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Honda to enter the VLJ
market and form alliance with Piper
Honda Motor Co.,
primarily known for its automotive products, yesterday made two
announcements with major implications for general aviation at a press
conference at the Honda Pavilion at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006. First,
the company unveiled plans to certificate and build the HondaJet, its
innovative experimental very light jet (VLJ), and second, it announced
an alliance with Piper Aircraft to explore opportunities in the general
aviation marketplace and collaborate on sales and service for the
HondaJet. Read more
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Record crowd sees
SpaceShipOne exhibit dedication
When the plane’s
designer and pilot can’t tell the difference between a replica and the
original, you know you’ve done a good job. Read
more
- "Here comes the
judge!"
Each year, hundreds of aircraft come to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh hoping
to win one of the builder awards, especially the highly coveted Grand
Champion. EAA, and the volunteer judging teams, take their
responsibilities for judging aircraft very seriously, and both put a
lot of thought and effort into recognizing the best of the best. Read
more
Young Eagles
volunteers recognized
Some are pilots, others aren’t. Some live in the Midwest. Others
live on the East or West Coast. Yet one similarity binds them
together. They are all volunteers in EAA’s Young Eagles program, and
they have gone that extra mile to introduce aviation to today’s
youth. For their efforts, they will be recognized this evening in a
Theater in the Woods presentation that begins at about 7:30 p.m. Young
Eagles Chairman Harrison Ford will present the awards. Read
more
No extension for
ultralight pilots and trainers planning sport pilot upgrade
There will be no
extension of the January 2007 deadline for registered ultralight pilots
to "test out" of sport pilot training requirements or of the
January 2008 deadline for converting ultralight trainers to light-sport
aircraft. Officials from the FAA’s Flight Standards Service clarified
and emphasized that position Monday afternoon here at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh. Those deadlines were specified in the sport pilot rule in 2004
and are firm, the FAA said. Read more
Lancaster bomber
arrives today
One of the world’s only
two flying Lancaster bombers is slated to arrive today, its first visit
by the British/Canadian bomber to EAA AirVenture in more than a decade.
The Lancaster, C-GVRA, owned and operated by the Canadian Warplane
Heritage Museum (CWH), was one of the 422 Mk X models built at Victory
Aircraft in Canada between 1943 and 1945. It saw service with the No.
107 Rescue Unit at Torbay, Newfoundland, as a maritime patrol/search and
rescue aircraft until retired by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in
1964. Read more
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Crossfield is Freedom
of Flight award recipient
To the world, Scott
Crossfield was known as the first man to fly at more than twice the
speed of sound. But to those at EAA, the
legendary test pilot was known for helping to promote and support the
grassroots aviation organization where he was member number 430120. Read
more
GA unified against
airlines’ GA user fee proposal
A diverse group of
general aviation voices joined in opposition to general aviation (GA)
user fees on Tuesday at EAA AirVenture. The session, moderated by EAA
President Tom Poberezny, included Jack Pelton, president and CEO of
Cessna Aircraft Company; Ed Bolen, president of the National Business
Aircraft Association; Phil Boyer, president of the Aircraft Owners &
Pilots Association; Alan Klapmeier, president of Cirrus Design; and Pete
Bunce, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Read
more
AAA Ford Fusion race
car simulator makes pit stop at EAA AirVenture
Ever wondered what it’s
like to drive a NASCAR racer at speeds approaching 200 mph? EAA
AirVenture visitors can give it a go this year as the AAA race car and
simulator will appear for the first time. Read
more
Simple Green creates
Aircraft & Precision Cleaner
Sunshine Makers Inc.,
manufacturers of Simple Green brand cleaning products, will be showing
its newest offering, Extreme Simple Green Aircraft & Precision
Cleaner, at this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006. Read
more
Bird wants to
encourage building from scratch
Two years ago, Cory Bird
brought his one-of-a-kind composite homebuilt, named Symmetry, to EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh. From that moment there was no question the airplane
was going to be a champion. That year, Symmetry was awarded Homebuilt
Grand Champion. Read more
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Tucker hasn’t lost
nerve despite crash
Sean D. Tucker looks the
same. Only his plane is different. In April, Tucker was
forced to bail out of his Oracle Challenger II biplane Dream Maker,
when he lost elevator control during a practice session in Louisiana.
