In Flight USA Article Categories
In Flight USA Articles
Artist and Author Josh Finney Brings Aviation Comics into the 21st Century With Titanium Rain
By S. Mark Rhodes
Set in the very near future, Titanium Rain deals with the ramifications of a civil war in China spills into a more international concern. The protagonist, USAF pilot Alec Killian finds himself quickly mixed up in a conflict, which will test his morality, humanity and will to live.
Titanium Rain (Archaia Comics) is a sleek piece of speculative graphic novel storytelling with an intriguing mix of political, science fiction and aviation themes created by Josh Finney and Kat Rocha. Mark Rhodes of In Flight was fortunate enough to interview co-creator Josh Finney about his work, his interest in aviation and the decline of aviation and war comics.
Around the World in a Waco YMF-5D?
By Carl Dye
Chief Pilot and General Manager
Photos Courtesy of
Waco Classic Aircraft Company
Every now and then we get an inquiry from an intrepid aviator contemplating what is possibly the ultimate adventure in an airplane, a flight around the world.
Could it be done in a WACO Classic YMF? Yes, it is possible.
Light Sport Flying With In Flight USA - January 2011
What the Heck is an E-LSA?
By Ed Downs
The subject of aircraft certification, be it standard, special or experimental can make even the most geeky tax lawyer think they have fallen down the rabbit hole, especially when talking about Experimental aircraft. So let’s keep this month’s column about the real world of buying, selling and using an E-LSA airplane. The fact is, one is very likely to come across a “for sale” ad featuring an E-LSA that can look inviting. The price may be quite attractive, but just what the heck is an E-LSA?
First, let’s take a general look at any airplane that is certified as an “Experimental” airplane. Actually, there is no such thing as simply an “Experimental” airplane, even if the word “Experimental” is clearly written on the side of the plane. Experimental certification always carries a second word (or two) which describes what sub-part of Experimental we are talking about, and there are numerous sub-parts. For example one might see a nifty little RV-12 (it meets the FAA definition of an LSA) from Van’s Aircraft sitting on the ramp with the word “Experimental” prominently displayed. This RV-12 may have been sold as a kit that meets the new FAA “51% rule” and was certified as Experimental-Amateur Built. This means the builder of the plane can perform all of his/her own maintenance, make changes to the design (including engine changes) conduct the annual condition inspection and pretty much fly when and where he/she wants. Sitting next to that RV-12 might be a weird looking war bird from some country whose name you cannot pronounce, made by a manufacturer best known for cranking out refrigerators that do not work. Our “war bird” will also have the word “Experimental” clearly displayed, but is certified as Experimental-Exhibition. This critter may have significant maintenance issues and require each and every flight to be approved by the FAA. Get the point?
What's Up?!
2011: I Want to Start off the New Year With a Bang, So BANG!
By Larry Shapiro
Looking back some of you may know I’ve had to deal with some major health issues in the past 12 or so months and I chose to share them with you. Of course, with my sense of humor, I laughed at them because I’m invincible and even though I can’t leap over tall building, I have flown over a few.
Lesson learned: Be careful, you might get what you wish for or some things you didn’t wish for.
In early November I had a rather severe accident. No it didn’t involve an airplane or car. The fact is, I don’t know what happened. I can tell you a couple of things: one is that it was the scariest thing that has every happened to me in my 70 years and second, it was also the most painful.
Mancation – A Man’s Vacation In Washington Wine Grunge
By Allan Kissam
The view from Bainbridge Island. (Allan Kissam)Once again, I am on the road and looking for interesting things to do while participating in wine tasting (good activity) and less enjoyable shopping. I am in a sort of time warp of suburban Seattle across Lake Washington. This is Woodinville, next to Redmond where Microsoft lives. Back in the 80’s I lived around here. What a change, but life marches on and I just try to keep up these days. Woodinville is getting big into wine tasting at traditional wineries and tasting rooms. The tasting rooms, I am told, are looked down on by the wine snobs. One big advantage of the tasting rooms is I didn’t drive across hot and dusty roads towards Yakima. These tourist-designated areas let you quickly jump from wine-to-wine and get on to lunch in a great family-owned Mexican restaurant.
Sport Flying with In Flight USA - December 2010
The Gift
By Ed Downs
This holiday column is being written early Sunday morning, with the expectation of a good day. Shortly, this writer will be heading to church, ready to partake of a terrific service followed by our calibration of Thanksgiving. The holiday season is in full swing and most of America is getting serious about selecting the perfect gift for loved ones as “Black Friday” approaches. This early hour promotes reminiscing, and the LSA theme of this column brings to mind a gift I received almost 20 years ago, to the day. Allow an old pilot a moment of sharing.
