaper columnist and artist. She was a great fan of flying and joined me on many flights, including serving as a navigator in an air race! She even experienced her own version of “The Titanic” on December 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked.
I stumbled across one of Erva’s several flying adventures (later published in a Los Angeles newspaper) that say much about a long-lost time when fun and adventure inspired a world without fear of rules and lawsuits. Read and enjoy the perspective of a lady, who was already in her 60s when this was written in June, 1950.
Early Adventure In My Luscombe 8A
By Steve Weaver
The early summer twilight was fading by the minute. Darkness was descending like a cloak on the rugged West Virginia landscape that was slipping by a thousand feet below the dangling wheels of the white Luscombe I was flying.
I felt the first stirrings of panic rising in my chest as the seriousness of my situation dawned on me and I stared frantically down at the lights of cars moving on the now invisible roads below. Inside them I knew were ordinary people, safely making their way home along familiar highways, following the bright beams of their headlights to the warmth of family and the comforts of hearth and supper. I wanted to be with them. I wanted out of this devil machine that was carrying me to my apparent doom. I wanted my mom.
It was June of 1962. The week before I had not only soloed the Piper Colt trainer at the old airpark where I was learning to fly, I’d bought a perky little Luscombe 8A the following day and checked out in it too. At that point I’d logged about nine total hours in the air, I’d soloed two machines and made one of them mine. My flying career was right on track.
Aviation Nation Nellis Air Show 2011
Nellis AF Base Celebrates 70 Years of Service
Text and Images By Joe Gonzalez
The presentation of colors for the National Anthem during the opening ceremonies.The day’s questionable weather cleared giving way to perfect sunshine. On November 12 and 13, the very large and well-mannered crowds at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB) enjoyed all the static displays, stopped by vendors of goods and services and, of course, watched the flying demonstrations, which were topped off by the USAF Thunderbirds who gave their last performance for the 2011 season.
History of Nellis AFB
The ultra modern Nellis AFB started from humble beginnings, known in the early years as the Las Vegas Army Air Corps Gunnery School. The mission of training aerial gunners for combat duty was primary. Rocky hills – about six miles from the base – offered a natural backdrop for cannon and machine gun firing. Dry lake beds offered an emergency landing location as needed. Supply and logistics had not yet been organized leaving mechanics to borrow parts as needed. Fuel came from the Civilian Conservation Corps. Construction of permanent base facilities began in 1941, including barracks to house about 3,000 personnel.
At NBAA2011, Government, Business Leaders Highlight Business Aviation Value
“Every state benefits from general aviation,” Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) told the Attendees gathered for the NBAA2011 Opening General Session on October 10. “This industry provides 1.2 million manufacturing and service jobs.”
The senator’s message was delivered by each of the policymakers and businesspeople sharing the stage in Las Vegas with NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. Their work – whether it’s creating jobs, considering safety or other policies, growing a multinational company or providing humanitarian relief – would be impossible without business aviation.
“We the People” Petition Signers Urge White House to Reopen NASA Shuttle Decision, Land Enterprise at the Birthplace of Aviation
Online signature campaign rockets past 5,000 needed by end of month deadline – taxpayers seeking fairness and accountability in new process
In less than a month’s time, over 5,000 citizens and taxpayers signed an electronic petition posted on a White House website asking that the administration press NASA to reconsider its position on locations for the retired shuttles, specifically requesting the shuttle Enterprise be sent to Dayton for more appropriate display and better public access. The White House “We the People” petition site required a minimum of 5,000 signatures be logged online by an October 30th deadline in order for the issue to be considered by White House staff and, presumably, President Obama. As of 3:00 PM Eastern Time, October 24th, well over 5,000 had signed the petition and numbers continued to grow as the petition remained active until the Sunday October 30th deadline.
Cessna Citation CJ2+ Gains World Speed Record
By Every Yardstick, NBAA2011 an Outstanding Success
As the third and final day of NBAA’s 64th Annual Meeting & Convention (NBAA2011) drew to a close, National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Ed Bolen thanked Exhibitors and Attendees for what he called “a highly successful show.”
“What we are seeing is that the show is providing real value to the business aviation community, even in these challenging economic times,” Bolen said. “It’s clear that the Convention continues to be a must-attend event for anyone whose passion or profession involves business aviation.”
The Boeing Bee
By Paul Tannahill
Since restoration began on the aircraft in 1991, the Museum of Flights rare B-17F “Boeing Bee,” has been for the most part, inaccessible to the general public, largely viewable only by special appointment. (Paul Tannahill)One of the most iconic aircraft of WWII is the B-17. And nowhere is this sentiment more true than in the birthplace of Boeing, Seattle, Wash. After years hidden from public view, the Museum of Flight’s rare B-17F Boeing Bee has emerged from the shadows and has gone on display following an intensive restoration by museum volunteers.
Constructed by the Boeing Airplane Company in their Plant II facility at Boeing Field in Seattle, Wash., B-17F-70-BO s/n 42-29782, was accepted by the Army Air Force on Feb. 13, 1943. The aircraft was immediately flown to a modification center operated by United Airlines at Cheyenne, Wyo.
2011 CAF Airshow
By Joe Gonzalez
The Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (AKA the Warthog) prepares for landing. (Joe Gonzalez)The annual Commemorative Air Force Airsho was almost cancelled! The amount of liquid sun (rain) on Sat., Oct. 8 was more than the last years total! The weather-god must have heard the frustration and comments of the many pilots, the audience, the vendors, and the many CAF members in attendance. At noon, the scheduled time for the opening ceremony, the weather took a change for the better!