The plane was destroyed when it crashed into a field after failure of a
rod end linked to the elevator torque tube. Read
more
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CFI’s Guide to Sport
Pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft
With the large number of
aviation enthusiasts interested in becoming sport pilots, there is a
need for instructors as well. The National Association of Flight
Instructors (NAFI), an EAA affiliate, is offering the CFI’s Guide
to Sport Pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft. Read
more
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ColorEyes for pilots
needing prescription eyewear
ColorEyes says it guarantees a dramatic improvement of
your visual performance when wearing the company’s high performance
sunglasses. Their HDL-3C advanced lens technology uses a patented
high-definition filter built into the lens that equalizes the colors in
the color spectrum producing improved color sensitivity and contrast
apprehension. Read more
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Wright Master Pilot
Award presented
Dudley A. Whitman first
soloed in 1940. Sixty-six flying years later he was presented with the
FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award in front of EAA’s Wright Flyer
replica at the museum on Tuesday morning. Read
more
Making it easier to
buy a Cirrus
Alan Klapmeier, CEO and
co-founder of Cirrus Design, has often talked about how hard it is for
someone to become involved in and enjoy the benefits of personal
aviation. Now, his company is trying to do something about it. Along the
way, they’d like to sell a few of the company’s products, of course.
Read more
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Model takes the heat
for the space shuttle
Could a surface anomaly
on the space shuttle pose a danger to the vehicle and its crew on
landing? NASA has a way of finding out while the shuttle is in orbit. A
small molded space shuttle model in the NASA exhibit at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh can be coated with a thermal reactive finish that reveals any
hot spots caused by air friction during re-entry. Read
more
Pilot Briefings
Miller Electric gives hands-on demonstrations
Visitors who stop at the Miller Electric booths (783-785) at EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh will have the opportunity to see and participate in
MIG and TIG welding and plasma cutting demonstrations. Miller factory
reps will be on hand to answer questions and recommend products. Read
more
Diamond snags fleet
order for Twin Star and D-Jet
Yesterday at EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh, Diamond Aircraft joined with Point2Point Airways to
announce the airframer’s first sales of its diesel-powered DA42 Twin
Star and forthcoming D-Jet to a certificated U.S. air carrier.
Point2Point Airways said it would use the new planes—a mix of both
types totaling up to 100 aircraft—as part of its plans to expand its
non-scheduled commercial air service. Read more
Yes, you can build an
airplane!
Okay, here’s the premise: If I could build an airplane, anybody
could. First, I am not good with tools and such. It virtually takes
tutoring for me to learn which is the business end of a hammer. But,
the homebuilding of airplanes is the heart and soul of EAA. That, in a
very real sense, is how all this got started back in 1953. Read
more
Gaggle of 16
I was part of a gaggle of
16. That’s what our "flight leader" called our disparate
group of airplanes when he contacted the controller as we passed Ripon
on our way to Fisk. We had launched from an airport in Illinois and
rendezvoused in the air like an armada of Air Force fighters preparing
to set out on a mission. Flying in loose formation, the mix of airplanes—ranging
from Decathlons and a Husky to a Centurion—made for an interesting
exercise in airspeed control as we tried to stay close enough to each
other so that we’d appear professional when it came time to form up
line-astern to flow into the line of airplanes approaching Oshkosh on
the Fisk arrival. Read more
Around the Field
Another AirVenture
baby, two long-timers from northern Ohio, and Lavern’s wife has a
dream. Read more
"Good
progress" toward implementing sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule
Working together, the FAA
and the general aviation community are "making good progress"
toward full implementation of the less than 2-year-old sport
pilot/light-sport aircraft (SP/LSA) rule. Read
more
Brain cancer awareness
to take flight
Four years ago Brian
Kissinger collapsed while playing tennis. He and others felt that surely
the cause was the hot day, but it wasn’t that simple. Doctors soon
discovered the cause of Kissinger’s collapse to be a tennis ball size
tumor on his brain. Read more
Superior, Flying join
with Challenge Air to help disabled children
Superior Air Parts and Flying
Magazine this week announced they are joining with Challenge Air in a
combined effort to bring the wonders of flight to disabled children.
Challenge Air for Kids and Friends is a not-for-profit organization that
offers motivational, inspirational, and life-changing experiences to
physically challenged youth through flights in small, private airplanes.
Read more
Ask Tom
EAA members
and attendees who have questions regarding aviation, AirVenture or EAA,
feel free to drop them off at the AirVenture
Today office just north of
the control tower, or e-mail asktom_airventure@hotmail.com
and Tom will attempt to answer them. Please be sure to include your name
and where you are from. Read more