My local community airport had decided to take advantage of beautiful Indian-Summer weather to hold an open house and mini-airshow. Although late in the season, with Thanksgiving decorations having already given way to the wonders of commercial Christmas paraphernalia, a well-known resident airshow pilot agreed to participate in the program. The local EAA chapter pulled together a fine selection of planes to be displayed, including a couple of warbirds. My company fired up a major EAA Young Eagles event with the intent of setting records by flying at least 100 kids. The Young Eagles program was new at that time and my wife, Sue, set up an assembly-line system to process the paperwork and conduct the educational program that accompanied each flight. The idea was that two planes (both meeting today’s definition of LSA) and three pilots would spend minimum time with ground activities, giving them the ability to offer each participant the best flight experience possible. I signed up to fly a feisty little tail dragger (later to earn fame at major airshows) and all was ready to go.
The Pylon Place - December 2010
The Beginning of Biplane Racing at Reno
By Marilyn Dash
Marilyn DashThe first Air Races in Reno started in 1964. Most of you know the story of Bill Stead and his dream to recreate the Cleveland Air Races in the high desert. But, not many of you know how the Biplanes became part of the project.
Legend has it that Stead went to the Merced Antique Fly-In in 1964 and met up with Sandy Sanders. Sandy was there announcing for several of the airshow acts. Bill was there to promote the upcoming races and to look over some of the acts with an eye on booking them for the races. Bill told Sandy about the event and asked him to come up and assist with the announcing duties.
What's Up?!
Looking Back
By Larry Shapiro
Larry ShapiroIt’s hard to believe we’ve being hanging out together for almost ten years but we have. During that time I’ve tried to cover a lot of topics dealing with aviation or it least close to the subject. My favorite thing and I hope yours was that I tried to deal with some serious subjects using as much humor as I could without being sent to my room by the In Flight staff and publisher. Trust me on this, it hasn’t been easy for them; there have been many times I almost broke my leash.
I have never meant to hurt or embarrass anyone. Okay, maybe one or two, but only in fun. Of course there have been many subjects that have been too serious to play with. As the end of 2010 comes to a close I would like to share some love, joy and a-whole-lot-learned wisdom with you.
Mustang Day At Nut Tree Airport
By Jim Dunn
Representing the Navy fighter aircraft of World War II is Tom Camp’s General Motors built FM-2. Flown at the event by Brain Sanders, the FM-2 Wildcat was the final production version of the Grumman F4F that carried much of the fighting in some of the most difficult early days in the Pacific. (Jim Dunn)On Oct. 9, under a bright-blue California sky the Travis AFB Air Museum, in association with Solano County/Nut Tree Airport, held the second edition of Mustang Day. The event featured examples of both the famous World War II North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft and the Ford Motor Company’s popular “Pony” car, the Ford Mustang.
This year, there were a total of five P-51 Mustangs on the ramp for visitors to see close-up. These Mustangs included: Bob Button’s highly modified Reno air racer Voodoo; Ted Contri’s P-51D Rosalie; Terry Tarditi’s P-51D Comfortably Numb; Michael Coutches modified P-51D; and the Nut Tree-based P-51D Sparky, owned by Steve Seghetti.
Miramar Air Show 2010
Never Fails To Impress
By Russ Albertson
Blue Angels beautiful Echelon formation. (Russ Albertson)The Miramar Air Show is always something to look forward to, even if it means the end of summer here in San Diego. This year it took place on Oct. 1, 2, and 3, and although we had a little fog and drizzle, it was still one of the best shows on the West coast.
The Pylon Place - November 2010
Part 2
Reno Air Races : The Lesser Known Stories
By Marilyn Dash
Last month we looked at some of the highlights and lowlights of the 2010 National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nev. This month, I wanted to look at some of the lesser known stories and answer some of the questions being asked by the fans.
There is some amazing racing going on, but not always for the Gold. How many of you were able to catch some of these epic races hidden away in the background.
What's Up?!
Heads Up! Attention on Ramp!
By Larry Shapiro
A few weeks ago, I got multiple phone calls from my friend Don Singer, a very respected member of the aviation community in southern California. He shared with me his great concern over an issue that was growing rapidly in his area. After hearing his story, I too shared his concerns and asked him to drop me a note spelling out the issues so that I might share them with you, here’s Don’s note”
“As per our conversation, winning the battle of Users fees is, of course, serious. But, the forgotten battle is where do we park our planes when we land. Transit parking has been lost at KCRQ (Carlsbad), KSNA (Santa Ana), KVNY (Van Nuys), and KSBA (Santa Barbara), which by the way are public use airports.
Kelly Johnson at the Lockheed “Skunk Works”
By Alan Smith
Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson, a true genius of high performance aircraft design.Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson was, without a doubt one of the most, if not the most prolific and ingenious aircraft designer in the worlds of both civil and military aviation. During his 50 years at Lockheed (now Lockheed-Martin) Aircraft Corporation, Johnson single-handedly designed and built ten high performance aircraft and participated in the design and building of 11 others. His own designs included the twin-engine P-38, which was the first 400 mph fighter, the XP-80, the first Air Force jet fighter, the F-104 Starfighter, and the U-2 and SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft. The XP-80 was designed and built in just 143 days!
