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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Pearl Carter Scott, 1928: Youngest licensed pilot in America


Visitors at OshKosh will have a chance to see this movie.

Synopsis
Beautifully filmed, impeccably portrayed, the feature film "Pearl", a production of the Chickasaw Nation, brings to life the endearing story of Pearl Carter Scott - Chickasaw aviatrix.

Click to view the movie trailerElijah DeJesus, in her first lead role, brings Pearl into being for the film audience. A spunky 12 year old Pearl soars as she befriends world renowned pilot Wiley Post, which introduces her to a love for flying and to becoming the youngest pilot in American aviation history.

Raised in the late 1920's in Marlow, Oklahoma, Pearl encountered her share of obstacles. This Chickasaw girl rises above adversity, takes on responsibility and, with the guidance of her father, holds fast to her 'never give up' attitude.

The feature film, 'Pearl' is a welcoming breath of fresh air for audiences of all ages. The story of Pearl Carter Scott is one worth telling, as it is inspiring, heartfelt and true to the character of Pearl.

This film is sure to spur encouragement in the hearts and minds of its viewers. No matter ones age, or background, Pearl reminds us of the resilience, determination and drive we all have within us - that dreams are possible when you 'never give up'.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

PR: Bruce Bohannon's "Flyin Tiger" is for sale


“You are Cleared to 50,000 Feet.”

“It’s not every General Aviation pilot gets to hear that,” said Bruce Bohannon, as he recounted his last absolute propeller-driven altitude attempt. “Hearing ATC say that made the whole effort worth it.”

Bohannon, in his Flyin’ Tiger (also called the Exxon Flyin’ Tiger, depending on sponsorship), set 30 world records for time-to-climb and altitude. He and the ’Tiger still hold them all – the only machine to have ever broken any of those 30 records is… the Flyin’ Tiger, with Bohannon aboard.

The only time-to-climb record he doesn’t hold is the lowest, from brake release to 3000 meters, held by the 6-time Unlimited-class Reno champion Rare Bear, “and that airplane has more horsepower than mine has rivets,” Bohannon notes.

The result of Bohannon’s vision and work, a design that originated with Dick Van Grunsven (though Van takes no credit for the Flyin’ Tiger’s results, explaining that the original design and the final product are truly two different things!), and untold hours of work by crew chief and master fabricator Gary Hunter, engine man Phil Haponic (then of Mattituck), and turbo guru Ralph Benway, the Flyin’ Tiger blasted holes in the sky that no other airplane has equaled.

Among the records held are all but one of the time-to-climb, unlimited piston altitude records (unlimited displacement, induction, engine size, number of engines…), as well as unlimited piston-power altitude records – in excess of FL410. Way in excess: Bohannon flew officially to 47,067 feet, and 47,530 unofficially. (The altitude was verified, but not high enough to break his old record by a sufficient amount to go into the official record books.)

With these accomplishments, Bohannon was the only man ever to win two Blériot Prizes in consecutive years; and the next year, he became the only one to ever have won three – all in the Flyin’ Tiger.

The Flyin’ Tiger is for sale. It’s in Texas, ready to fly. More fun, more history, and more officially-sanctioned performance records than any aircraft that’s ever been available to the public. For about the price of a new complex piston single or basic twin.

Bohannon says, “I’d like it to go to someone who appreciates what the Flyin’ Tiger is and what it’s done; someone who wants to experience this historic (and really high-performance) machine, and then donate it to a worthy museum.”

Of course, there is a lot of knowledge and development that goes with this machine. It’s knowledge that took the best in the business many years to gain. It all goes to the new owner in beautiful original condition, and without the pain.

Qualified parties should contact Bruce Bohannon: flyalegend@gmail.com

More info on records: www.naa.aero
(and thanks to the NAA for the cover of the 2003 edition of the record book!)

Monday, July 26, 2010

Rare Earhart photos on Display in Hawaii


HONOLULU
Amelia Earhart is returning to The Royal Hawaiian.

The historic Waikiki hotel is hosting an exhibition of rarely seen photographs taken of the pioneering aviator when she visited Hawaii and stayed at the "Pink Palace of the Pacific" during the 1930s.

The black-and-white images show a Earhart relaxing in a swimsuit and leaning against a palm tree while she gazes at the ocean. A few show her observing legendary surfer and Hawaii icon Duke Kahanamoku carve a pineapple for her.

IN PICTURES: Flight School

The photos show a side of Earhart many people might not be familiar with, especially those who have only seen her wearing a bomber jacket and aviator pants.

"They bring her to life," said Lynn Krantz, the archivist at Matson Navigation Co. which found the images in their files last year.

"For instance, when you look at this one and you see her smile — it's like whoa, joie de vivre," Krantz said, using the French phrase for "joy of living."

Matson, which operated a luxury ocean liner between California and Hawaii in the early 20th century, built the Royal Hawaiian in the 1927 to give its well-heeled passengers a place to stay in the islands.

One of the photos shows Earhart listening to guitarists on a lanai that's next to the lounge where the exhibit is being held.

Several shots show Earhart during a two-week trip to Hawaii that began in December 1934. She had arrived in Honolulu on Matson's S.S. Lurline from Los Angeles, with her husband George Putnam, a publicist, and a Lockheed Vega airplane.

The couple initially explained they planned to use the plane to tour the islands. A few days later they surprised everyone with the announcement Earhart would pilot the plane back to California, a journey no one — man or woman — had ever attempted. She completed the flight in 18 hours on Jan. 12, 1935.

Other shots show her on her last trip to Hawaii in March 1937 — several months before she vanished over the South Pacific during an attempt to be the first woman to fly around the world.

Earhart, then 39, and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared on July 2 en route to Howland Island from New Guinea.

Kelly Hoen, general manager of The Royal Hawaiian, said she's heard from longtime returning guests who are enjoying getting a glimpse of what hotel looked like when their parents stayed there.

Younger guests, meanwhile, are learning more about the heritage of resort, she said.

Hoen stressed everyone — not just those staying at the five-star hotel — are welcome to enjoy the exhibit.

"We encourage everybody to come and take a look," Hoen said.

The exhibit of 65 photos, which opened Saturday — Earhart's 113th birthday — is scheduled through the end of the year.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

1st Maori pilot: Porokoru Patapu (John) Pohe

Another interesting doc from New Zealand. Not a woman pilot, but interesting just the same:

http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/turangaarere-the-john-pohe-story-2008

Porokoru Patapu (John) Pohe was the first Māori pilot in the RNZAF. Nicknamed 'Lucky Johnny', he was a WWII hero who flew an amazing 22 missions, was involved in the legendary 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III, and insisted on removing his blindfold when he faced a German firing squad. This award-winning docu-drama tells Pohe's extraordinary life story. When the doco screened on Māori Television, Listener reviewer Diana Wichtel called it "a terrific yarn", and it won Best Documentary Aotearoa at the 2008 Wairoa Māori Film Festival Awards.

