Indy Transponder 4-DEC-09 0500z

Florida Hall of Fame inducts Class of 2009 - General Aviation News
The Florida Air Museum at Sun 'n Fun, in collaboration with the Florida Aviation Historical Society, will celebrate the induction of the 2009 Florida Aviation Hall of Fame inductees at a luncheon induction ceremony Friday, Dec. 11. ...

Raw Video: Yak 18Trestored Russian plane crash - Kingaroy pilot in Crows Nest - Australia via Diamond Pilots
PILOT Neil Dunn, 56, pulled off an impressive escape act yesterday — dodging powerlines and trees to crash land in a paddock near Crows Nest.
The Kingaroy man and his passenger, a 13-year-old boy, walked away unharmed from his lovingly restored Russian warbird.
Mr Dunn used his years of flying experience to land safely after encountering engine trouble about 10.45am.
But his restored Yak 18T was not so fortunate. It lay smashed in an Anduramba paddock yesterday afternoon.
Flying associates yesterday said Mr Dunn was a knowledgeable pilot who spent two years restoring the Russian military training plane after it arrived from Kazakhstan in 2004. ...

Ex-fighter pilot who endured torture in 'Hanoi Hilton' prison dies at 82 by Diamond Pilots
Retired Air Force Col. Jack Pitchford, a fighter pilot from Mississippi who survived seven years in the Vietnamese prison camp known as the Hanoi Hilton, has died. He was 82.
The Natchez native was shot down in 1965 and taken to the Hoa Lo prison, a hellish place where Americans, including famous veterans like U.S. Sen. John McCain, were tortured.
Pitchford was released in 1973. His brother said Pitchford died Wednesday after battling a brain tumor.
He was born John Joseph Pitchford Jr. on May 29, 1927.
After earning his wings, Pitchford volunteered with the Wild Weasels, responsible for destroying surface-to-air missiles.
Services are 11 a.m. Monday at St. Mary Basilica in Natchez. Laird Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Veterans Take Honor Flight - Brookfield, MO - Linn County Leader
... Even though the private pilots realized they would have to foot the bill to fly veterans to Washington, D.C. and wouldn't be reimbursed, they signed on without hesitation. With those first few flights to the WWII Memorial in small general aviation aircraft, the Honor Flight program was off the ground. It soon became apparent that six two-seaters carrying one or two veterans each would never come close to accommodating all the aging warriors who yearned to see their memorial, especially those in wheelchairs. After making it possible for 137 WWII veterans to visit the WWII Memorial in 2005, Honor Flight organizers began chartering commercial airliners that had more space and were less vulnerable to adverse weather conditions. By the end of 2006, 891 veterans had made the journey to Washington, thanks to charter flights like Honor Air out of Hendersonville, NC. and commercial airlines like Southwest and Pace. With less than 10 percent of those who served in WWII still living and 1,000 dying every day, Honor Flight, which now has 50 hubs in 30 states, has established the ambitious goal of transporting 25,000 veterans to Washington, D.C. by the end of this year. ...

Warbird Retrieved From Lake Michigan - EAA - The Experimental Aircraft Association
Another warbird from World War II has been plucked from the waters of Lake Michigan near Chicago after being submerged for decades.

EAA to Celebrate 75th Anniversary of Douglas DC-3 at AirVenture - EAA - The Experimental Aircraft Association
What could be the largest Douglas DC-3/C-47 gathering in more than 60 years will be a centerpiece of the aviation activities at EAA AirVenture 2010, "The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration," July 26-August 1 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.

AirVenture Seaplane Paradise Video - Alabama Aviator
Tucked in serene woods a few miles from the excitement of Wittman Field is a picturesque lagoon filled with the Waterbirds of AirVenture. This magical place of natural beauty and colorful flowers is a tranquil home to seaplane pilots during EAA AirVenture. Established 1973, the migratory water destination draws over 100 seaplanes and up to 50,000 visitors for the annual EAA Oshkosh convention. Whether you call it Brennand's or Vette's, it is now best known as "The Seaplane Base" during AirVenture.
Back in 1931, the 27 acres along the shore of Lake Winnebago was owned by aviator and businessman John Vette Jr. A fishing camp was created in 1949 on a small 1.9 acre plot purchased ...

Neil Armstrong Named Guest of Honor for Telluride Regional Airport (TEX) Re-Opening Events - Airlines & Aviation
Officials at the Telluride Regional Airport (TEX) will soon be celebrating a grand re-opening following the completion of a $22 million runway renovation project. TEX officials are proud to announce that astronaut and Telluride homeowner Neil Armstrong will serve as the guest of honor at the re-opening events on Thursday, Dec. 17.

