Indy Transponder 02-APR-2011 0230z

Royal Wedding: WWII aircraft flypast highlight of military involvement - Telegraph.co.uk | Three Second World War aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight are to take part in a Royal Wedding flypast, the Ministry of Defence disclosed. A Lancaster bomber flies over St Paul's Cathedral in London during the Blitz memorial service. ...

Anniversary airshow beginning to take flight - Hibbing Daily ... - HIBBING — The to-do list is long, but all the excitement and enthusiasm behind organizing the 2011 Range Regional Airshow has planning committee members flying through it. “It's overwhelming,” said Shaun Germolus, executive director of ...

ArmedForces.com | Blog | First female Thunderbird attends open house  by clevine | Meet Sarah Johnson-Robles, a retired technical sergeant, who in 1973 applied for a position with the Thunderbirds. To her surprise she was brought to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., for an interview in November of that year. ...

"The F-22 is Really Loud" UCAP #230-charlie  from Uncontrolled Airspace: General Aviation Podcast | UCAP Daily! Jack & Dave are joined by Amy Laboda. They try to talk about the Sun 'n Fun Fly-in while an F-22 fighter makes it hard to hear.

See Restored B-17 'Aluminum Overcast' Bomber - MyFox Phoenix | A World War II era B17 bomber will be taking off at Deer Valley Airport, and the public can take a ride on that plane this weekend. Keep your comments civil - MyFOXPhoenix.com reserves the right to remove comments that are obscene, profane, abusive, ...

The sound of music: Flying Musicians entertain at Sun 'n Fun - AOPA Pilot | An hour before the jam fest began, a downpour soaked Sun 'n Fun visitors. But as quickly as the rain swept through the grounds, it disappeared, leaving behind cooler temperatures so that campers could more readily appreciate the music and the food…

EAA is Prepared in Oshkosh for Repeat of Florida Storm – WBAY | We're still months away from July's EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, but Thursday's wild weather at a fly-in in Florida is a reminder of how nature can disrupt large outdoor gatherings. The storm spawned high winds and a tornado in central ...

The Tragedy of Sun N Fun  by Joe Clark | Yesterday will long live in the memories of many of the homebuilders who flew their airplanes into Sun N Fun this week. For those who survived the devastation, they will always be grateful. For the builders who lost their planes…, well, they will enter a fairly long period of repair, or they will have to start all over again….

Dan Pimentel  from Flight To Success by Karlene Petitt | Friday's Fabulous Flyer!  http://www.airplanista.com  President and Art Director of his own ad agency, thirty-plus years of experience in and around publishing, and a six year veteran of blogging... What next? Embracing a passion for writing, combining it with experience and creativity... the only logical option is to pull all that talent together and creating a magazine.  Not just any magazine....

Diabetic pilot plans record-breaking North Pole flight - Alaska Dispatch | Famed British aviator Douglas Cairns is attempting to become the first pilot to land a light twin-engine aircraft at the North Pole. Teaming up with Cairns is Alaskan pilot Ron Sheardown, who has made the North Pole trip eight previous times. ...

ICON Aircraft Could Land in Covington Ga from Alabama Aviator - Aviation News  -COVINGTON GA- According to an article by Gabriel Khouli  in the Covington News, the light sport aircraft maker considering Covington for a manufacturing plant has been identified as ICON Aircraft, a Los-Angeles based start-up company founded by a former pilot and engineer…

Houston Deserves a Space Shuttle for Display, Astronaut Spouses Say - Space.com | The space shuttle Discovery is almost certainly being sent to the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum in Washington, and many agree that Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., where the shuttles launch and usually land, is also a likely ...

