General Aviation, Warbirds

Very Limited Tickets Remain For Bob Hoover Tribute

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

I remember the first time I met Bob.  It was at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Show.  He was just sitting under the wing of this Shrike with that big ol’ hat of his.  I was just a youngster, but he spent the entire afternoon talking to me.  Then he got up, told me he had to “do some work,” shoo’d me back behind the rope and went and did some of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen done in that Evergreen Shrike.

From the EAA page:

Only a very limited number of individual tickets remain for the February 21 Tribute to Bob Hoover to be held at Paramount Studios Theater in Hollywood, as aviation’s top personalities gather to honor the man called by many as “The Pilot’s Pilot” and one of the greatest aviators in history.

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General

1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe preserved by Library of Congress

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

CSX2287 and I have had a long and tumultuous relationship.  I have been deeply involved with Cobras, Daytonas, and GT40s since I made a mistake and sold a car for much less than I should have.  Once you make a really expensive mistake like that, you either hate your stupidity or you gain the kind of knowledge necessary so that you NEVER EVER make that mistake again.  So I learned about these cars.  I learned everything.  I knew every car in the Southern California area – who owned it, who made it – just by the sound the car made as it drove.

At one point, I found out that this particular car was somewhere in Southern California, and that – if I could find it – I’d be paid a handsome finders fee. 

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State Parks

California’s state parks are great places to …

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Today the California State Parks Foundation launched a new campaign: “California State Parks are Great Places to …” This week the focus is on great places to walk among giants!

How would you fill in the blank? The possibilities are endless! Share your own “Great Places” photos and stories on the CSPF website HERE.

You can visit, join, and support the California State Parks Foundation HERE.

General Aviation

H.R.3708 – General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

I received another email from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association regarding HR3708, so I figured I’d post about it.  It seems to be a good idea, and the AOPA has been working for years to get this passed.

Congressional Bill H.R. 3708 has been introduced to the 113th Congress.  The purpose of the bill is “to direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to issue or revise regulations with respect to the medical certification of certain small aircraft pilots, and for other purposes.”

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National Forests, National Parks, State Parks

U.S. Forest Service offers new digital maps for mobile devices

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Avenza Systems has developed a mobile app for iOS and Android.  The app itself is free … the maps are a reasonable $.99 for a national forest atlas, or $4.99 for a forest visitor map.

From the press release:

The U.S. Forest Service now offers access to a variety of visitor maps for people using Android and iOS devices.

“This mobile app makes it easier than ever to plan your visit to a national forest or grassland,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “By putting important forest information right at your fingertips, it will encourage more Americans to get outside and explore their forests.”

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