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Pacific Coast Dream Machines
Returning to the Half Moon Bay Airport for the 24th consecutive year, the Pacific Coast Dream Machines event saw record attendance this year.
By Michael Mainiero
(Michael Mainiero)For those not familiar, the event is a unique grouping of 2,000-plus machines from the 20th and 21st centuries that can fly, drive, putt around or just look cool! Dream Machines is an uncommon event due to the sheer size of the display. The combination of cars, vintage tractors, old military equipment, motorcycles and aircraft provides something for everyone, and there were plenty of attractions for the kids as well! From turbine-powered cars to vintage fighter aircraft, the world’s coolest cars and planes from every era and style drew people from hundreds of miles away. Model-T fire engines, vintage buses, custom motorcycles, tricked out trucks, super sleek streamliners, one-of-a-kind antique engines and tractors were displayed prominently around the airport
Marin Greek Festival
Let's Do Lunch -- Greek Style -- Friday, May 23rd
Food of the Gods - Fruit of the Vine on Friday night, May 23rd
Statement from the Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show
Contrails: The Winter of Our Contentment
By Steve Weaver
Morro Bay, California. (Steve Weaver)’m having the same problem with time that you often hear older people complaining about. It seems to pass faster each year than it did the year before, and about a dozen times faster than it did when I was in school. Then, a school year stretched ahead like a life sentence and once winter arrived it seemed that it probably wouldn’t leave until I had passed away from old age, still seated obediently at my desk.
Now I’m looking at the end of my six-month sojourn in California and in terms of elapsed time, it seems as if I arrived from West Virginia only a month or so ago, and that I should still be settling in for a pleasant winter on the Central Coast.
My Scary Event in Cow Country
By Charlie Briggs
It all started out very routine. The plane was a new model 150 hp, Mooney Mark 20 with less than 100 hours TT. The trip was for buying cattle. The weather was clear and calm. The route was direct from Amarillo, Texas’ Tradewind Airport to a ranch just south of Springer, N.M. on the east slope of the Rockies. Springer is on Highway 56 and approximately 90 miles west of Clayton, N.M. This route was to play a role in this event.
Landing on a smooth, grassy pasture near the ranch headquarters, I was met by the rancher. We spent the day looking at various sets of cattle. As evening drew near, nothing would do but “stay for a steak.” After an evening of exchanging “cow country tales” it was time to get home.
The Smithsonian Book of Air & Space Trivia is a Godsend for the Aviation and Space Travel Buff
By Mark Rhodes
What was the world’s first military airplane? (Smithsonian Air and Space Museum)Serious space history and aviation geeks are not an easy group to stump. However, with The Smithsonian Book of Air & Space Trivia (www.smithsonianbooks.com) there will be ample opportunity for even the most sophisticated and well-read space and aviation buffs to be challenged. This concise but thoroughly researched volume covers a wide range with categories such as pioneers of aviation, commercial flight, aviation and space travel in popular culture, female aviation, military aviation and controversies in aviation history and lore.
What’s Next for Me and My Pilot Certificate? Take it to the Next Level!
By Jerod Flohr
The Great Lakes with the San Francisco skyline in the background. (Max G Aviation)Do you ever find yourself bored with your pilot certificate? Take it to the “next level,” that’s what I always say. But what do I mean?
It has been a couple of years since I’ve written an article for In Flight USA but some of you may remember my articles about chasing and achieving my dreams of being an airshow pilot. If you do not remember the articles, the journey was long and difficult, but with the help of many mentors and friends, paired with a relentless pursuit, I was able to obtain my 500-foot waiver from Wayne Handley and fly airshows – even my hometown show!
I am now one of the founders of Max G Aviation, a new and exciting flight club that focuses only on what I call, “the fun stuff.” I say this because the fun stuff can be a solution to finding the “next level.” This is obviously a generic saying but I find myself saying it most to private pilots who have had a few too many “$100 hamburgers” and are wondering what’s next. The most common response someone gives to these people has to do with pursuing another rating, mainly an instrument rating. I am never one to suggest against someone getting an instrument rating – I highly recommend it even for the pilot who claims they never intend to fly in IMC (for obvious reasons that could be covered in its own article). But the fact of the matter is, people want to know what they can do with the certificate they already hold – and there are all kinds of options! Let’s discuss.
122nd Fighter Wing
The Indiana National Guard 122nd Fighter Wing will replace their current A-10 “Thunderbolts II for the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The Indiana unit will receive 18 F-16s. (Mike Heilman)The Air Force has announced that the 122nd Fighter Wing, Fort Wayne Air National Guard Base was selected to receive 18, F-16, Block 40 Fighting Falcons to replace the A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft they currently fly and maintain. The Pentagon’s proposed March 4 budget for 2015 includes cutting the A-10, leaving the F-16 as its replacement. The 122nd Fighter Wing previously flew the F-16 at Fort Wayne from 1991 until 2010 when replaced by the A-10C.
Returning to the F-16 allows the 122nd to remain in fighters until the unit can vie for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Col. David Augustine, 122nd Fighter Wing Commander, said, “Our strategic goal remains to bring the JSF to Fort Wayne. Although we’ll hate to see our A-10s depart, this is the right mission at the right time to bridge us to the Joint Strike Fighter! Our rich history in the F-16 will once again return.”