Spaceport Lossiemouth, Scotland?  from Spaceports by jack@jackkennedy.net (JackKennedy) Space tourism flights could blast off from Scotland under government plans to overhaul the space regulatory regime, the United Kingdom's Science Minister David Willetts said today. Minister Willetts, launching a consultation on the UK Space Agency's strategy for 2011-15, said the Government was working to "tackle the burden of regulation" surrounding space activity, which had "grown up almost by chance" and "without a coherent overview", adding, "We have started the process of starting to rationalise our regulation so as to enable Britain to be an effective competitor in the space scene."…

A rocket babe in space, a new rocket baby, and a plug for the rocket girls  from The Original Rocket Dungeon by Dick | I jumped the gun on the formal announcement of Verna and Randy's April 1st update and found all sorts of cool stuff.  Their photo of the month page starts with a nice shot of Discovery's final approach.  It appears Verna was one of the many people whose photos were taken to space on STS-133.  That's so cool.  Hope they frame that nice, astronaut-signed certificate!   Meanwhile, Fire and Smoke features the rocket babes of the Science Cheerleaders (whom I previously posted about)…

Aviation Stories for April 1, 2011  from aroundthepattern.com by Tracy | Hmmm, April Fool’s Day. That leaves the door open for all sorts of stories – but I’ll be nice and only link to articles that are factual – to the best of my knowledge…

Tyndall teenager selected as Air Force Military Child of the Year  from Air Force Link Top Stories by afnews@dma.mil (Airman 1st Class Christopher Reel)  Tyndall teenager Nicole Goetz, 17, recently selected as the Air Force Military Child of the Year, was awarded a flight in air show performer Greg Poe's aerobatic airplane March 23…

Free plane rides for kids offered April 16 in Crookston - Grand Forks Herald | The UND chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association will give free airplane rides to children ages 8 to 17 at the 12th annual Young Eagles Fly-In April 16 at the Crookston Municipal Airport. The UND chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association ...

Indy Transponder 01-APR-2011 2052z

Updates from Sun 'n Fun 2011 - EAA | Long lines were reported this morning at the gates of the Sun ’n Fun Fly-In after a major storm yesterday caused widespread damage to aircraft, exhibits, and tents at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Florida...

High Winds Damage 69 Airplanes, Several Buildings at Sun 'n Fun - The Ledger | LAKELAND | Destruction at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In in South Lakeland was the most visual evidence of the tornadoes that tore through Polk County about noon Thursday. At least seven people were taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with minor injuries...

NWS: Tornado Likely Hit Sun 'n Fun - AVweb | "It looks like there was a small tornado" among the straight-line winds and downbursts that hit Sun 'n Fun on Thursday, a National Weather Service spokesman told AVweb on Friday morning...

AOPA renews platinum-level sponsorship for Sun ’n Fun 2012 - AOPA | In the wake of a powerful storm that swept through the grounds of the Sun ’n Fun fly-in, AOPA President Craig Fuller on April 1 announced that the association has signed on to be the Platinum Sponsor of Sun ’n Fun for 2012...

UPDATE: Spangdahlem A-10 crashes - U.S. Air Force | SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) -- An Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashed about 3:57 p.m. local time April 1 north of the city of Wittlich, Germany...

A-10 Thunderbolt Crashes in Germany - Wired | Bad news for the A-10: a Thunderbolt belonging the 52nd Fighter Wing crashed over Germany on Friday. Flying from Spangdahlem Air Base, the Thunderbolt was on a training mission when unspecified conditions brought it down.

Want to know who'll be flying at this year's Bournemouth Air Festival? - Daily Echo | IT'S back and bigger than ever. That was the promise from Bournemouth Air Festival bosses as they launched the 2011 event this morning. Favourites like the Red Arrows will return, alongside the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight...

April edition of the Heartland Warrior now available - Grissom Air Reserve Base | The April issue of the Heartland Warrior is now available. The official E-Paper of the 434th Air Refueling Wing includes eight pages of stories, photos and features pertaining to Grissom and the U.S. Air Force...

Todays Photos - Friday, 1st April - Non-prank version - MilitaryPhotos.net | I'll start a new thread for the daily pix...

Richard Branson purchases Pluto with hope to reinstate it as planet - Flight Global | British billionaire Sir Richard Branson is hoping to set a can-do example for "struggling entrepreneurs facing setbacks" by purchasing Pluto, his Virgin company has today announced...

Strange But True Aviation News - Aviation Week | British Airways has some explaining to do.  A pregnant woman took exception to British Airways' attempt to downgrade her from business class to coach after the airline allegedly...

UAV crashes at Edwards AFB - Air Force Dad | A Global Observer unmanned aircraft crashed at approximately 2:30 a.m., April 1, near the southwest corner of Rogers Dry Lakebed...