Jean Batten: The Garbo of the Skies - documentary

The documentary can be viewed in its entirety here:

http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/jean-batten---the-garbo-of-the-skies-1988

In the 1930s aviatrix Jean Batten broke solo distance flying records and achieved international fame. Directed by her biographer, Ian Mackersey, Garbo of the Skies chronicles Batten's life through archive footage, interviews, narration from her unpublished memoirs and reconstructions of her epic flights. The film also reveals a lonely private world: a domineering mother, romantic tragedy, an itinerant fall into obscurity, and death in a Majorcan hotel (a mystery solved by research for the film). It screened on TVNZ, and sold to Discovery Channel and the BBC.

Highland woman was pilot in WWII celebrates birthday

Highland woman was pilot in WWII celebrates birthday


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10:00 PM PDT on Friday, July 23, 2010

By HOLLY LA PAT
Special to The Press-Enterprise


Alma Fornal fell in love with flying as a 21-year-old college student nearly 70 years ago.

"Somebody took me up in an airplane and I thought, I've just got to do this," she said.

The Highland resident, who became one of the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs), received the Congressional Gold Medal for her service during World War II. She celebrated her 90th birthday Friday, surrounded by friends at the American Legion Post 106 in Redlands.

Story continues below

Special to The Press-Enterprise
Alma Fornal, of Highland, received the Congressional Gold Medal for her service during World War II. She celebrated her 90th birthday Friday at the American Legion Post in Redlands.
"We met Alma years ago," said Jack Smith, a past service officer at the American Legion Post. "She joined our post and she's been a star ever since. She was ahead of her time."

In 1942, Fornal had already gotten her license when she heard the service needed pilots.

"The planes were piling up in the factories and all the pilots were overseas," Fornal said. "Mrs. Roosevelt said, 'Women can do that.' "

Of more than 25,000 women who applied, Fornal was one of 1,830 accepted and of 1,074 who successfully completed the required military training.

"It was the same training they gave to the men," Fornal said.

Her first assignment was as a test pilot, flying planes to make sure they were in working order. Her next job was riskier -- towing targets over the Gulf of Mexico for gunnery practice. "We'd make a rectangle over the water," she said. "I didn't realize it was a dangerous job, but I did well."

The women who flew during those years didn't receive veterans' status until 37 years after the war ended.

"When the war was over, they told us to go home -- they couldn't use us any more," Fornal said.

But she didn't go home. She stayed on base and taught flying at Kendall Field in Florida. There, she met Joe Fornal, an Air Force officer. They married in 1945, and she turned her attention to raising a family.

"I really didn't miss flying that much," Fornal said. "When I flew, he didn't mind it, but he preferred that I was on the ground because he worried. He wanted me to be safe."

Fornal's husband died in 2000. Their two children, John and Jean, are in their 50s.

"We had 55 years together," she said. "I would have missed flying more if I hadn't had a full life, but I've had a very full life."

In March, Fornal and the other surviving WASPs received the Congressional Gold Medal. She was also grand marshal of this year's Fourth of July parade in Redlands.

"There's been so much happening in my life lately that I can't believe it," Fornal said. "All these years, no one even knew we existed."

Micky Axton: First woman to fly a B-29

Wichita service honors aviation heroine Micky Axton

All her life, Micky Axton loved aviation.
BY Conor Shine
The Wichita Eagle

Born in Coffeyville in 1919, she had her first ride in an airplane when she was 11, received her pilot's license when she was 21 and was still flying planes in her 70s. She served as a pilot in World War II and became the first woman to fly a Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

American flags dotted the White Chapel Cemetery, 1806 N. Oliver, Friday where a memorial service was held in honor of Mildred "Micky" Axton. Axton, who spent much of her life in Wichita, passed away in February at age 91 in Minnesota, where she had been living with family.

During the ceremony, Axton was given full military honors. Five restored World War II planes, including one named "Miss Micky" in her honor, performed a flyover.

Axton's love of aviation was sparked when she was taken on a plane ride by her neighbor when she was a young girl, said Jannel McCullough, Axton's granddaughter.

Axton went on to obtain a degree from Kansas State University and her pilot's license from Coffeyville Community College through the Civilian Pilot Training Program. She was busy raising her 1-year-old daughter when, in 1943, she was asked to put her piloting skills to use for the U.S. Army Air Force, said Sherry Axton, Micky Axton's daughter-in-law.

Micky Axton became a member of the newly formed Women Airforce Service Pilots, also known as WASP, which was a group of female pilots that helped shuttle airplanes from factories to military bases.

She was motivated to join in part by letters she received from her brother, who was serving as a fighter pilot at Guadalcanal.

"Since she knew how to fly already, she said, 'I wish I could help,' and then she got the letter inviting her to become a WASP," Sherry Axton said.

About 1,000 female pilots served in WASP, said Col. Herb Duncan of the Commemorative Air Force Jayhawk Wing. Female pilots were not allowed to fly combat missions, but they filled important support roles while freeing male pilots for combat duty.

After about a year in the service, Axton returned to Wichita and became a flight test engineer for Boeing.

She later went on to teach science, aeronautics and debate at Wichita East High School.

Although her career no longer involved flying planes, Axton stayed active in the aviation community throughout her life.

She joined the Commemorative Air Force and shared her stories across the country from her time in the Army Air Force. In 2009, Axton and other WASP pilots were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal for their service.

Much of Axton's family, which includes two children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, were in Wichita for the service. McCullough, Axton's granddaughter who lives in Minnesota, said the family appreciated the response of Wichita's aviation and military communities.

"This would have meant the world to her," she said.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Speakers at the AOPA Aviation Summit, Nov 11-13, 2010

Got my august 2010 issue of AOPA today.

It's got a list of the forums scheduled for the AOPA Aviation Summit.

Of the 33 forums scheduled, only 4 are given by women.

Now, I'm not complaining. Women are supposely only 6% of pilots (and that percentage has been steady since the beginning of aviation) so any more than 4 women making presentations would be disproportionate. I just think its an interesting statistic.

So, what are the forums led by women?

Keep Young and Fly Forever, by Janet Lapp, flight instructor, psychologist, author, motivational humorist

Pinch Hitter: Susan Parsons, special assistant, FAA

Women Leaders in Aviation: Dr. Peggy Chabrian, funder and President, Women in Aviation, Internatoional.

Finally,

The Kings on Avoiding Unwanted Adventure, John and Martha King, King School

Websites:
http://www.lapp.com/: “It is a myth that change takes time. People can change overnight. It’s a decision, not a process.”

Susan Parsons - no website, except the FAA

Peggy Chabrian - http://www.wai.org/board/chabrian_dr.cfm

King Schools - http://www.kingschools.com/

Friday, July 23, 2010

PR: Powder Puff Pilot Debuts Children’s Book at AirVenture



Introduces Third Title in the Claire Bear Series
www.PowderPuffPilot.com
July 22, 2010 – Aurora, Colorado – It’s never too early to start ground school for the next generation of pilots, even if they’re preschoolers! Denver-based publisher Powder Puff Pilot makes learning about aviation fun with their trilogy of full-color picture books starring Claire Bear, a pink‑clad aerobatic performer and mentor for aspiring young pilots. Their newest book, Claire Bear Explains… What Pilots Fly has been released just in time for visitors to EAA’s AirVenture to take home to their favorite youngster. The “World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration,” held annually in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, begins Monday, July 26 and lasts through Sunday Aug 1.