Skies to Stars: Moon Walk
By Ed Downs
To be Sure, this writer is a geek, and nothing churns my mind as much as does the thought to taking a walk on the moon. Well, NASA is now making that possible, or at least nearly so. Many readers may not know that the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been circling the moon, taking pictures at a rate that even Google would envy. And, as a taxpayer entity, NASA is making these photos available to the general public, at a resolution that can place one nearly on the surface. The following NASA News Release contains the detail of this interactive adventure and we at In Flight USA invite you to take the cross country of a life time and visit our nearest celestial neighbor at http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/gigapan. Enjoy the trip!
NASA Releases First Interactive Mosaic of Lunar North Pole
Spectacular LROC Northern Polar Mosaic (LNPM) allows exploration from 60ªN up to the pole at the astounding pixel scale of two meters. (NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)Scientists, using cameras aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), have created the largest high-resolution mosaic of our moon’s north polar region. The six-and-a-half feet (two-meters)-per-pixel images cover an area equal to more than one-quarter of the United States.
Web viewers can zoom in and out, and pan around an area. Constructed from 10,581 pictures, the mosaic provides enough detail to see textures and subtle shading of the lunar terrain. Consistent lighting throughout the images makes it easy to compare different regions.
Editorial: Where The Heck Are We?
By Ed Downs
As is often the case, this month’s editorial thoughts were triggered by a press release. In many instances, press releases and/or news announcements offer current information that requires further investigation or thought. In this case, the press release was sent by one of In Flight USA’s premier advertisers, DuraCharts. The details of this release are in this issue, but what caught my attention was the announcement that sectional chart subscriptions are no longer available from the FAA.
Okay, not a big deal you may think? After all, with modern electronic flight bags, cell phone apps and advanced aircraft technology, the old concept of messing around with a big piece of paper in the cockpit seems incredibly old fashioned. But there is a “rest of the story” to be told about this announcement from the FAA.
Win the Flight of a Lifetime! Fly Stallion 51's P-51Mustang "Crazy Horse"
Support Angel Flight West
Larry Whitesitt Receives Master Pilot Award
Zenith Aircraft Ships 10,000th Set of Plans
Zenith Aircraft has sold over 10,000 sets of plans and shipped them out to over 50 countries.Zenith Aircraft Company has now shipped 10,000 sets of plans to aircraft builders in more than 50 countries. Most sets of plans are sent with complete or partial aircraft kits, though some go to builders who prefer to scratch-build the aircraft.
Over the past four decades, prolific aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz has developed a dozen aircraft designs. Today, Zenith Aircraft Company markets kits for four of Chris Heintz’ most popular and versatile concepts: the original STOL CH 701 Sky Jeep, the STOL CH 750, the CH 750 Cruzer, and the low-wing CH 650. Additional Heintz designs are built and sold by Zenith’s sister company: Zenair Ltd, in Canada.
Angels' C.J. Wilson gets Wild Aerobatic Plane Ride with Kirby Chambliss
Father, Son Team Up for Exercise Airdrop
By Master Sgt. Scott Thompson
182nd Airlift Wing (Published in In Flight USA by permission of Air Force Public Relations)
Master Sgt. Chuck Barth checks a training bundle from an airdrop with a C-130 Hercules at Grayling Gunnery Range August 6, 2013, during exercise Northern Strike. Barth is a joint terminal air controller with the 182nd Air Support Operations Group in Peoria. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Scott Thompson)As Senior Airman Nick Barth prepared a standard airdrop training bundle on a C-130 Hercules during exercise Northern Strike on Aug. 6, 2013, he reflected on what his father told him right before his deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“Whenever you are resupplying troops in the field, put a care package in the bundle that says, ‘For the JTAC only,’” the loadmaster said, quoting his father, Master Sgt. Chuck Barth, a joint terminal air controller for more than 25 years with the 182nd Air Support Operations Group in Peoria.
NATA Announces Industry Excellence Awards Recipients
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has announced the recipients of its Industry Excellence Awards given annually to individuals, offices, and organizations that have helped improve the general aviation community by demonstrating excellence in their field and the highest level of customer service.
NATA will present awards to the following five recipients:
Mr. Richard (Ric) Peri, Senior Writer for Avionics News and Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs for the Aircraft Electronics Association, will receive the Aviation Journalism Award that identifies a journalist, writer, or publication excelling in consumer education or editorial support in the FBO/Air Charter industry. Mr. Peri is an active advocate for aviation small businesses worldwide and is an internationally recognized author and sought-after speaker concerning all facets of aviation maintenance. With more than 20 years of experience writing for various publications in the aviation maintenance community, he has dedicated himself to promoting standardization, consistency and regulatory compliance.
Contrails: First Flight
By Steve Weaver
First Flight
Once when I was little and played on the hill,
One wondrous evening, I dream of it still–
Mom called me to dinner, impatient, I knew–
So I lifted my arms up and flapped them and flew.
I lifted my arms up and flapped them, and lo!
I was flying as fast as my short legs could go.
The hill swirled beneath me, all foggy and green;
I lit by the yard fence, and no one had seen.
I told them at dinner, I said, “I can fly.”
They laughed, not believing. I started to cry
And ran from the table, and sobbed, “It is true–
You need not believe me; I flapped and I flew.”
I told them next morning, I told them again–
For years I kept telling; they laughed and I ran–
No one would believe me; I ceased then to tell;
But still I remember, remember it well–
One soft summer evening up there on the knoll,
Before life had harried the reach of my soul,
I stood there in twilight, in childlight, and dew–
And I lifted my arms up and flapped them and flew!
This was written by Southern author and poet Louise McNeil, West Virginia’s Poet Laureate for many years. It was written late in her life and while she was never a pilot or even so far as I know a passenger in a small airplane, she speaks eloquently of the yearning that lives in the breast of all humans, to defy gravity and soar above the earth.