Lightspeed Aviation Foundation Announces Finalists for 2011 grants - Vertical mag | Lakeland, FL. -- March 31, 2011 -- The Lightspeed Aviation Foundation has announced the names of 20 charities, selected from hundreds of nominees, that will benefit from grants to be awarded this year. The Foundation is in its second year of partnering with the pilot community to identify worthy causes, give pilots a voice in who they will support and make a lasting difference...

"Vintage" Airliners - MRC Aviation | The following images represent what could be deemed "vintage" airliner action at Auckland Airport on 31 March.

The Women of Reno Air Racing

Last month, we talked about Women in Aviation and I shared with you some of my mentors along my path. This month, I’d like to share with you a little about the women who have raced at Reno.


No Surprise - Formula One has had the second highest number of women racers

Since there is really no definitive source on all of this, I’m relying on the facts I have been able to gather through RARA and through conversations with other racers. If any of this is incorrect, I apologize – and contact me with the correct information.

Through the years

The numbers are not remarkable, Over the 47 years of Air Racing at Reno – 24 women have raced. The Biplanes take the lead with 9 women; Formula 1 has had 7; Sport Class has had 2; T6 had 3; Jets have had 2 and Unlimited – just one. Several others have attended PRS and have been listed as racers, but have not actually put up a qualifying time or completed a race.

The first woman to race at Reno was Connie Marsh in the Biplane Class. Connie started in 1969. She was about 90 lbs soaking wet with dimes in her pockets and the Biplane Class decided her size was a benefit for her. They required her to be weighed and decided to add ballast to her aircraft to make up for her diminutive size.

Another Biplane Racer at the time was also under the 150 lbs arbitrary number the Biplane Class chose. He told me about going into town and getting as many silver dollars as he could and he wore a heavy leather jacket with many pockets to hide the coins he used so he didn’t need to add ballast to his own aircraft.

Her first year, Connie flew Lowers Special – a Smith Mini Plane. This model is rarely competitive in the Biplane Class and all of the angst was for nothing, really. The next year, she returned with the Hill Mong and was more competitive. But, she broke the barrier and slowly but surely – women started to become Air Racers.

In 1970, Connie was joined by Joan Alford. Joan flew in the F1 Class in Pogo for two years. In 1971, Joan was joined by Judy Wagner flying the Wagner Solution. She became the first woman to win a Formula One race – actually any race at Reno. Judy raced the Solution from 1971 until 1981. This plane was renamed Judy and has returned to Reno with new owner Holbrook Maslen.

Colene Giglio was the first woman to race in the T-6 Class starting in 1974. T-6's raced at Cleveland in the late '40s in the Halle Trophy Races with all women pilots. Colene raced until 1977 and last I heard she was running a Flight School at Long Beach Airport.

Erin Rheinschild is the sole Unlimited Racer. She raced from 1990 – 1992 in Miss Fit. She won the Bronze in 1990. Then in 1992, she qualified, and her husband Bill ended up racing the airplane. I’ve always wanted to meet Erin. I understand she was highly respected by the “brethren”. Bill continues to race but Erin has not returned. Bill owned the Sea Fury named Bad Attitude and still owns Risky Business, a beautiful P-51 Mustang.

Lori Love raced the in the F1 Class from 1983 to 1995. The Scholl Special was owned by Chuck Wentworth. She showed up her first year with an all female crew. She later raced Flying Dutchman for Tommy Aslett. From what I’ve been told, she was highly respected as a pilot and enjoyed her years racing. She moved on to other flying adventures after her racing days concluded. In 2007, her plane was lost while flying over Western Africa.

In 1985, Patti (Nelson) Johnson joined the races. She flew Spring Fever and then Miss USA in Formula 1. Adding the Biplane Class to her resume in 1992 – she flew Full Tilt Boogie, winning the Biplane Gold in 1993, 1995 and 1996. She was a member of the U.S. Aerobatic team in 1980-82, winning one gold, three silver and two bronze medals. She was also Women’s National Aerobatic champion in 1982.


