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In Flight USA Articles
GAMA Convenes Rotorcraft Safety and Certification Forum
From Skies to Stars - April 2013
The Comet Cometh
By Ed Downs
First a meteor smacks into Russia, and then, just a few days later, we get a close flyby of a good sized asteroid. In cosmic terms, that asteroid came close enough to give “doomsday preppers” reason to celebrate their decisions. It was close. But it is not all scary news. Astronomers who work with visible light, versus those light bands that can be seen only through the use of special instrumentation, have something to celebrate. It seems as though the summit of Haleakala on the Hawaiian island of Maui, at 10,000 feet above sea level, now sports a telescopic array that promises to be the most powerful survey telescope ever built. “Survey” means a telescope that specifically looks for things, all sorts of things, which may be heading our way. It’s called Pan-STARRS, short for Panchromatic Survey Telescope And Rapid Response System. And is the first of a four telescopes array planned.
Destin Jet, Legendary Marine Launch 2013 Props, Wings & Wheels Event
Half Moon Bay’s Awe-Inspiring Festival of Magnificent Machines
CAP’s World War II Volunteers May be Recognized for Their Service
Civilian volunteers who served during World War II may soon be recognized for their service with the Congressional Gold Medal.
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, has introduced S. 309 and U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, has introduced H.R. 755 in the 113th Congress to honor the founding members of Civil Air Patrol who used their own aircraft to conduct combat operations and other emergency missions during World War II. The Senate bill has three co-sponsors – Sens. Mark Begich, D-
Alaska; Thad Cochran, R-Miss.; and Ron Wyden, D-Ore. The House bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.
During the war roughly 60,000 civilians – men and women 18- to 81-years-old – were CAP members. Their war service was extraordinary in scope, especially since it involved civilian volunteers conducting combat operations in their own aircraft.
Educator Teams Fly on NASA's Sofia Airborne Observatory
Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (from left) Constance Gartner, Vince Washington, Ira Hardin and Chelen Johnson at the educators’ work station aboard the SOFIA observatory during a flight on the night of Feb. 12-13, 2013. (NASA / SETI Institute / Pam Harman)The first four Airborne Astronomy Ambassador (AAA) educators returned safely to Earth at Palmdale, Calif., early in the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, after completing their initial flight on NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA.
That flight launched the AAA program’s first full year of operations, during which 26 educators from classrooms and science centers across the United States will fly on the SOFIA as partners with scientists conducting astronomy research using the airborne observatory.
On board for the Feb. 12-13 flight were ambassadors Constance Gartner of the Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delavan, Wisc.; Chelen Johnson from the Breck School in Golden Valley, Minn.; Ira Harden and Vincente Washington, both from City Honors College Preparatory Charter School in Inglewood, Calif. The astronomers on the flight included Juergen Wolf and Doerte Mehlert of the German SOFIA Institute in Stuttgart, Germany and Ted Dunham of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Record Holding Albatross Retires to Hiller Aviation Museum
By Herb Foreman
The Grumman Albatross on the runway at the Hiller Aviation Museum. (Hiller Aviation Museum)Reid Dennis, venture capitalist and charter jet operator has donated his beautiful Grumman Albatross to the Hiller Aviation Museum at the San Carlos (Calif.) Airport. The Albatross will be a significant addition to this already wonderful display of aircraft. I’m certain if Stan Hiller were still alive today, he would have a very wide smile on his face.
Reid was born in the San Francisco Bay area and grew up watching the Pan American Clipper Ships flying from their port at Treasure Island to Hawaii and other destinations throughout the world. They must have had a profound effect on the young man as he grew to manhood.
From Skies to Stars - March 2013
It Ain’t Over Yet
By Ed Downs
Yes, February was a real “high five” for both amateur and professional astronomers. Astronomy, often thought of as a “geek” profession (or hobby) by the multitudes who would rather watch late night television as opposed to freezing their tushies off while stooped over a telescope, may reconsider their opinions. Clearly, astronomy is a participative sport that involves loud noises, close calls, frightening damage and reflection upon the many science fiction movies dealing with annihilation by giant meteors, comets or asteroids. And it ain’t over yet!
February started out with excitement as the world waited for the fly-by of asteroid 2012DA14. With a diameter of approximately 160 feet (such objects are seldom spherical); 2012DA14 was expected to pass within 18,000 miles of earth, truly a “near miss,” being inside the orbit of a number of communication satellites. Then, just 16 hours before this asteroid was to buzz our planet, a 10,000 ton meteorite, 55 feet across, ripped into the Earth’s atmosphere over Russia, moving at 44,000 mph. To put that in perspective, moving at that speed one could fly from New York to LA in 4 minutes or cover the distance from the Moon to Earth in about 5.3 hours – our astronauts took 3.5 days to do the same. It exploded 12 to 15 miles above the surface of the earth, creating an air burst of 500 kilotons of TNT (30 times larger than the Hiroshima A-bomb). More than 1,000 people were injured from shattered glass and other debris over a 30-mile radius. This writer was just gearing up to watch the 2012DA14 fly-by when we received a firm reminder that “we are not alone in space.”
"Lessons from the Cockpit"
An Exerpt from Selfish Altruism by Moe Glenner
In Flight USA is sharing Moe Glenner’s five behaviors that pilots should avoid as an excerpt from his book, Selfish Altruism. These five lessons from the cockpit will run as a five-part series. Read on for the first installment, Behavior #1, Anti-Authority.