The Pearl Harbor reenactment, Tora, Tora, Tora, is always a crowd pleaser, and this year had more Tora aircraft than have been seen for several years. Some of the show’s other highlights included the American Volunteer Group (The Flying Tigers) and the opportunity to see the new Texan II trainer that is now coming into use by the US military.
Vintage Beechcraft Staggerwing Restoration
By Rebecca Reeb
(Tom Carter)In a small, unassuming hangar at French Valley Airport in Temecula, Calif., a group of four people ministrate to Beechcraft Staggerwings. Currently there are two Beeches awaiting the final completion of work items. One airplane had not flown in more than ten years so there has been plenty to do, over and above the normal items for that particular airplane. At 7:30 a.m. every day the folks at Staggerwing Aviation plan out what will be next for their workday and the boss will make sure that parts are ordered. Keeping the supply line working means things will get done without any real lapses in time or lost man-hours.
A New Biography for Young Readers: The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont
By S. Mark Rhodes
Santos-Dumont helped make aviation into a spectator sport in the early 20th century (Abrams)Alberto Santos-Dumont is the most influential early aviation pioneer you (probably) never heard of; equally urbane and enigmatic, Santos-Dumont lived like a character out of a Jules Verne novel, taking his flying machines out to shop, have coffee (with his good friend Louis Cartier with whom he helped develop one of the first popular wristwatches) or for a quick trip around the Eiffel Tower.
Santos-Dumont’s charming, full life and contributions to aviation are well chronicled in Victoria Griffith’s The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont (Abrams Books for Young Readers). Ms. Griffith was nice enough to correspond with In Flight USA’s Mark Rhodes about (among other things) her book, Santos-Dumont’s life and times, the illustrations of her artist collaborator Eva Montanari and whether Santos-Dumont would have been good company.
Growing up in West Virginia
By Steve Weaver
It’s a really neat thing to spend your life living where you grew up. One reason this is true is, you are constantly seeing things around you that remind you of earlier times in your life. The other day something I saw reminded me of my early fascination with things that flew. As I thought of how I was then, I wondered if there could exist in our modern world, a child with the intensity of yearning for the sky that I had when I was young. I recall a passion for the air that I can only describe as blood lust for the sky and the machines that went there. I was wild to see an airplane on the ground; one I could touch and look inside and inspect from all angles as I walked around it.
But such a thing was impossible, because I lived far out in the country and my family had no car, so I was without means to visit an airport and get close to an airplane. I remember that my young dreams frequently starred airplanes that had crashed near my home. Strangely and far from being ghoulish, these dreams featured no broken people or bloody pilots, but rather they were about airplanes that had simply come to earth, seemingly with no people involved. Later I realized my subconscious mind knew that if I was going to get close to an airplane, this was the only way it could happen.
Learn to Beat the Hazards of Winter Flying
By Alan Smith
When summer and fall have passed and the hard cold of winter has set in we have to be careful in setting up our airplanes for safe operation. Fuel, oil and flying surfaces need special care and preflight preparation will take a lot longer than it did in the days of warm sunshine. Flying through winter skies, whether gray or blue, also needs special care as cold temperatures get colder with altitude.
On preflight being careful with your fuel is important. Never park your airplane with partial or fully empty tanks. We all know that on a cool summer night condensation will occur in partially full tanks, but, in winter, you could have ice in the tanks that would not show up in a cursory drain check in preflight inspection. Drain each tank separately by at least a quart into a transparent container and look for any solid contamination along with water. In winter, storage tanks, even those underground, can acquire rust. Fuel delivery from them drops off during the cold season and the reduction of underground temperatures can cause a slight shrinkage in metal storage facilities and let internal surface corrosion work into stored fuel. These tanks can also acquire water through condensation.
Key Congressional Leaders Join Together to Oppose User Fees
In early October, a total of 134 members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed letters to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction (“Super Committee”) and to House and Senate leadership expressing strong opposition to the Obama administration’s proposal to impose a $100-per-flight fee as part of its deficit reducing package. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and its member companies played a very active role in building support for both of these efforts.
Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO) and John Barrow (D-GA), co-chairs of the House General Aviation Caucus, authored a letter describing how detrimental user fees would be to the recovery and health of the general aviation (GA) industry. “General aviation user fees have been proposed several times by different Administrations, both Republican and Democrat. The U.S. House of Representatives has repeatedly and overwhelmingly opposed them,” the GA Caucus declared. “We support the current system of aviation excise taxes, which are a stable, efficient, and equitable source of funding. Per flight user fees have crippled the general aviation industry in other countries and we are concerned about the ramifications such fees would have in the U.S.”
ICAS Sets Tentative Convention Schedule
Smack In The Middle of a Thunderstorm
By Steve Weaver
I crouched miserably behind the instrument panel of the shuddering, heaving Aztec, listening to what sounded like a million BBs being shot against my windshield. I was reviewing my options as well as my sins, and I took what comfort I could from an observation that I remembered by someone who had been there; that when you’re really flying in hail, you won’t wonder if that’s what it is. I was still wondering, so this must still be rain. But rain like this I’d never seen. This was like being inside a garbage can that was being shot with fire hoses. I wondered how the engines could continue to run, since they seemed to be under water. Lightning was streaking on each side of me and almost at the same time the deafening crash of the thunder would for an instant, block the noise of the rain and even the engines. I was smack in the middle of a thunderstorm and I was not a happy young aviator.
Win A Luscombe
GAMA: User Fee Opposition
Reno 2011: Our Coverage
NTSB Premilinary Report
NTSB Identification: WPR11MA454
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, September 16, 2011 in Reno, Nev.
Aircraft: NORTH AMERICAN/AERO CLASSICS P-51D, registration: N79111
Injuries: 11 Fatal, 66 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.