Over the years, Biplanes have attracted the most women racers

In 1987, Peggy Penketh decided to race in the Biplane Class. Her husband at the time, Mike Penketh, had been racing for a few years and had recently built a new racer. His old racer was her way into the game. She flew for three years in Biplane #4 (same number I have now) called Passion Pitts. Peggy is now married to long time racer Tom Dwelle and can usually be found in the Dwelle Pit Area.

In 1987, Katharine Gray joined the Formula Class in Pogo – the same aircraft Joan Alford raced in the early 70’s. In 1994, Katharine moved over to Geronimo, a GR-7 designed by Robbie Grove.

Also in 1987, Linda Finch joined the T-6 Class. She raced until 1992. In 1997, Linda participated in a recreation of the final Amelia Earhart Flight in a 1935 Lockheed Electra 10E. Wisely, Linda’s Electra was outfitted with a GPS and was modified to carry 1800 gallons of fuel, compared to Earhart’s estimated 800 gallons. It took her 10 weeks to make this trip.

Madelaine Kennedy flew in the F1 Class from 1990-1994, in Video Cassutt (cute play on words) and later Fandango. I believe she still owns her Cassutt.

Bonnie Warner may be a name you will remember from the Winter Olympics. She competed in the Luge and Bobsled. After the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Bonny received a $10,000 scholarship and decided to earn her pilot’s license. She added the Reno Air Races to her resume with the coaxing of fellow racer Randy Howell. She flew only one year.

Lynn Getchell raced one year, 1994, in Okie Twister. She was the wife of popular warbird pilot Ellsworth Getchell who owns one of the remaining Bristol Centaurus powered Sea Furys.

Mary Dilda joined the T-6 Class in 1996. She and her then husband, Steve,shared flying duties for Two of Hearts for years until she won the coin toss and he bought Felix. She first one the Gold in 1997 in Mystical Power. Later she won again in 2005. She also raced in the Jet Class from 2002 – 2004 – winning the Gold in 2003. Mary is the only woman to have won Gold in two different classes at Reno. Jackie Warda raced Biplane from 2002 – 2004; leaving to fly airshows.

Vicki Cruse and I attended PRS together in 2003. Vicki raced her Glasair intermittently between 2003-2006. When she wasn’t racing at Reno, she was preparing to fly at the National Aerobatic Championships to complete her other goal of being the USA’s National Aerobatic Champion. She accomplished this in 2007 and was killed in 2009 at the World Aerobatic Championships. Before her untimely death, she was being touted as a front runner for Steve Fossett’s LSR Driver. She was a racer and a competitor all the way.

In 2006, Leah Sommers, Erica Hoagland and Amber Applegate were all Rookies in the Biplane Class. Due to a paperwork issue, Amber was unable to compete that year, Leah and Erica finished in the Bronze. Later Leah would come back and I believe will race again in the future. Erica left the Biplane Class and moved to the Formula 1 Class in 2008. She was unfortunately lost during a training flight that year. Casey Erickson joined the Biplane Class in 2008.

In 2010, both Heather Penney, daughter of John Penney – and Vicky Benzing attended PRS. Heather raced in the Jet Class and Vicky raced in the Sport class in Vicki Cruse’s Glasair as a tribute to her late friend.

That’s it, in a nutshell - the 24 women who have raced at the Reno Air Races since the beginning. I can only hope this is just the beginning and women will do more for the sport in the future.

Until next time .. Fly low, Fly Fast and Turn Left,
Marilyn Dash
Ruby Red Racing

**Thanks again to Tim Adams Photography for the use of his incredibly photos.**

COUNTRY STAR AARON TIPPIN, NIGHT AIR SHOW MAKE FOR ‘SUPER SATURDAY’ AT AIRVENTURE 2011

Full day features two air shows bridged by Tippin’s concert, capped off by fireworks

      EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis. — (March 31, 2011) — From sunrise to well past sunset, a “Super Saturday” filled with must-see features, attractions, and activities awaits attendees on July 30 at EAA AirVenture 2011, including country star Aaron Tippin in concert followed by the widely popular Night Air Show and Daher-Socata Fireworks. The 59th annual edition of “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” will be held July 25-31 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.

