Indy Transponder 24-NOV-2011 1130z

The Indy Transponder
Wishes all our U.S. Readers
a Very Happy Thanksgiving!

Budget woes may steal thunder of Air Force aerial team - LVRJ | Questions surfaced Wednesday about defense budget cuts affecting the Thunderbirds air demonstration team at Nellis Air Force Base after news out of Florida that the Navy's Blue Angels team might face cutbacks.  Speculation about cutbacks to public shows put on by the Blue Angels, the Thunderbirds and the Army's Golden Knights paratroopers swirled as the Pentagon looks for ways to trim $450 billion over the next decade.... [photo via Thunderbirds website]

Thunderbirds Website

Showthrough P-40 - Vintage Aeroplane writer | During Alan Arthur's practice display at Temora on the Friday for the Warbirds Down Under airshow this last weekend, I noticed due to him....

Centennial of Naval Aviation - US Fleet Forces | Team, This year marks the 100th anniversary of Naval aviation. There have been many events (air shows, Fleet weeks, ceremonies, and expositions) over the past year across our nation to celebrate this historic milestone and showcase the talent, capabilities and contributions of Naval aviation over the years.  The first aircraft was launched at sea from the deck of the cruiser USS BIRMINGHAM (in Hampton Roads!) on 14 November 1910. This achievement...

Just One Life - Vintage Wings of Canada | The stark, compelling aerial photograph above was taken on July 3, 1944, during an American bombing mission over Timisoara, Rumania. Unlike so many aerial combat photos, whose exact date and location are at best the subject of educated guesses, we know the specifics of this one because the crewman who snapped it later took the time to add the information on the back of the original 3x5” photo -- presumably for the benefit of his mother and father back in Kingston, Ontario. There’s certainly more than a hint of pride in the inscription he wrote:...

Two EAA Women Fly Mooney Through India and Thailand - EAA | Next month, former EAA staffer Judy Rice, EAA 458303, who helped develop EAA AirVenture’s KidVenture area, will join fellow pilot CarolAnn Garratt as they fly Garratt’s Mooney 201 through India and Thailand. Garratt is currently in Kenya (as of this writing) on her second “Dash for a Cure” global flight around the world to raise awareness for Lou Gehrig’s disease; her first was in 2008. Rice is preparing for her own global flight in which she hopes to raise the profile of aerospace education around the world.  It’s always nice to have company on a global flight but....

Why Do Helicopter Pilots Sit in the Right Seat? - Air & Space Smithsonian | Patrick McCourt of Huntington, New York writes: “On fixed-wing aircraft, the pilot in command sits in the left seat, but on helicopters, the PIC seems to sit in the right seat. Is this always the case, and if so, why?”  For the answer, we turned to Roger Connor, curator of vertical flight in the aeronautics division of National Air and Space Museum.....

Forget any security concern and welcome Air Force One on Flightradar24! - The Aviationist | ...Although even the Flightradar24 FAQs confirmed that the Air Force One, the world’s most famous and important aircraft, should NOT be visible on their website, for a few seconds around...

Video Blog: The lesser-seen face of business aviation (jumping from a perfectly good airplane) - Flightglobal | BOULDER CITY -- Journalists are advised never to get emotionally entangled in a story, and certainly not physically. Though this assignment found your correspondent unavoidably invested.  I'm about to get thrown out of a perfectly good aircraft with five other people.  "Why gamble with your money when you can gamble with your life???" asks Skydive Las Vegas, with two extra question marks added for emphasis.  Based at Boulder City Airport southeast of  The Strip, and just south of Lake Mead, Skydive Las Vegas has been asking that provocative question of its customers since 1993.  When you think of business aviation....

Our 1st Scholarship Winner passes her checkride! - Girls with Wings | It was September 26th when I made the call to schedule my Private Pilot checkride. I sat in front of my phone with a paper and pencil for a good 5 minutes. Just thinking about what was about to happen. I never thought I would get nervous about making a simple call!...