The Pylon Place - October 2010
Reno 2010 Recap – Gone with the Wind…
By Marilyn Dash
The flags tell the story – a horrendous windstorm changes history (Joanne Murray)Have you ever looked forward to something, a once in a lifetime vacation perhaps – and when you can just about see the brass ring, you blink and it’s gone. Anticipation followed merely by disappointment is hard to reconcile.
That is how I felt after the Reno Air Races of 2010 came to a close. Mother Nature took the wind out of our sails and threw it back at us, with a vengeance. All of the preparation and handwringing ended, not with a crescendo – but with a whimper and a sigh.
Wings Over Pittsburgh Thrills Steel City Airshow Fans
By Hayman Tam
Thunderbirds four-ship diamond flies over Pittsburgh, PA. (Hayman Tam)The significance of September 11th was not lost on the minds of the airshow fans gathered that day in Pittsburgh to attend one of the largest airshows on the East Coast. This annual event is traditionally held on Father’s Day weekend to ensure good weather but after a one-year absence, organizers moved it to 9/11 with a strong patriotic theme.
Hosted by the 911th Airlift Wing, based at Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, the “Wings Over Pittsburgh” two-day event drew record crowds this year. An estimated 175,000 folks got into Saturday’s Wings Over Pittsburgh show before the gates were closed, frustrating drivers who traveled from far and near only to be turned away when parking capacity in the local township of Moon was reached. Many fans ended up watching the performances from their cars stuck on the clogged highways. Another 120,000 fans showed up Sunday, with the Steelers football season opener helping to thin the crowds a bit.
NBAA's Convention Brings More Than Economic Benefits to Host City
With tens of thousands of Attendees, NBAA’s Annual Meeting & Convention brings an injection of economic activity to the event’s host city each year. This year, the 63rd Annual Meeting & Convention (NBAA2010) is expected to draw approximately 25,000 Attendees to Atlanta, GA.
The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) estimates the Attendees at NBAA2010 will provide a direct economic impact of $29 to $34 million to local businesses.
Record-Setting Wings Over Wine Country
By Hayman Tam
The Chinese-designed Nanchang CJ-6 first flew in 1958. (Hayman Tam)More than 24,000 airshow fans helped to make this year’s Wings Over Wine Country Airshow the best one put together by the Pacific Coast Air Museum (PCAM) in Santa Rosa, Calif. This two-day show takes place at Charles Schulz - Sonoma County Airport (STS) and has been the museum’s major fundraiser for 14 years. The cloudy skies cleared and the temperature was perfect, just right to put in earplugs and sunscreen and enjoy the festivities.
The flying got off to a small-scale start with exhibition flights of radio-control planes by local modelers. One memorable creation was a flying doghouse complete with Snoopy perched on top, gunning for the Red Baron.
The Flight of the Century: Lucky Lindy's Dark Side
Charles Lindbergh remains probably the most famous aviator in US History due in no small part to his historic and daring solo transatlantic flight in 1927. However Lindbergh’s racist tendencies open sympathy to the Nazis and poor record as a family man obviously complicates Lindbergh’s life and
Dennis Buehn Dominates the T-6 Class in 2010 and Gets the Gold
By Alan Smith
(Jerry Maxwell)Dennis Buehn of Carson City, flying his #43 Midnight Miss III practically owned the T-6 class in 2010. He won both Gold heat races the days before windy Sunday at speeds of 237.904 and 241.247 mph and was followed by John Zayak in his #37 McDonald Racer at 231.128 on Thursday and 234.927 on Saturday. Surprisingly, expected strong contender Nick Macy in his #6 Six Cat was disqualified on Saturday for a deadline cut at the start of Saturday’s heat race. And on Thursday he dropped out after one lap. I certainly was not the six time Gold winner’s year.
A Bird's Eye View of Northeastern Washinton State Via Triking
Trike landing. (Spokane Regional CVB)By Roy A. Barnes
When Denny Reed of Backcountry Aerosports www.trikeschool.com of Cheney, Washington was first introduced to a trike, his reaction was quite negative. He refused to set foot in what he deemed a “flying weedeater.” But as time has passed, Reed has become one of the Light Sport and Ultralight Aircrafts’ best human friends, taking willing flyers like myself up, up, and away in his $60,000 motorized and natural flying machine that has a 7:1 glide ratio. It reaches speeds of 40-60 mph, and has a 34-foot wingspan and 10-foot fuselage, plus a range of 270 miles. The experimental aircraft can be transported in a pick up and set up in 40 minutes.