      Following the expanded “Warbirds Extravaganza” afternoon air show, Tippin will take to the Theater in the Woods stage for an evening concert featuring many of his hits, including “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagles Fly,” “You’ve Got to Stand for Something,” and “Kiss This.” Tippin’s appearance is part of the Commemorative Air Force’s “Red, White & Loud Tour” and coincides with the much-anticipated return of CAF’s FIFI, the world’s only airworthy B-29 “Superfortress,” to AirVenture after a 16-year absence. Theater in the Woods programs at AirVenture are supported by M&Ms.

      Tippin’s performance leads into the Night Air Show and Daher-Socata Fireworks & Wall of Fire, which drew tens of thousands to the flightline for last year’s inaugural event, beginning at approximately 8:30 p.m.

      “There is so much going on throughout each day of AirVenture that it’s almost impossible to say one day is the best one to be at Oshkosh,” said Tom Poberezny, EAA and AirVenture chairman. “However, adding Aaron Tippin – a great performer and friend to the EAA community – to the action-packed AirVenture Saturday lineup, this is definitely shaping up to be one of those ‘must-see days.’”

      A highly experienced pilot himself, Tippin soloed for the first time on his 16th birthday. He became a commercial multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot by age 18 and also holds helicopter ratings. A certified aircraft and power plant mechanic, he owns a 1941 Stearman, 1946 J3 Cub, and 1959 Helio Courier.

      Tippin, a platinum recording artist, has become one of the most recognizable and influential voices in country music over the past two decades. With 13 albums to his name and more than 30 charted singles, he performs nearly 200 dates each year. For more information, visit www.aarontippin.com.

        “We are thrilled to bring the CAF’s ‘Red, White & Loud Tour’ to EAA AirVenture. Aaron is a great supporter of our American troops and veterans, as well as the CAF and what we stand for, honoring American military aviation through flight, exhibition, and remembrance,” said Stephan Brown, CAF president/CEO. “Partnering with Aaron to create this tour has allowed the CAF to reach new audiences and we are excited to celebrate America’s freedom through song and the roaring radial engines of the world’s only flying B-29 at one of the greatest aviation events.”

      The Night Air Show will feature the AeroShell Aerobatic Team (T-6s), Bob Carlton (Jet sailplane), Gene Soucy (Showcat), Matt Younkin (Twin Beech), and Steve Oliver (Chipmunk) performing their signature maneuvers choreographed to pyrotechnics and music. Following the glow of the Night Air Show, performers will be available for a meet-and-greet alongside their aircraft on the West Ramp, making it a fully interactive evening for the entire family. Food and concessions will be available for purchase throughout the event.

      The day kicks off at 6 a.m. with a mass hot air balloon launch in the Ultralight area and concludes with a feature film at the EAA Fly-In Theater, presented by Ford Motor Company and supported by Hamilton Watches, following the Daher-Socata Fireworks & Wall of Fire. The day also features the annual Runway 5K run/walk throughout the AirVenture grounds, beginning at 7 a.m. Additional features and details for “Super Saturday” will be available on www.airventure.org at a later date.

       Advance purchase admission tickets and camping for all dates of AirVenture 2011 are now available at a discounted rate at www.airventure.org/tickets. 

      EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH is The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration and EAA’s yearly membership convention. Additional EAA AirVenture information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available online at www.airventure.org. EAA members receive lowest prices on admission rates. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or visit www.eaa.org. Immediate news is available at www.twitter.com/EAAupdate.

Indy Transponder 01-APR-2011 0900z

Reports show tornado touched down during Sun 'N Fun event - Central Florida News 13 | Strong storms and at least four confirmed tornado sightings have swept through Polk County, causing major damage, minor injuries, and the cancelation of the Sun 'n Fun event for the day. Police said strong winds blew through at noon, causing a large ...

Sun n Fun storm damage  from AOPA Live: Latest videos from AOPA Live | Sun 'n Fun President John Burton's press conference on the devastating storm that struck the fly in.

SUN ‘n FUN responds to crisis  from General Aviation News by Drew Steketee | “The most amazing thing that has happened at SUN ‘n FUN,” said event president John Burton late Thursday, March 31 after “a tornado, a micro-burst, I don’t know” swept through the Lakeland, Florida, fly-in and air show. Local media reported multiple tornadoes north and south of the Lakeland area during the day including the major hit on Lakeland-Linder Airport at noontime.  Read more...