The Claire Bear series is the brainchild of Sue Hughes, a pilot since 1996 and a current flight instructor and aviation technical writer, whose goal is to introduce the thrills and excitement of aviation to a new generation. Hughes will attend AirVenture all 7 days, signing copies of all of the books in her Claire Bear series at the Author’s Corner located in the EAA Warehouse.

In Claire Bear Explains… What Pilots Fly, a young girl asks Claire Bear what she flies. The accomplished aviatrix takes the opportunity to teach the youngster the wide range of aircraft and missions that pilots fly—from gliders and hot air balloons to jet fighters and spacecraft—ending with the query, “What will you fly?” Hughes shared her motivation for her new release, “I want kids, especially girls, to imagine themselves in one of these cockpits, and then follow through on that dream as an adult.” Hughes presents the many facets of aviation in 48 pages with lyrical rhymes and bright, colorful illustrations that kids from 3 to 7 will adore.

The first book in the series, Claire Bear Presents… The Pilot Alphabet, published in 2008, teaches Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, and the rest of the words that pilots and air traffic controllers use to communicate clearly over the radio. Now in its third printing, it was named by USA Book News as a National 2009 Best Book finalist in the Children’s Picture Book category. Last year, Hughes published her second picture book, Claire Bear’s First Solo, which accurately depicts a pilot’s first solo experience—an exhilarating flight that every aviator vividly remembers.

In addition to publishing, Powder Puff Pilot designs and sells pilot gear and accessories for women, such as a pink pilot logbook, pink aviation headsets, and pink seat cushions. They also carry over 20 other biographies, flight adventures, and fiction titles that are by and/or about amazing aviatrixes.

Powder Puff Pilot was founded in November 2008 by Sue Hughes of Aurora , Colorado . Among her other published works are This Day in Women’s Aviation, a page-a-day calendar for 2011 that celebrates events and milestones achieved by women in aviation. Powder Puff Pilot products are sold online and at over 60 retailers, including aviation museums, pilot shops, and bookstores. For more information or to order Powder Puff Pilot products, visit www.PowderPuffPilot.com or call toll free at 888-801-6628.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

PR: Here’s a chance to see the first production “dealer” Skycatcher, S/N 7, before it becomes a “private” Skycatcher!

I'm a bit late posting this press release. Sorry about that.

Just to let you know what you missed today, if you were busy watching golf:

On Saturday, July 17, between 10a.m. and 2p.m., visit Van Bortel Aircraft, Inc., at the Arlington (TX) Municipal Airport (KGKY).

The World’s Largest Cessna Dealer is the first to display the new C-162, fresh from a couple short hops out of Kansas.

There will be plenty of other Cessnas on display, as well – the Van Bortel folks will be glad to see you there.

Van Bortel Aircraft, Inc.
Arlington Municipal Airport • 4912 South Collins • Arlington TX 76018
1-800-SKYHAWK • 800-759-4295 • 817-468-7788 • Fax 817-468-7886

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Press Release: Sensenich Announces New Ground-Adjustable Composite Prop for RVs

Sensenich Announces New Ground-Adjustable Composite Prop for RVs

July 16, 2010; Plant City, Florida: The testing is complete. The prop is ready.
OSH KOSH FLY IN: JULY 26 - AUGUST 1, 2010

Building on the success of their composite adjustable propellers that are so popular in the LSA world on the Rotax, Jabiru, and TCM O-200 engines, Sensenich Propellers have announced the adjustable, pin-indexed composite solution for many Lycoming-engine RV builders and owners.

The 72” two-blade prop incorporates patent-pending design features in the lightweight hollow-blade “I-beam” construction; and props are available complete with Sensenich’s co-cured metal erosion shield and available pre-fitted, pre-drilled, well-balanced spinners.

Sensenich pin-indexing allows precisely-matched, simple, repeatable blade positioning, with alignment of both blades assured.

The new propellers will be displayed for the first time at AirVenture Oshkosh,
in Exhibitor Booth 4145-47 (in Hangar D).

OSH KOSH FLY IN: JULY 26 - AUGUST 1, 2010

More: www.Sensenich.com

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Press Release: Control VIsion Is Giving Away 10 Quadras

The Best Handheld GPS System is Now Free*

In celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of Anywhere Map™, Control Vision is giving away ten new Quadra™ systems. (For those who already have a Quadra, awards of an EFB upgrade or a combo Lifetime Anywhere Map with 100LL.com fuel prices subscription are offered.)

The Quadra features a 4.3" true high-definition display with four times the detail of “other” 4.3-inch aviation GPS units. Aviation navigation and street mapping are built right in, and features like geo-referenced taxiways, 180 meter terrain, and obstacle awareness are standard features.

Everything you need is included: turn it on, and it works right out of the box. Adding features like XM Weather, sectional charts and approach plates can be done anytime. Further, the Quadra’s MaxNAV™ technology makes the traditional boundaries of the original Sectional charts unnecessary. (Individual chart tiles are each stamped with an expiration date; a simple online process automatically keeps the map tiles current and up-to-date.)

Once you’ve flown to your destination, you can take the compact, self-contained display unit with you and enjoy superb 3D street mapping in your car. The system comes with both a car mount AND a full yoke mount.

*Here’s the “free” part: Control Vision is running this giveaway online.

The address for the giveaway is www.anywheremap.com/10for10/; and to learn more about the incredible Quadra system, including comparisons to less-capable, higher-priced units, have a look: www.anywheremap.com/anywheremap-quadra.aspx

Friday, July 16, 2010

Edith Cook Remembered

From the BBC on July 15: Remembering Britain's first female pilot

A memorial and headstone dedication service for Britain's first female pilot takes place at the London Road ceremony in Coventry.

Edith Cook, who was originally from Ipswich, died following a parachuting accident in Coventry in July 1910. During a routine jump from a hot air balloon, a gust of wind took her off course and she hit a factory roof, dying a few days later.

On the 100th anniversary, members of her family and the Lord Mayor of Coventry joined others at the special service.

BBC Midlands Today's Joan Cummins speaks with her great, great, great niece, Louise Argent.

Biography from Wikipedia:
Edith Maud Cook (1 September 1878–14 July 1910), also known as Viola Spencer-Kavanagh, Viola Spencer, Viola Kavanagh, and perhaps as Viola Fleet and Elsa Spencer, was an early British parachutist, balloonist, and aviatrix.

Biography
Cook was born on 1 September 1878, in Ipswich, Suffolk, the daughter of James Wells Cook, a confectioner, and Mary Ann Baker.[1] Her birthplace is marked by a plaque erected by the Ipswich Society in 2007.