Panther Paint Job - Air & Space Magazine
Watch a 57-year-old warbird go from Winona rags to Blue Angel royalty.

Restoration - www.pimaair.org
The B-36 is the largest bomber and the last piston engine powered bomber produced by the United States. First designed to meet a World War II requirement for a plane capable of hitting targets in Germany from bases in the United States the prototype did not fly until August 8, 1946. Built by Convair at Fort Worth, Texas and delivered to the Air Force on August 14, 1954. This is the last B-36 built. ...

Kansas Aviation Museum to hold open house - The Wichita Eagle
The Kansas Aviation Museum will host its annual open house from 4 pm to 7 pm on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 3350 S. George Washington. ...

Florida museum prepares new exhibits - AOPA Pilot
Kissimmee Air Museum has completed a series of new exhibits showing the rise of air power from the predictions of Billy Mitchell in 1924 ...

Women's Wing Debuts At AOPA Summit - AVweb
The group also hosted a breakfast for women pilots and book signings with aerobatic pilot Patty Wagstaff and Susan Butler, author of East to the Dawn, ...

Scottsdale aviation workers honored - AZ Central.com
National winners are recognized each July at the Experimental Aircraft Association's airventure-Oshkosh, the largest gathering of aviation enthusiasts in ...

WAI Conference on track for success - General Aviation News
The 21st Annual Women in Aviation Conference, slated for Feb. 25 -27, 2010, has as its theme "Aviation: It's a Small World." With the conference based at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Buena Vista, Florida, "It's a Small World" is appropriate. Currently, attendees represent a dozen countries worldwide, according to WAI officials. ...

Seventy years later, still flying - AOPA News
Vern Foster took his first flying lesson on Dec. 3, 1939, in an Aeronca Chief at $6 an hour dual. Now, he owns and flies a 1939 Luscombe 8A because he feels an emotional connection with aircraft from the year he started flying.

Taking Gift Giving to a Higher Level - mystateline.com
We're soaring 2,500 feet above the ground at 115 miles per hours, and I'm the pilot. Thanks to the web site www.letsgoflying.com, anyone can take an introductory flight in a single engine propeller driven airplane.
"When they come in we go through scheduling, go through the basic layout of the airport, the runways, show them the plane and do a pre-flight just like we did, get 'em up for 20-30 minutes and let them fly awhile," says Poplar Grove Airmotive Inc. Flight Instructor Ashley Leman.
The cost? As little as $55 bucks depending on the airport.
"They're perfect because it would give someone the opportunity to do something they've always wanted to do," says Leman.

The Amelia Earhart Library : Assemble it for Christmas - You Fly, Girl
Amelia Earhart in fact and fiction. Books for children and adults of all ages. Great Christmas or birthday presents, or just presents for a girls so they can learn that they have wings to achieve anything they want, they just need to unfurl them. Novels ....

A Momma's Journal: T is for......Thunderbirds by ღ pinaymama ღ
Early in 1955, the Thunderbirds transitioned to the swept-wing F-84F Thunderstreak. In their first three years with the F-84, the team performed for more than nine million spectators in 222 shows that included tours of Central and South ...

NAFA awards scholarship via General Aviation News
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student Angelica Maleskis, of Port Orange, Fla., was awarded the Corporate Aviation Business Scholarship for 2009 by the National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA).
Maleskis is a senior Aviation Business Administration student who is focusing on Airport Management at the university's Daytona Beach, Fla., campus. She was one of only two students nationwide who were chosen by NAFA board members to receive the scholarship award for $3,448. The scholarship benefits students who are pursuing a management career in the corporate aircraft finance industry.
NAFA, a non-profit corporation dedicated to individuals and organizations providing aircraft financing and loans, has more than 200 members worldwide.
For more information: NAFA.aero or EmbryRiddle.edu.

Richard Branson joins the space race - guardian.co.uk
The engineering acumen behind this hugely ambitious project is led by 66-year-old Burt Rutan, an aerospace maverick who has broken records and barriers ...

The Dungeon's Top 10 of 2009 -The Original Rocket Dungeon
2009 was a good rocket year, but not nearly as busy as 2008. I built less and flew less but still managed to quickly pick out 10 great items and events...

Beriev Be-6 - x planes
Best Pictures of the 2009 Airshow Season - Fence Check Forums
Aviation Video: Rafale Demo Riat 2009 - Patrick's Aviation

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