Tornado at Sun n Fun 2011 from photorecon.net | Sun n Fun this year had some unusually bad weather.  It was rare event, but people had some problems getting past weather to get to the show.  Thus we were short some acts for the airshow on Opening Day on Tuesday.   The air show on Wednesday was cancelled because of a storm that was moving [...]

Bad News from Sun ‘n Fun 2011  from Leaving Terra Firma by Matt | I’d like to start out by saying that I hope everything works out as best it can for everyone that is actually at Sun ‘n Fun. From what I understand, some severe storms and potentially a tornado tore through the airport there earlier today. According to the event staff, no major injuries were reported and, pending clean up today, the event should resume as close to planned as possible…

"Purple Radar Echos" UCAP #230-bravo  from Uncontrolled Airspace: General Aviation Podcast | UCAP Daily! Jack & Dave are joined by Dave Shallbetter to share their experience of the big SnF storm of 2011.

Sun-n-fun Tornado  from VAF Forums by BigJohn | Here are a few photos that I took immediately after the disaster at Sun-n-fun. This is just a small portion of the damage. We took refuge in one of the big steel hangars near the Van's tent, which somehow survived with Mitch Lock and possibly other Van's folks inside.

Red Arrows confirm Windermere Air Festival show - News & Star | The Red Arrows have confirmed that they will attend this year's Windermere Air Festival in July. Squadron Leader Graeme Bagnall, who is Red 10, is the team's commentator and on the ground safety supervisor. ...

All-female F-15 crew  from AF.mil Photos | Maj. Tracy Schmidt, Capt. Leigh Larkin, Maj. Christine Mau and Capt. Jennifer Morton pose for the camera before their mission March 29, 2011, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Schmidt is a 389gh Expeditionary Fighter Squadron F-15E Strike Eagle pilot, Larkin is a 389th ESF weapons system officer, Mau is a 455th Expeditionary Wing executive officer and F-15 pilot and Morton is a 389th EFS weapon system officer. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Sheila deVera)

Harrier crashes off ship - An AV-8B Harrier jump jet crashed Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden shortly after taking off from the amphibious assault ship Boxer, military officials told Marine Corps Times…

Aerospace legend Burt Rutan ready for a landing - Los Angeles Times | Burt Rutan's aviation design career has included numerous firsts in flight, including Voyager and SpaceShipOne. “I'm leaving the best job in the world,” says aeronautical engineer Burt Rutan, 67, who has worked for more than 45 years in the desolate ... and more »

HondaJet Has Achieved a Maximum Speed of 425 KTAS at 30,000 Ft.  from Planenews Aviation News by gil | The first FAA-conforming HondaJet has achieved a maximum speed of 425 KTAS at 30,000 ft., surpassing Honda's performance guarantee of 420 KTAS for the production aircraft.

Museum expansion cleared for takeoff - Monroe News Star | Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers. Museum director Nell Calloway said that in the past three years, many visitors have asked permission to look at the old planes which had been parked next door to the museum, but because of safety concerns she had ... and more »

Chennault museum snips ribbon on restoration building - Monroe News Star | It will be restored to become a replica of an aircraft flown by General Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers and to be enjoyed by museum visitors. Museum director Nell Calloway said that in the past three years, many visitors have asked permission to ... and more »

Naval Aviation: A gallant aviator makes his mark on history - Pensacola Business Journal | On Oct. 25, 1912, now-Ensign Chevalier reported to the aviation camp at Annapolis, Md., to begin the process of learning to fly, eventually receiving the designation of Naval Aviator No. 7. A member of the First Aeronautic Detachment, ...

Aviation Museum Strives to Survive Amid Base Closure - Patch.com | Theresa Katalinas For more than 25 years the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association has worked to preserve pieces of aviation history at its Wings of Freedom Museum. Now, the nonprofit, volunteer-run group is trying to preserve its own future ...

Group that maintains WWII planes scrambling to fund fire sprinklers for South ... - Greenfield Daily Reporter | The Minnesota Wing of the Commemorative Air Force has leased the hangar from the city since 1971. Without the events, "it would be hard to pick up that kind of cash flow someplace else," wing leader Amy Lauria told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. ...