Cook was variously known as Miss Spencer-Kavanagh, Viola Spencer-Kavanagh, Viola Spencer, and Viola Kavanagh. She is also reputed to have been known as Viola Fleet and Elsa Spencer, although another lady parachutist was using the latter name in 1919. It would seem that she used the names Viola Spencer and Viola Kavanagh when undertaking parachuting engagements, and the name Spencer-Kavanagh as an aviatrix. She worked for the Spencer Brothers and Auguste Eugene Gaudron.

In August 1908, she had a narrow escape when trying to make a parachute jump at Ilkeston, Derbyshire. On attaining the desired altitude she found that she could not detach the parachute from the balloon. Clinging on she continued to gain height and drifted during the night before she finally came down some twenty-five miles from her starting point. This event was widely reported in newspapers at the time.

She was reputed to have made over 300 parachute jumps in a career spanning over 10 years. She was reported in the newspapers to carry a small revolver with her as she could never be sure where she might land.

Edith was a pupil at the Blériot flying school and at Claude Graham-White's school at Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques in 1909 or early 1910, where she learnt to fly and according to journals of the day became the first British woman to pilot a plane.

She died from injuries sustained following a jump from a balloon at Coventry on 9 July 1910. Her parachute collapsed after a gust of wind blew her on to a factory roof. It was reported that another gust of wind caught the parachute and she fell from the factory roof sustaining serious injuries. She died on the 14th, and an inquest was held on the 16th; her death certificate states the cause of her death as "Internal injuries, broken pelvis and arm, caused by a fall from a parachute. Accidental." Apparently Dolly Shepherd had been due to make the jump at Coventry but Cook took her place.

In 2008 Suffolk Aviation Heritage Group launched a campaign to erect a statue to Edith Cook in her home town of Ipswich in Suffolk.

Monday, July 12, 2010

PR: OSHKOSH - join BERINGER® Wheels & Brakes for their Forum at AirVenture Oshkosh 2010

Please join BERINGER® Wheels & Brakes for their Forum at AirVenture Oshkosh 2010, where Gilbert and Véronique Beringer will demonstrate and explain their patented ALIR system for aircraft braking. ALIR allows differential braking for steering, but prevents one-wheel lockup. The result is more braking confidence and effectiveness.

The ALIR system (Anti-skid Inline Regulator) is available as a retrofit for most Experimentals, and BERINGER is also open to establishing relationships with LSA OEMs, to incorporate BERINGER Wheels, Brakes, and the ALIR system as upgrade options.

Additionally, Beringer is looking to qualify certain Service Centers, and invites inquiries throughout AirVenture.

Where / When: TWO special events!

Booth: #437, during all of AirVenture

Forum: Wednesday, July 28, 8:30a.m. in Workshop Classroom I K 10 (light refreshments!)

Press Conference: Thursday, July 29, 9:00a.m., in the Press Briefing Tent

Please visit us, have a look at the components and systems, and join our effort to provide beautiful, high-performance solutions to wheel and brake questions.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

PR: Flying Musicians Establish Corporate Membership

More: – www.PacificCoastJazz.com - www.FlyingMusicians.org

Fort Worth, Texas –July 10, 2010: The Flying Musicians Association, Inc., a non-profit organization, has established a Corporate Membership level for companies who would like to affiliate and support the organizations efforts and goals. Annual membership will enable corporate members to proudly display and market to our members as well as their clients and gain publicity from FMA’s media relations, events and activities. “We have thought about this for some time so when pressed, it was not a hard decision,” remarked Co-Founder John Zapp. "Since our conception, many companies have expressed that they too share our beliefs and would like to show their support while helping Flying Musicians reach out and grow the pilot population."


FMA welcomes its first Corporate Member, Pacific Coast Jazz/TOL. "We are very excited to have Pacific Coast Jazz join the Flying Musicians Association. We look forward to their participation in our Fly-In MusicFests and Fly-In MusicJams. We hope to have many more corporations join our organization," says Mrs. Hummel.

“Pacific Coast Jazz / That Other Label are proud to be a corporate member in FMA. Our first artist, Bradley Leighton, is a pilot and we've sponsored his flying musical tours. We are happy to know that he's bringing joy and music education to the lives of many children through the power of his music. We will be at AirVenture and look forward to the event very much,” says Donna Nichols, founder and president of Pacific Coast Jazz.

About Pacific Coast Jazz /TOL:
Pacific Coast Jazz / That Other Label, founded in 2003, are world-class boutique record labels that provide traditional retail and digital international distribution services to musical (and DVD) projects of all genres. Our goal is to bring new and refreshing musicians to audiences worldwide. We offer professional insight and direction to create the right opportunities for independent musicians using a grass roots approach. We act as quarterback for new musical projects and specialize in their publicity, promotion and advertising needs.

About the Flying Musicians Association:
The Flying Musicians Association, Inc. took off in 2009 by blending two passions: flying and music. FMA was founded by two pilot/musicians, John Zapp and Aileen Hummel, who have made it their quest to encourage, promote, educate and support these two passions.

More: – www.PacificCoastJazz.com - www.FlyingMusicians.org

PR: "THE RAVIATOR" HEADS TO OSHKOSH

“The Raviator” delivers

Multiple Musical Performances plus
Popular Lectures at AirVenture Oshkosh 2010
More information is available at www.theRaviator.com

Professional musician and aviation activist Ravi will have a busy week at AirVenture 2010. He will be a featured performer on Monday at 11am and Thursday and Friday at 12pm in the Sennheiser Aviation Headsets tent--in conjunction with the Flying Musicians Association--and will give two lectures over the weekend.

On Saturday at 1pm, EAA Learn To Fly Discovery Center will present Ravi's "Why Everyone Should Learn to Fly," which he first gave last year at AOPA Summit. Ravi once wrote in an article for AOPA Flight Training Magazine, "Imagine if learning to fly were a requirement to graduate high school. American education probably wouldn't be falling behind on the world's stage.” He tackles the issue not only from a practical point of view, but from a personal, cultural and social perspective inspiring everyone to reach his/her life potential by participating in one of humanity's greatest achievements--aviation.

Later that day at 4pm, EAA Forums will present Ravi's "Grow Student Enrollment and Keep Them Longer." "If you are a flight school manager or instructor, you won't want to miss it!" says AOPA's Flight Training Magazine about this presentation. Having spent many years helping the music industry grow the guitar market, Ravi now uses that expertise to teach flight schools to better connect with the emotional and practical needs of those in their communities, empowering them to not just revive or survive, but thrive.

Ravi’s appearances are supporting aviation and the Flying Musicians Association, of which he is a founding member; and he is thankful to his sponsors: Sennheiser Aviation Headsets, Gleim, BrightLine Bags, and Maui Jim, for making these Oshkosh appearances possible.

