Category Archives: Aviation

Warbirds

Howard Hughes 1937 Sikorsky S-43 arrives at Kermit Weeks’ Fantasy of Flight

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Kermit Weeks and his Fantasy of Flight team are back at their home base in Polk City, Florida, after spending a week earlier this month prepping Howard Hughes’ Sikorsky S-43 for transport.  This is the plane that Hughes had originally planned to use for a record-breaking around the world flight. CAA delays and the arrival of a faster plane made him leave this beautiful seaplane on the ramp.

While Hughes was using the Sikorsky for some water landing tests on Lake Mead, a crash landing send the plane to the bottom of the lake, killing two other passengers and almost killing Hughes as well.  He had the airplane salvaged and refit it as his personal executive transport business and (ahem) Hollywood starlets to exotic (and not so exotic) locations.

There are only three of these beautiful planes left in the world.  Kermit plans on restoring the aircraft to airworthiness.

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Warbirds

XP-82 Twin Mustang Restoration

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

The original XP-82 Twin Mustang, (AF s/n 44-83887), is currently being restored to flying status by the B-25 Group at Douglas Municipal Airport in Douglas, Georgia. Headed up by aircraft restorer Tom Reilly, the project is well underway. A hat-tip to Warbirds News for the reminder that there are many dedicated people out there keeping our aircraft history flying.

This aircraft is only one of two that still exist in civilian hands.

About the F-82 from Wikipedia:

The North American F-82 Twin Mustang was the last American piston-engine fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter in World War II; however, the war ended well before the first production units were operational, so its postwar role changed to that of night-fighting. Radar-equipped F-82s were used extensively by the Air Defense Command as replacements for the Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter. During the Korean War, Japan-based F-82s were among the first USAF aircraft to operate over Korea. The first three North Korean aircraft destroyed by U.S. forces were shot down by F-82s, the first being a North-Korean Yak-11 downed over Gimpo Airfield by the USAF 68th Fighter Squadron.

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General Aviation

Aviation Awareness Day in California

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has teamed up with the Association of California Airports and other aviation organizations to support the first California Aviation Awareness Day on April 24, 2013.

The even will take place from 11:00am through 1:00pm on the steps of the state capitol building, and will include interactive displays and presentations by the many businesses and organizations that rely on aviation in the state.

From the AOPA press release:

“This is the first time such a broad spectrum of aviation organizations has come together to host an event to educate state legislators, legislative staff, and the general public about the importance of aviation to California,” Pfeifer said.

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Warbirds

Planes of Fame Airshow – Chino Airport May 4-5

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

If you haven’t already, you should get your tickets for this great airshow!

Every year the Plane of Fame Air Museum at Chino Airport hosts a great airshow featuring aircraft from different eras in both static and flying presentations.  This years theme is “Lightning Strikes Chino” highlighting the Lockheed P-38 Lightning – one of my favorite World War II aircraft.

The flying portion of the show is May 4-5, from 11am to 4pm, with gates opening at 8am, and closing at 5pm.

Tickets are available online from the POF website HERE, and you save $5 if you pre-order through the website.  Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for children (5-11), and there’s grand stand seating available for an additional $15.

From the Planes of Fame website:

“This year’s airshow will feature nearly 40 historic aircraft performing for your enjoyment as well as a salute to the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.  Planes of Fame Air Museum is proud to present Air Show 2013: “Lightning Strikes Chino”.  We invite you to Airshow 2013 to celebrate the history and contributions of this great aircraft. In addition to many other fantastic airplanes performing, there will be panel discussions with our honored veterans.  Check back often for updates on the veterans who will participate. Also, be sure to catch the Airshow Preview Event and check out the Air Show 2013 Promotional Video!”

The shadows of the men who flew these planes grows longer every day.  We should strive whenever and wherever possible to maintain America’s great aviation heritage, and remind future generations of the accomplishments of the great aviators, aviatrix, inventors, engineers, and designers who pushed – and continue to push – the boundaries of the heavens.

The Planes of Fame website is HERE.

The Airshow 2013 Promotional Video is HERE.

You an buy tickets online HERE.

General Aviation

What Flying Is All About

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Just the look on Lainey Woodson’s face makes the whole trip worth taking.

This was originally posted over at Flying Magazine.

From the post:

Six-year-old Lainey Woodson never had an interest in flying, until her first flight on Oct. 5, 2012. The youngest of four, she was always scared of flying, unlike her older siblings.

On a clear October day, her family traveled out to York, South Carolina (01SC), to the grass strip for a picnic and an afternoon of fun. That’s when her father, Bobby Woodson, decided to duct-tape his GoPro video camera to his 1946 Aeronca Champ 7AC, in which he soloed on his 16th birthday at the same grass strip, and capture the wonderful moment of Lainey’s first flight. And her reaction, well, it speaks for itself. But it’s sure to remind you of that unforgettable feeling of what it’s like to fly.

You can read the whole article HERE.