Globe with the words Around the Pattern cured around the top half.

Aviation Stories for April 1, 2011

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Hmmm, April Fool’s Day. That leaves the door open for all sorts of stories – but I’ll be nice and only link to articles that are factual – to the best of my knowledge. B-17 bomber dropping a watermelon.

It was a pretty light reading week – I guess everybody went to Sun-n-Fun.

High school students tackle an unusual restoration project
A group of Kentucky high school students are going to restore a Cessna 195 that has been donated to their school. The aircraft spent the majority of its flying life in Pakistan and, according to the aircraft records, may have been used as a ‘spy’ plane, keeping track of activity in India.

After-school high school group teaches kids about aviation.
An after-school group promoting aviation has been formed at the Woodstock High School in northern Illinois. The group, supported by the EAA Young Eagles takes the program a few steps farther in teaching the basics of aviation. This looks like a great effort.

In case you have been in an aviation vacuum for the past 36 hours
A violent storm moved through the Sun-n-Fun area yesterday. Here is the AOPA coverage of the damage. No serious injuries, but several aircraft and vendor displays destroyed. The show is back up and running today (Friday)

Aviation legend decides now is the time to retire.
I wonder how may other designers have five aircraft hanging in the Smithsonian. This is an LA Times article covering the career of Burt Rutan upon his decision to retire from his work at Scaled Composites.

One more check mark in the iPad column
Apparently announced at Sun-n-Fun, a company has found a way to provide XM weather to the iPad. The plan is to have it available by mid-summer this year. (Another AOPA article).

Another chance to fly in a restored WWII warbird.
This is from a Bakersfield, CA paper. It covers the touring the a P-40 and B-17 owned/flown by the Liberty Foundation from Georgia.