Oshkosh 2010 SCHEDULE:

Monday, 11am - Music Performance, Sennheiser Headsets Tent (with the Flying Musicians Association)

Thursday, 12pm - Music Performance, Sennheiser Headsets Tent (with the Flying Musicians Association)

Friday, 12pm - Music Performance, Sennheiser Headsets Tent (with the Flying Musicians Association)

Saturday 1pm - Lecture Presentation "Why Everyone Should Learn to Fly," EAA Learn To Fly Discovery Center

Saturday 4pm - Lecture Presentation "Grow Student Enrollment and Keep Them Longer," Forums Gama Pavilion 2

About Ravi:

Ravi "The Raviator" is a pilot and motivational speaker who is bringing renewed passion to the aviation industry. In addition to his own passion for aviation, Ravi is an accomplished musician who shot to worldwide fame at a young age as the guitarist for the '90's band Hanson, playing guitar in front of millions of screaming teenage fans in scenes reminiscent of "Beatlemania." Hanson's triple Grammy nominated chart-topping song "MMMBop" catapulted the band into the music stratosphere, taking Ravi to stages at the White House, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, Rosie O'Donnell, and Madison Square Garden, as well as the Louisiana Superdome as a solo artist. His autobiographical book written on tour as guitarist of the top-selling band in the world was published by Simon & Schuster. His voice has been likened to a young Steve Winwood or Peter Frampton.

Major music and aviation universities including Berklee College of Music and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, as well as industry conferences and conventions including the National Association of Music Merchandisers (NAMM) and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), regularly host his lectures and numerous magazines including Electronic Musician and Flight Training have published his columns.

Ravi, born in Washington, DC and raised near New York City, is a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family, India's political family dynasty who governed the world's largest democracy for over 40 years and continues to exert strong influence today.

Ravi's aviation activism is supported in part by Sennheiser Aviation Headsets, BrightLine Bags, Maui Jim Sunglasses, and Gleim Publications. He is also a founding member of the Flying Musicians Association (www.flyingmusicians.org).

More information is available at www.theRaviator.com

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Cleveland: Fly in a Ford Trimotor on July 8


A Ford tri-motor
Flights on the 1929 Ford Tri-Motor Beginning Tomorrow, July 8!

Sponsored by the Women's International Air And Space Museum, located at Burke Lakefront Airport (just opposite the Rock and Roll hall of Fame and the USS Cod submarine in drydock.

A classic aircraft from the early days of commercial air travel will re-create those days July 8-11 as the International Women's Air & Space Museum hosts a restored 1929 Ford Tri-Motor owned by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). This aircraft was recently featured in the film Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp. Aviation enthusiasts will be able to see and ride in the world's first mass-produced airliner. Visitors will have the opportunity to take a 15-minute flight aboard this unique aircraft. Flights are available for $60. The Ford Tri-Motor will be available for rides on Thursday, July 8 from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm and July 9-11 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Flights can be pre-booked through the end of today by calling 1-800-843-3612. You can come down to the airport any time during the Tri-Motor's scheduled visit to book and take a flight. For additional information contact the International Women's Air & Space Museum at (216) 623-1111.


Just Announced... The Ford Tri-Motor will be offering a special 30-minute evening flight beginning at 7:00 pm on Friday and Saturday for $125 per person. If you are interested in this flight, please contact the museum office by tomorrow (Thursday) evening at 216-623-1111.


Ford tri-motor
The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed "The Tin Goose") was an American three engine civil transport aircraft first produced in 1925 by Henry Ford and continued in production until June 7, 1933. Throughout its lifespan a total of 199 aircraft were produced. Although designed for the civilian market, the aircraft was also used by the military and was sold all over the world. Unlike his famous Ford Model T cars, trucks and farm tractors, Ford did not make the engines for these aircraft.

Design and development
The story of the Ford Trimotor begins with William Bushnell Stout, an engineer who had previously designed several aircraft using principles similar to those of Professor Hugo Junkers, the famous German manufacturer.

Stout, a bold and imaginative salesman, sent a mimeographed form letter to leading manufacturers, asking for $1,000 and adding: "For your one thousand dollars you will get one definite promise: You will never get your money back." Stout raised $20,000, including $1,000 each from Edsel and Henry Ford.

In the early 1920s Henry Ford, along with a group of 19 other investors including his son Edsel, invested in the Stout Metal Airplane Company. In 1925, Ford bought Stout and its Hugo Junkers-influenced aircraft designs. Ford adapted the traditionally single engined Stout design with three Wright air-cooled radial engines. After a series of test aircraft and a suspicious fire causing the complete destruction of all previous designs, the 4-AT and 5-AT emerged.

The Ford Trimotors used an all-metal construction — not a revolutionary concept, but certainly more advanced than the standard construction techniques in the 1920s. The aircraft resembled the Fokker F.VII but it was all metal allowing Ford to claim it was "the safest airliner around." Its fuselage and wings were constructed of aluminum and corrugated for added strength although the incipient drag reduced overall performance. This has become something of a trademark for the Trimotor.

Transcontinental Air Transport, which later became part of Trans World Airlines, used the aircraft to begin its transcontinental air service from San Diego to New York in 1929.

Although designed primarily for passenger use, the Trimotor could be easily adapted for cargo hauling as the seats in the fuselage could be removed. To increase capacity, one unusual feature was the provision of "drop down" cargo holds in the lower inner wing sections of the 5-AT variant.

One 4-AT with Wright J-4 200 hp engines was built for the Army Air Corps as type C-3, and seven with Wright R-790-3 (235 hp) as type C-3A. The latter were upgraded to Wright R-975-1 (J6-9) radials at 300 hp and redesignated C-9. Five 5-ATs were built as C-4 or C-4A.

The original (commercial production) 4-AT had three air cooled Wright radial engines. It carried a crew of three: pilot, co-pilot and stewardess as well as eight or nine passengers (up to 12 passengers could be accommodated in special configurations). The later 5-AT had more powerful Pratt & Whitney engines. All models had aluminum corrugated sheet metal body and wings. However, unlike many aircraft of this era, extending through World War II and later, the aircraft control surfaces were not fabric covered, but were of corrugated aluminum. As was common for the time, the rudder and elevator were controlled by wires that were strung along the external surface of the aircraft. Similarly, engine gauges were mounted externally, on the engines, to be read by the pilot looking through the windscreen. A hand-operated "Johnny Brake" was used.

Like his cars and tractors, these Ford aircraft were well designed, relatively inexpensive, and reliable (for the era). The combination of metal structure and simple systems lead to a reputation for ruggedness. Rudimentary servicing could be accomplished "in the field" with ground crew able to work on engines using scaffolding and platforms. In order to fly into normally inaccessible sites, the Ford Trimotor could be fitted with skis and floats.

The rapid development of aircraft at this time (the vastly superior Douglas DC-2 was first conceived in 1932), along with the death of his personal pilot, Harry Brooks, on a test flight led to Henry Ford losing interest in aviation. While Ford did not make a profit on its aircraft business, his reputation lent credibility to the infant aviation industry, and Ford helped introduce many aspects of the modern aviation infrastructure, including paved runways, passenger terminals, hangars, airmail, and radio navigation.

