"There's nothing like flying in an open-cockpit biplane, with the wind in your face and the throaty rumble of a radial engine reverberating through the airframe," says Mike Collins, Pilot's former executive editor who recently assumed editorial responsibility for sister publication AOPA Flight Training. Collins says he is envious of Jerry Molter, who gets to fly a biplane for a living — he and his wife, Anne, quit technology jobs to start a Florida-based sightseeing operation (see " Quit the Day Job," page 97). Look for the Molters' yellow Waco at AOPA Expo in Fort Lauderdale this month, where it may represent manufacturer Waco Classic Aircraft in the static display — otherwise you can see it in Lantana, 31 nautical miles to the north, where you can hop a ride along the coast.
Research for the story on the first Beech Baron (see " The Baron's Reign," page 126) began many years ago when Frank Kimmel, the owner of TC-1, called AOPA to see if he could obtain the original paint and interior specifications for his airplane. Ironically, on the other end of the phone at AOPA was aviation technical specialist Rob Hackman who had spent many hours instructing in that very airplane when it was a trainer at Hesston College. Hackman put Kimmel in touch with Pilot's then-technical editor and fellow Baron owner, Pete Bedell. "The first thing I did was call Raytheon because I knew that 2001 would mark the fortieth anniversary of the Baron. I thought it would be nice to have the airplanes on display together," says Bedell. Raytheon mentioned that the 2000th Baron 58 would make its way down the line in 2001 and that there would be a little something done to mark the occasion. The final result of the effort was the meeting of TC-1 and TH-2000 at their birthplace in Wichita. Factory workers pored curiously over TC-1 and commented on the vast differences — yet amazing similarities — to its contemporary big brother.
There's something exotic about flying in foreign lands. Perhaps more so in the eastern reaches of Germany, where communism once held sway at the expense of economic modernization. Pastoral scenery slides by, hinting powerfully at that region's strong agricultural base. But what's missing is new industry. To help reverse the damage in "the new states," as politically correct Germans would say, the German government has been subsidizing industries that relocate to eastern states. One beneficiary is Frank Thielert, owner of Thielert Aircraft Engines. He picked up Editor at Large Tom Horne in his Mooney in August and together they flew from Berlin to Thielert's spanking-new factory in a tiny burg in Saxony. "Our engine parts are built to tolerances as close as one micron," Thielert boasted in front of one of his new milling machines. Horne flew a prototype Piper Warrior fitted out with one of Thielert's TAE 125 turbodiesel engines. He reports auto-like engine smoothness and ease of operation in this issue's " Diesel Dawn" story (see page 83), reviews France's GA diesel offerings, and unveils Thielert's latest venture — a sales and distribution agreement with Dallas-based Superior Air Parts.
Senior Editor Al Marsh found two fast friends — in more ways than one — when he visited the Arnav Company in Puyallup, Washington (see " On Display: Another Leap Ahead," page 151). Pilots Peter Morton and Delmar Fadden, who demonstrated Arnav displays for Marsh in their Cirrus SR20, became friends when they worked for Boeing. Now both retired, they bought the Cirrus together and requested the registration number N365DP, meaning 365 days of fun flying for Del and Peter.
