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Red Bull Air Race rookies
Four rookie pilots, one only 24 years old, will join the ranks of those competing for the Red Bull Air Race World Championship title in 2009.
Up, up and away
Michael Ranieri spent two decades in the corporate world before he decided to leave it all behind, to waft along on the breeze as a hot-air balloon pilot.
Pilot goes from air to space
Col. Eric A. Boe, a pilot on the space shuttle "Endeavor," credits the Civil Air Patrol with helping him to achieve his career goals of becoming a fighter pilot and an astronaut. Boe is a former Georgia Wing cadet and current Florida Wing member.
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Planning your aviation career
Planning your career will take some careful consideration as well as a lot of investigation. Learn the requirements that make up each pilot certificate or rating you'll need and the minimum qualifications. Know that there are numerous ways of completing each step, all of which lead to the same piece of FAA-issued plastic.
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The Personal Tilt-Rotor
Falx Air owner Simon Scott is designing a hybrid-electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) craft that he believes has the potential to revolutionize medevacs and personal air transportation. Scott envisions a craft that would be capable of zooming across the sky at 230 miles an hour, tilting its wings and rotors up, hovering, and setting down at the scene of an automobile wreck.
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Outlook Good for VLJs
Although the last year has created numerous challenges in the very light business jet sector, the long-term demand for jets in that segment is high, forecasters and others claim. In the last year, two jet makers--Aviation Technology Group and Adam Aircraft--filed for bankruptcy, while Eclipse Aviation reduced jobs and manufacturing.
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The Sky is the Limit for Senior Dreams to Come True
Eighty-three-year-old Perley Bouscaren recently made her initial skydive from 13,000 feet, with the assistance of Tandem Master Dennis Dyminsk. The event was made possible by the Clearlake, Calif., assisted-living facility Orchard Park's "Dream Day" program and Clearlake Police Lt. Mike Hermann.
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I'm Late for Work, Must Fly
U.S.-firm Terrafugia has developed a prototype vehicle that can be flown as well as driven. The company's Transition vehicle is described as "a more useful airplane" because it will be able to avoid traffic congestion by flying, yet could be driven on land in bad weather.
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Record-Setting Pilot Helps Kids Dreams Take Flight
The youngest and first African-American pilot to fly solo around the world, Barrington Irving is now helping others' dreams take flight. Irving recently took a test ride in an aircraft that was built from the ground up by Miami, Fla., high school students.
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A Man and His Magnificent Flying Machine
Spring Valley, Ohio, resident Jack Tiffany is credited with resuscitating the Pitcairn PA-18 autogiro aircraft, said to be the most unusual aircraft ever constructed. He served in the Army Special Forces during the 1960s and, when he returned home, performed 3,000 skydiving jumps.
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Muskegon Airport Points to Importance of Business
The business community in Muskegon County, Mich., wants county commissioners to maintain funding for the Muskegon County Airport in future budgets. Business leaders report growing demand for charter and private flights, as corporate travelers increasingly turn away from commercial flights.
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U.K. Balloonist Makes a Living Flying High
In October, Andrew Holly took part in the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race in Natchez, Miss., without competing in it. "I just want to chill out and do this for fun," he explained. Holly came from Breadstone, England, where he has been a professional balloonist for the past 12 years.