In the late 1920s, the Ford Aircraft Division was reputedly the "largest manufacturer of commercial airplanes in the world." Alongside the Ford Trimotor, a new one-passenger commuter aircraft, the Ford Flivver or "Sky Flivver" had been designed and flown in prototype form but never entered series production. The Trimotor was not to be Ford's last venture in aircraft production. During World War II, he built the largest aircraft manufacturing plant in the world at the Willow Run, Michigan plant and assembled thousands of B-24 Liberator bombers under license from Consolidated Aircraft.

Operational history
A total of 199 Ford Trimotors were built between 1926 and 1933, including 79 of the 4-AT variant, and 117 of the 5-AT variant, plus some experimental craft. Well over 100 airlines of the world flew the Ford Trimotor.

The impact of the Ford Trimotor on commercial aviation was immediate, as the design represented a "quantum leap over other airliners." Within a few months of its introduction, Transcontinental Air Transport was created to provide a coast-to-coast operation, capitalizing on the Trimotor's ability to provide reliable and for the time, comfortable passenger service. While advertised as a transcontinental service, the airline had to rely on rail connections with a deluxe Pullman train that would be based in New York being the first part of the journey. Passengers then rendezvoued with a Trimotor in Port Columbus, Ohio, that would begin a hop across the continent ending at Waynoka, Oklahoma where another train would take the passengers to Clovis, New Mexico where the final journey would begin, again on a Trimotor, to end up at the Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale, a few miles north-east of Los Angeles.

The gruelling trip would only be available for a year before Transcontental was merged into a combine with Western Air Service. Ford Trimotors were also used extensively by Pan American Airlines, extending service from North America into Central and South America during the same period.

The heyday for Ford's transport was relatively brief, lasting only until 1933 when more modern airliners began to appear. Rather than completely disappearing, the Trimotors gained an enviable reputation for durability with Ford ads in 1929 proclaiming, "No Ford plane has yet worn out in service."

First being relegated to second and third tier airlines, the Trimotors continued to fly into the 1960s, with numerous examples being converted into cargo transports to further lengthen their careers.

Some of the significant flights made by the Ford Trimotor in this period greatly enhanced the reputation of the type for strength and reliability. One example is of Ford 4-AT Trimotor serial number 10, built in 1927. It flew in the United States and Mexico under registration number C-1077, and for several years in Canada under registration G-CARC. It had many notable accomplishments; it was flown by Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart among many others. It made the first commercial flight from the United States to Mexico City, and the first commercial flight over the Canadian Rockies. After damage on landing in 1936, it was grounded and remained for decades at Carcross, Yukon. In 1956, the wreck was salvaged and preserved, and in the mid 1980s Greg Herrick took over C-1077 and began restoring it. As of 2006, C-1077 is in flying condition again, restored to its December 1927 appearance.

Making headlines became a Trimotor trademark. Between November 27 and 28, 1929, Admiral Richard E. Byrd and his crew made the first flight over the South Pole in a Ford Trimotor called Floyd Bennett (one of three aircraft on the expedition, the others being The Stars and Stripes and The Virginian), replacing the Fokker Trimotors Byrd previously used.

Franklin Roosevelt also flew aboard a Ford Trimotor in 1932 during his presidential campaign in one of the first uses of an aircraft in an election, replacing the traditional "whistle stop" train trips.

The long-range capabilities of the Ford Trimotor were exploited in a search for the lost flyers of the Sigizmund Levanevsky Trans-Polar Flight in 1937. Movie stunt flyer Jimmie Mattern flew a specially modified Lockheed Electra along with fellow movie flyer, Garland Lincoln flying a stripped-down Trimotor donated by the president of Superior Oil Company. With 1,800 gallons of avgas and 450 gallons of oil in the modified cabin, the Trimotor was intended to act as a "tanker" for the expedition. The Electra was able to transfer fuel in the air from the Trimotor, through a hose cast out the 4-AT's door. With the first aerial refueling test successful, the pair of pilots set out for Fairbanks, landing first at Burwash, Alaska on August 15, 1937, but the Trimotor ran out of fuel and crashed in inclement weather the following day. The Trimotor was abandoned on the tundra.

In postwar years, the Ford Trimotors continued in limited service with small, regional air carriers. One of the most famous was the Scenic Airways Ford Trimotor N414H which was used for 65 years as a sightseeing aircraft flying over the Grand Canyon. Characteristically, the aircraft is still in use as of 2010, mainly for promotional and film work.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Flying Musicians: Landing at AirVenture Oshkosh 2010

-- Visit Us at the Sennheiser Aviation Headset Exhibit Tent –
(270 on the Map)

Fort Worth, Texas –July 5, 2010: The Flying Musicians Association, Inc., a non-profit organization, is gearing up for the biggest fly-in in the world, held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin this July 26-August 1. The organization, still in its inaugural year, is celebrating a new sponsor, long a leader in both music and flying: Sennheiser, famous for its microphones in recording studios and for its advanced headsets in aviation, is lending support and space for the FMA’s artists and performers. A great place to showcase members and inform the public!

FMA performers will entertain at the Sennheiser tent during the week starting at 11a.m., 12p.m., and 1p.m. each day – see the schedule:
http://www.FlyingMusicians.org.
www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf

List of performers:

RAVI; Bradley Leighton; Joe Ellis (Joe.e); Alex Whitmore; Carl Keating; and Zapp.

The Flying Musicians have created an atmosphere where enthusiasts of both aviation and music can converge to share their passions while enjoying a great aviation festival! So bring your love for music and flying, and have fun at Oshkosh! Bring your instrument, too – the Flying Musicians always welcome fellow musicians at informal jam sessions, which can strike up anywhere.

About Sennheiser:

Sennheiser aviation headsets are in use with professional and private pilots throughout the world. Each set combines balanced audibility with optimum comfort and simple operation. Sennheiser is also a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world. Sennheiser's pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

About the Flying Musicians Association:
The Flying Musicians Association, Inc. took off in 2009 by blending two passions: flying and music. FMA was founded by two pilot/musicians, John Zapp and Aileen Hummel, who have made it their quest to encourage, promote, educate and support these two passions. The mission of the organization: “Pilot Musicians sharing their passion while encouraging and educating youth in the science and art of aeronautics and music.”

Press Release: Upgraded Billet Fuel Pump from Corbi Air Inc.

Upgraded Billet Fuel Pump from Corbi Air Inc.

Addresses SAIB on OEM Rotax 912 Pumps

On June 15, 2010, the FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (CE-10-36), covering certain engines in several Rotax models: 912A, F, S, UL, ULS, and ULSFR. The SAIB’s main point is summed up thus:

“In some cases, if the input pressure to the mechanical fuel pump is high (e.g., due to an electric fuel pump upstream), the output pressure from the mechanical fuel pump could be excessive. This high fuel pressure may cause the engine to malfunction from flooding and/or cause fuel leakage.”

The “Billet Fuel Pump” resolves this potential problem, and offers long life, inexpensive rebuilds, and compatibility with any fuel the Rotax can burn, with unmatched reliability.

