Author Archive for Editor
B-17 Could Have Been Saved
By Wayman Dunlap
Editor
The T-6 chase plane pilot's voice came screeching through the B-17's radio: "You're on fire, you're on fire, you're on fire!"
The crew of the "Liberty Belle" had already smelled smoke that sunny June 13th shortly after takeoff at 9:30 a.m. from the Aurora, Ill. airport. "Put it on the ground, put it [...]
Chino Airshow Warbirder’s Delight
Story And Photos
By Jim Mumaw
Say "Chino" and two things come immediately to the mind of anybody who loves flight, especially by or in warbirds.
First, the Planes of Fame Museum, one of the premiere facilities of its kind. Second is their annual airshow.
Between San Bernardino County, the Museum and untold numbers of aircraft owners, performers and [...]
Narco Avionics Closes
Narco Avionics has closed its doors for good, according to its website, and is reportedly in bankruptcy proceedings.
On its site (www.narco-avionics.com) there is one page and it only contains the following message:
"Due to circumstances beyond our control, we regret to inform you that after over 65 years in business, Narco Avionics, Inc. has closed. A [...]
Amanda Franklin Badly Burned In Airshow Crash
Kyle Franklin and His wingwalker wife Amanda were injured when their Waco biplane caught fire during a performance in South Texas over the March 13 weekend.
Both are being treated at a burn unit in San Antonio.
Brooke (brook) Army Medical Center spokeswoman Lindan Moya says Kyle Franklin was in stable condition March 14, while [...]
Women On Submarines and the PC Tide Infecting Our Military
Guest Essay By
Fredrick Gary Hareland
The recent announcement out of Adm. Michael G. Mullen's office about allowing women to serve aboard nuclear submarines only serves to accentuate the modern day malady that is sweeping through the Pentagon and infecting our Flag Officers.
I'm referring to the discarding of the Warrior Mentality and replacing it with the [...]
Navy Celebrates 100 Years of Aviation
By Wayman Dunlap
Editor
North Island, on a peninsula across the bay from San Diego, was the "official" kick off of the Centennial of Naval Aviation (CoNA) celebration Feb. 12 even though an event at Norfolk was held a couple of months ago.
But as it's where the Navy's first pilot trained (without a plane), so has [...]
Santa Monica Airport Wins Court Case
Cities may not ban certain types of aircraft from landing at its airport, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia declared in denying Santa Monica's efforts to ban certain types of jets.
In a decision released this month, the Court denied a petition from the city of Santa Monica to do just that, [...]
SAFE Fighting Expensive NPRM
The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) has taken a leadership role to address a Notice of Proposed Rule Making that they say could add up to $210 to the cost of pilot certificates.
On November 19, 2010, the FAA issued an NPRM entitled, Photo Requirements for Pilot Certificates (Docket No. FAA-2010-1127; Notice No. 2010-16). [...]
Retired General Spruance Dies
Retired Brig. Gen. William “Bill” Spruance, 94, died in his Las Vegas home this month, according to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
A university spokesman called him an “irreplaceable supporter and friend.”
Spruance was commissioned in the Army Air Corps after graduating from Princeton University in 1939 and worked for Gen. George S. Patton. He flew 362 missions in [...]
What’s Happened To My U.S. Navy?
By Wayman Dunlap
Editor/Publisher
I was, am and always will be proud of my four years of service in the United States Navy but something has gone drastically wrong.
It is now a seagoing force more interested in political correctness (at the Pentagon level) than it is the welfare of its officers and enlisted personnel. Of course, I'm [...]