First cruise missile — Kettering’s Bug  from Travel for Aircraft by travelforaircraft - Powered and controlled aviation began in the early years of the 20th century and aircraft rapidly evolved through WW I becoming large and with multiple engines — even flying onto and off of water. Glenn Curtiss had plans to have the first aircraft design to fly across the Atlantic with the America* — a Curtiss Model H — in 1914, barely a decade after the first controlled flight under power by the Wright Brothers in 1903. Cruise missiles also had their start in WW I with the Kettering Aerial Torpedo, more popularly known as the “Kettering Bug”, which could deliver a 180 lb (81kg) warhead to a target 75 miles (120km) away.

Operation Teaball: Network-Centric Real-Time Intelligence During Vietnam  from Tails Through Time by JP Santiago | In past blog posts I've discussed some of the measures taken by the military to reverse the decline in air combat proficiency in the skies over Vietnam. This past November I had blogged about the origins of Red Flag as well as the top secret USAF program to obtain and fly MiGs. Back in March I wrote about the US Navy's own efforts that began with the Ault Report. While these were all steps that would benefit fighter pilots in the skies over Vietnam, there was another effort that took place that has received scant attention in the history books and presaged today's military buzzword of "network-centric" warfare. Between the bombing halt of 1968 and the start of the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive in 1972, air combat over North Vietnam was nearly non-existent…

Area man fulfills dream to fly, overcomes obstacles - Killeen Daily Herald | 27, 1929, and his first job was delivering the Saturday Evening Post and Liberty Magazine to people on his route. He learned to deal with obstacles early on. His mother died in 1940 from heart disease, and he and his brother were raised by their ...

Air Force Week in Photos  from Air Force Link Top Stories by afnews@dma.mil  | This week's photo highlights feature Airmen around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.  View the slideshow.  more...

SpaceX: Something Big (and Heavy) is Coming  from Discovery News - Top Stories by Ian O'Neill | SpaceX has released a teaser video promoting something "big" that will be announced on Tuesday. We know what it is…

Hong Kong Airlines Orders Boeing 747-8  - It is a classic case of the cat jumping out of the bag, or it is a teaser like they did for the Qatar Airways 787 order. Whatever it is, Boeing’s own newairplane.com website has now confirmed what was a strong rumor during this year’s Asian Aerospace expo – Hong Kong Airlines will order the Boeing 747-8…

 

News Alert From SUN 'n FUN, Lakeland FL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact: Jim Bernegger       Director, Marketing & Communications      863-644-2431 x112 jbernegger@sun-n-fun.org March 31, 2011

News Alert from SUN 'n FUN, Lakeland FL SUN 'n FUN CAMPUS, LAKELAND, FL – The SUN 'n FUN  International Fly-In & Expo, taking place now through Sunday, April 3 at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Fla., experienced severe weather this afternoon  that caused significant damage to an estimated 50 exhibitor and privately owned aircraft as well as a large number of tents and other temporary structures.  No major injuries were reported, although 15 people were treated for injuries at SUN 'n FUN's on-site medical hospitality center. Seven of those were subsequently transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center. A national media outlet erroneously reported that a major building containing 70 people collapsed on site was erroneously reported on national media. SUN 'n FUN officials suspended the balance of the scheduled afternoon and evening activities at 3 p.m. to enable attendees and exhibitors to vacate the site in order to permit a safe and efficient clean-up of the site and prepare the campus for its scheduled 8 a.m. opening tomorrow (Friday, April 1). This will require an around-the-clock effort by SUN 'n FUN's remarkable corps of volunteers and tremendous professional support from City of Lakeland and Polk County emergency response personnel. The U.S. Navy's "Blue Angels" military jet demonstration team are expected to arrive Friday morning between 9 and 10 a.m.  The U.S. Air Force's high-tech front-line jet fighter aircraft, the F-22 "Raptor," is also expected to make its return appearance Friday morning.  The Raptor made its public debut at the 2006 SUN 'n FUN International Fly-In and Expo.  Both will be featured SUN 'n FUN air show performers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 1- 3.  Special weekend admission packages are available.  Access the SUN 'n FUN website (www.sun-n-fun.org) for the most current information and updates.