As an instrument rated pilot, I draw many parallels between aviation related themes and the chains of change. Most successful pilots are highly goal and mission oriented. While this seems to be a requirement, it also has pitfalls. Some of these pitfalls have been at the root of serious aviation accidents and incidents. There are five notable behaviors that pilots are especially susceptible to, that left unchecked can have serious consequences. These behaviors are not exclusive to pilots and are actually present amongst all of us, regardless of occupation.
Editorial: It Must be February...Again!
By Ed Downs
I doubt there is a single reader who has not heard about the impending “sequester,” the sword being held over the heads of every citizen by both our executive and legislative branches of government as a means of gaining the “sound bite” upper hand on America’s ailing economy. Regrettably, this writer has yet to see a “sound bite” solve problems.
Museum of Fine Arts in Boston Showcases Vintage Aviation Art and Advertising in Lauder Postcard Exhibit
By S. Mark Rhodes
The Airplane at Tokorozaw, No. 5 (from an unidentified series) - Artist Unknown, Japanese. Leonard A. Lauder Collection of Japanese Postcards. (Photograph Copyright Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)The venerable Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is in the midst of an exhibition called The Postcard Age: Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection. This collection features about 400 postcards from a plethora of artists and designers both in Europe in the Americas. The exhibit is organized by themes, such as “Style,” “About Town” and “Women,” as well as sections showcasing post card images featuring “Power, Speed and Flight.”
Embry-Riddle Hosts Historic FAA-Industry Rule-Making Meetings
Group Streamlining Process Used for Certifying New and Modifying Existing Aircraft
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University was the host of two meetings, from Jan. 8-11, of the Federal Aviation Administration FAR Part 23 Aviation Rule Making Committee (ARC) and the ASTM International F44 group charged with developing recommendations that would significantly change aircraft certification regulations for most general aviation aircraft. FAR Part 23 covers aircraft under 19,000 pounds, from simple, piston-powered airplanes to highly complex twin-engine jets.
Members of ARC include representatives of most major airframe and aircraft equipment manufacturers as well as aviation regulators from Brazil, Canada, China, Europe and New Zealand.
The ARC committee has worked since November 2011 to develop performance-based regulations that will be readily adaptable to new technology. The committee aims to enhance safety and encourage innovation by streamlining the process for certifying new technologies, while also lowering the costs of developing new products. It is expected to have final recommendations ready for the FAA to consider later this year.
Third Anniversary of the 2010 Haiti Airlift
Three years ago this February General Aviation woke up in a chilly morning to an unprecedented challenge – the aftermath of the 2010, magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Haiti. Like never before or ever since, GA spontaneously morphed into an
Long Island's Parrish Art Museum Features Works by Malcom Morley Heavily Influenced by Aviation
By S. Mark Rhodes
Flight of Icarus (1995) - Collection Timothy EgertLong Island’s venerable Parrish Art Museum has recently opened in a striking new location on the Island’s East end and it’s inaugural exhibit features the work of renowned, British-born artist Malcom Morley. This is particularly fitting since Mr. Morley has lived and worked on Long Island for almost 30 years.
Mr. Morley’s work in this particular exhibit (titled “Malcom Morley: Painting, Paper, Process”) includes almost 50 works of Mr. Morley’s art covering roughly the last 30 years of his work. This exhibit is heavily influenced by Mr. Morley’s memories of growing up in wartime Britain and going through the Blitz.
Fantasy of Flight’s Legends & Legacies Symposium Series
Aviation Photography of Bill Larkins During the 1940s
In In Flight USA’s December 2012 issue, the start of Bill Larkins’ eight-decade photography career was illustrated by the 1938 shot of a Grumman F3F US Navy/Marine biplane fighter parked at the Oakland Airport. Bill was about 16-years old when he took the photo.
Editorial: Sharing Airspace with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s)
By Ed Downs
First, the title of this editorial is technically wrong. While many (if not all) readers will recognize the acronym UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), with the immediate image of the lethal “Predator” coming to mind, such an image and use of the term “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle” simply demonstrates the same level of misunderstanding that was held by this writer – more on the acronym later. Fortunately, receipt of a NASA news release and a conversation with the pros at NASA came to my rescue.
But let’s go back to the beginning of this subject and take a look at why it attracted this writer’s attention. As a part time instructor for the well-known aviation school, Aviation Seminars (an immersion training organization that conducts weekend programs around the country), I am privileged to teach Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics (FIRCs). A Certified Flight Instructor must attend a FIRC every 24 months, often not a terribly fun experience, as the same material is often covered time and time again. The last FIRC I taught was different, having been updated to include a good deal of new material and visual aids. One of the key topics covered has to do with “pilot deviations,” or what most pilots refer to as mid-air collision and runway incursion avoidance. A new subject in this presentation deals with the increased use of “UAVs” in the National Airspace System. Basically, this two-slide subject suggests “heads up and watch out!” The presentation includes an actual video taken from a UAV operating in Afghanistan as it whizzes past an A-300 Airbus with less than 50 feet to spare. But that is the end of the presentation. No further discussion is included about what is really going on with UAV’s here in the States.