Further, Corbi has just announced that their Billet Fuel Pumps will now be issued with AN fittings.

The Billet Fuel Pump is immune to inlet overpressure, should the airframe design require an auxiliary pump. The Billet Fuel Pump is powerful enough to do the job alone, unless there is a specific airframe requirement for an aux pump (such as may be necessary to fill a header tank, or for fuel redistribution among tanks in flight).

Ron Corbi noted that he was about to announce the AN fitting upgrade when the SAIB was issued. “This is a great time to replace the original pump with a Billet Pump, and avoid these kinds of problems forever. If an owner is about to replace a suspicious pump anyway, why not replace it with a better design, a better pump?” Corbi added, “Owners of those ‘SAIB pumps’ have trouble enough. If an owner of an affected engine model places an order for our Billet Pump before Oshkosh, we’ll pay shipping in the continental USA.”

The Billet Fuel Pump is compact, fitting into virtually the same space as the original pump; and its remote regulator ensures both proper pressure and plenty of flow.

The Billet Fuel Pump is available immediately from Corbi Air; price is $382.

CORBI AIR, INC.
www.billetpump.com
email: Ron@BilletPump.com
1-330-337-1180
Salem, Ohio

Sunday, July 4, 2010

An Orion Slave Girl Won the Powder Puff Derby in 1970



Yesterday, I was going through a Star Trek Memorial site, which paid tribute to all of the actors who had worked on any of the many incarnations of that show, who had passed away.

One of the actresses who had died - relatively young - was Susan Oliver. She'd only been 58 when she died of cancer. She'd been born in 1932 and died in 1990. (She played Vina in the first Star Trek pilot, "The Cage".

I checked out her biography on the IMDB, and much to my surprise discovered not only that she'd been a licensed pilot but that she'd also flown in - as co-pilot, and won the 1970 Powder Puff Derby.

Here's what the bio said:

She won the Powder Puff Derby in 1970.

Was a licensed pilot.

Was named Pilot of the Year in 1970.

Attempted to become the first woman to fly a single-engine plane solo from New York to Moscow, but was deterred in Denmark when the Soviet government denied her permission to enter their air space.


So I checked my Powder Puff Derby Record and it's true - she did. There's even a photo of her and her co-pilot in the book, albeit a poor reproduction of it since it was taken from a newspaper.

Indeed, in July 1970, Oliver got a lot of publicity from her win. It's interesting to read some of the other articles on the pages that features comments on her victory, detailing men's opinions of women in general in the 1970s... I'll share some PDFs of those articles tomorrow.

Friday, July 2, 2010

34th Annual Air Race Classic Finished Friday

The 34th Annual Air Race Classic
Here's a PDF with the pilots and their results.


(Click to see full size version)

From The Missourian: Air race, primary, role model
The 34th Annual All Female Air Race Classic finished in Maryland last Friday. Beverly Cleair of Cape Girardeau (who might be the best female pilot/instructor in Missouri) completed the 2,400-mile race along with 51 other pilot teams. Speed achieved by airplane horsepower handicaps was the criteria for winning. The four-day race started in Fort Myers, Fla.


Beverly Cleair had been featured in the Missourian in June 20, 2010

Area woman to compete in 2,400-mile airplane race
Beverly Cleair has been flying in and out of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport since 1982. When she retired from a career in health care in 2005, she became a flight instructor, teaching pilots in visual and instrument-guided flight.
Cleair said the students she teaches are a diverse group.

"There are some young, college age and even a few very young people that just have an interest and their parents want to see if this interest is legit," she said. "Probably the oldest I've had was over 70."

Over the years, Cleair has taught many students. Each pilot has to fly with an instructor every two years to maintain his or her license.

"They say flight instruction is about 96 percent boredom because you're watching it and 4 percent sheer terror," Cleair said.

On Tuesday, Cleair and her piloting partner Teresa Camp will take on the challenge of the Air Race Classic, a 2,400-mile airplane race that starts in Fort Myers, Fla., and tours through the Midwest before wrapping up four days later in Frederick, Md.

Cleair enjoys giving flying lessons at the Cape Girardeau airport but said she looks forward to the race. This will be her first time participating in the Air Race Classic. Cleair and her partner are flying for Wings of Hope, an organization in St. Louis that flies humanitarian aid to impoverished places around the world.

"I am volunteering for Wings of Hope as a pilot for their medical air transport," Cleair said. "It's the only free air ambulance in the Midwest, and it primarily supports kids who have birth defects or debilitating illnesses that need medical care."

The race prize -- $15,000 for the top finishers -- would benefit Wings of Hope if she and Camp win.

Camp is an engineer at Boeing and has volunteered her skills at restoring airplanes for Wings of Hope.

"I flew in the air race two years ago, and one of the things that is very important to me is who I choose to fly with, because this is pretty intense flying," Camp said. "Sometimes, especially when you first take off or are landing, there is a lot of aircraft in the area, so you have to be very alert. I really choose my partners carefully to make sure that they have strong skills but also good judgment. Bev's among the best. I'm looking forward to flying with her, and it should be a lot of fun."

Women's air racing has a rich history. The First Women's Air Derby had 20 pilots when it started in 1929. After World War II, another race took over, officially called the All Women's Transcontinental Air Race but more widely known as the Powder Puff Derby.

The Powder Puff Derby stopped at the Cape Girardeau airport in 1966. The race was discontinued in 1977, and the Air Race Classic was born. The 2010 race route brings the ladies to Murphysboro, Ill.

This year's race is the 34th annual and boasts big numbers and a diverse array of planes. It has nearly 60 planes registered, each manned by two female pilots.

"Every airplane is given a handicap, because you will have some very fast airplanes (multiengine planes) and then very slow airplanes, so each is handicapped according to how well it can perform according to the manufacturer's standards," Cleair said. "Each leg is timed, and then it's adjusted for your handicap, so there are winners of the legs and winners of the entire race."

The two ladies will fly a Cessna 182 single-engine plane. Camp said the lineup of pilots is just as diverse as the planes themselves.

"I know the year I flew, the oldest pilot was 92 years old," she said. "I got to meet a woman by the name of Margaret Ringenberg who was a World War II WASP [Women Airforce Service Pilots], and I got to chat with her while we waited for some weather to clear."

With four days to finish the race, Cleair and Camp said they must stay focused.

"There are eight legs; typically they're about 300 miles," Camp said. "In the [Cessna] 182, we ought to be able to do it in about two hours. It just depends on if you get a favorable head or tail wind."

In addition to the actual race of 2,400 miles, Camp said that the event is quite a haul.

"When you start adding in the flight to get down to Florida and the flight home from Maryland, it will be over 4,000 miles," she said.

Cleair said it's important to remember the team behind the pilots. "Often pilots of airplanes get the attention, but there are so many people behind us. They're the people who do the book work, the mechanics, the linemen that fuel, the people that support us with rental planes to give instruction in and the tower people who direct us. Aviation is a real team experience in itself."

Thursday, July 1, 2010

PR: TRI-NAV CHARTS: All-new “One-Chart Solution” for IFR & VFR Flight


TRI-NAV CHARTS: All-new “One-Chart Solution” for IFR & VFR Flight

The convenience and detail of GPS; the reliability of paper
More: www.trinavcharts.org

June 29, 2010: Lakeland, Florida: Howie Keefe’s new TRI-NAV Charts introduce a whole new chart concept in atlas format for the cross-country pilot. Charts are “combo” charts that keep you legal for both IFR or VFR navigation, with convenient Internet updates conforming to the FAA 28-day cycle.

Keefe pioneered the atlas format for aviation charts with SKY PRINTS – the VOR system for VFR flight. Later, he introduced an atlas of IFR charts with an easy-update system; now, it’s the best of all worlds: Howie Keefe’s TRI-NAV charts for GPS in IFR & VFR.

TRI-NAV charts use the FAA IFR Low Altitude Enroute Charts and add VFR and comm data. The FAA must assume you now get freqs from plates and IFR control­lers -- but TRI-NAV Charts include freqs for Towers, B&C contact, CTAF, UNICOM, plus ASOS and AWOS. Helping the VFR pilot (and IFR pilot flying in visual conditions) are city name and position relative to airport; major highways; and major bodies of water: both rivers and lakes.

Also included in the atlas are planning aids; miles between airports; Rand-McNally’s Interstate/U.S. Highways map for ground travel; and, very importantly, topographical relief charts that show mountain areas, detailed terrain, cities, and even runway layouts.

Three TRI-NAV Charts atlases cover the North, South, and West U.S. Inaugural Edition price for the first atlas is $69 per year; the second is $59, and the third is $49 – that’s $177 per year, for all three; online updates cost $35. (An approach plate service is also available at $50 per atlas region.)

More: www.trinavcharts.org

TRI-NAV Charts
6645-4 S. Florida Ave
Lakeland FL 33813


Notes: A Pre-Press discount of 20% is available until all atlases are printed by Oct. 1, 2010. The first atlas (North) will be introduced at the TRI-NAV booth at Oshkosh on July 27. The South follows on September 1; the West, October 1.

Atlases can be ordered by credit card or check with these methods:

On-line at trinavcharts@yahoo.com after checking the website (www.trinavcharts.org)

Phone: leave your number for return call at trinavcharts@yahoo.com

Press Release: Murphy Renegade for sale

MURPHY RENEGADE and RENEGADE SPIRIT Available to Qualified Manufacturer

For more information, contact mursales@murphyair.com

Though Murphy Aircraft (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada) struck a deal in early 2009 to sell the Rights and Assets of the Murphy Renegade line of aircraft, the buyer was ultimately unable to nail down the financing, and has lost its option. The good news is that the rights to manufacture the Renegade and Renegade Spirit, including customer leads and inquiries, intellectual property, fixtures and inventory, are again available.

In addition, Darryl Murphy, designer of the Renegade and Renegade Spirit, will be available on a consulting basis.

The Renegade is a light weight, two seat, open air, positive stagger biplane, built from a detailed kit. It was designed as an easy-to-build and easy-to-fly biplane that is capable of basic aerobatic maneuvers. Its fuselage is aluminum tube assembled with a proprietary extrusion at each tube cluster. The wings are constructed from stamped aluminum ribs over formed aluminum “C” channel rear spars and extruded rectangular main spars. The complete structure is covered with lightweight fabric. The most commonly used engines at the present time are the Rotax 912 and 912S, 80 or 100hp. Recently, the Rotec Radial engine of 110 HP has been gaining popularity in the Renegade; and smaller engines, down to 447cc, are also validated on this design. Well over 700 kits have been sold, important in the spares and replacement business, also included in this sale.

Included in the sale are:
Design rights for parts and aircraft
Manual, blueprints and operators manual
All drawings
All leads and inquiries from the last year
Design calculation book for the standard Renegade and Renegade Spirit
Design report for the Rotec radial-engine model.
Copies of brochures, price lists etc.
Suppliers list
Customer list
All existing inventory
All tooling:
-Fiberglass molds
-Welding fixtures
-Blanking dies
-Forming dies
-Drilling jigs
-Router jigs
-Assembly tables and jigs
Custom extrusions

Plus:
One partially assembled aircraft.
Some basic training in assembly and use of fixtures and tooling, both to familiarize the new owner with the aircraft and processes and to verify all tooling, drawings, and documentation prior to shipment of same to the Buyer’s new location.


For more information, contact mursales@murphyair.com

What Pilots Fly: A new book by Sue Hughes of PowderPuff Pilot


Author/CFI Sue Hughes has just released her third “Claire Bear” book, giving young girls a glimpse of What Pilots Fly. See Sue at Oshkosh, in the Authors’ Corner, too!

http://powderpuffpilot.com

Powder Puff Pilot Debuts New Picture Book for Aspiring Aviators
Third Title in the Claire Bear Series
June 29, 2010 – Aurora, Colorado – Aurora publisher Powder Puff Pilot announced the debut of their third aviation book for children, Claire Bear Explains… What Pilots Fly. Like the first two picture books in the series, it stars Claire Bear, a pink‑clad aerobatic performer and mentor for aspiring young pilots. The series is the brainchild of Sue Hughes, a pilot since 1996 and a current flight instructor and aviation technical writer, with the goal of introducing the thrills and excitement of aviation to a new generation.

“For the first time since the Wright Brothers, the number of new pilots has decreased in the past few years, for a variety of reasons,” reported Hughes. “If we can engage kids in flying at an early age, perhaps we can reverse that trend, and spark an interest in aviation that will last a lifetime.” Hughes targets especially girls with her books, which feature a character that girls can relate to. “Once an airshow visitor asked me, ‘Do you have any books with a boy in them?’ I wanted to tell him to pick up any other aviation book on the shelf—they all have boys in them! Besides, would it be so bad for a boy to read about a girl pilot?”

In Hughes’ new book, a young girl asks Claire Bear what she flies. The accomplished aviatrix takes the opportunity to teach the youngster the wide range of aircraft and missions that pilots fly—from gliders skimming along air currents, to aerial refuelers, to medevac aircraft transporting patients—ending with the query, “What will you fly?” Hughes presents the many facets of aviation in 48 pages with lyrical rhymes and bright, colorful illustrations that children from 3 to 8 will adore.

The first book in the series, Claire Bear Presents… The Pilot Alphabet published in 2008, teaches Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, and the rest of the words that pilots and air traffic controllers use to communication clearly over the radio. Now in its third printing, it was named by USA Book News as a National 2009 Best Book finalist in the Children’s Picture Book category. In 2009, Hughes published her second picture book, Claire Bear’s First Solo, which accurately depicts a pilot’s first solo experience—an exhilarating flight that every aviator vividly remembers.

In addition to publishing, Powder Puff Pilot designs and sells pilot gear and accessories for women such as a pink pilot logbook, pink aviation headsets, and pink seat cushions. They also carry over 20 other biographies, flight adventures, and fiction titles that are by and/or about amazing aviatrixes.