Here are some stories that you may have missed this week.
Is this true only in California?
This article is from Hollister, CA. After the FBO operator on their airport renewed the lease to operate their business someone took the time to do a little research and found out that the FBO owner didn’t have a required license. Apparently a California state law requires that the FBO owner hold a Real Estate Broker’s license in order to rent hangar space. I wonder how many FBO’s are in compliance with the law?
Private aviation in being hit hard in Europe, too.
This is an article from Flight Global. It is not new news that private aviation has been declining in popularity for several years. This article describes the decline in Europe and specifically the UK. Some interesting numbers in the article.
Barbara Harmer, the only female Concorde pilot.
This article is from the UK Telegraph. Ms. Harmer passed away in February.The article recounts her commercial flying career.
Here’s a new book that describes the life of a commuter airline pilot.
This is a press release for the release of an autobiography of a commuter airline pilot. It has a recommendation from Jeff Skiles, so either the book is an accurate description of commuter pilot life, or Skiles found another source of income. It’s probably a little of both. I have not yet read the book, however I have placed an affiliate link to the book at Amazon in the right sidebar.
Pilots recreate 1928 Pacific crossing flight.
This article is from the Sidney Morning Herald. Two pilots(Jeremy Rowsell and Jim Hazelton) have recreated the first U.S.-Australia flight. In 1928 Charles Kingsford-Smith and Charles Ulm and two other crew members flew their Fokker F.VII, Southern Cross, from Oakland, CA to Brisbane, Australia. The modern version of the flight was accomplished in a Beechcraft A-36 with all the latest technology to help them along. I have to give these two credit for their effort to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS)- founded the same year as the original flight. However, my feeling is that if you are going to ‘recreate’ a historical flight it ought to be done in something close to the original aircraft.
Jimmy Doolittle’s career
This is the transcript and audio file of a Voice of America radio program. The program, Explorations, calls it a Special English program – designed for people who are learning the English language. the show gives a good overview of Doolittle’s career.
You really need to know who Zeke Saunders is.
This is an article from the Winston-Salem Journal. H.K. ‘Zeke’ Saunders, 90 years old, is a WWII veteran, one of the founding pilots of Piedmont Airlines and an accomplished Bluegrass singer. Someone needs to get his story on video. This article is just part of it.
The Only Flying FW-190 A-5 in the World.
This is an article from the SeattlePI.com blog. Everett, Washington’s Flying Heritage Collection now has the only flying FW-190 in the world. Someone found it outside of Leningrad, Russia where it had crashed in 1943. Several videos of the restoration and first flights are included at the end of the article.
A Question for my Readers
I read an article recently about the author’s pet peeves about websites. One of things this person felt was most irritating was web sites that forced the reader’s browser to open links in new tabs – breaking the ability of the reader to use the back button to return to the original article and adding a bit of confusion if the reader didn’t notice a new tab had been opened.
I had always thought that opening new tabs was a plus, so I set up my links that way. What are your thoughts – would you prefer to stay on the same tab and just use the back button to return or do you prefer the way that I have been doing my links?
I’ll set up the way the majority of you would prefer.
Comments
15 responses to “Aviation Stories for April 22, 2011”
I recently finished reading a book about Jimmy Dolittle and there is so much more to this man than the Dolittle Raid.
I will listen to the VOA broadcast as soon as I can.
If you read the text in the article, it is a transcript of the audio.
tr
I prefer tabs.
Ok, thanks. I do to. Just thought I’d ask and see what other people thought.
tr
I think there is some error in the link included in the first selection. With or without the proper link, the story is sadly amusing. I too did some California years, but learned better and returned to roots, one border north. Yup, we are both old enough to remember Howard Jarvis. Saint or sinner, our generation remembers him. As usual, the other links a fun and always informative. Thanks, Tracy! -Craig
Addendum:
If I have not specifically mentioned this before, thank you for your many years of Air Force service! Spending ~75% of your uniformed career driving or teaching the driving of C5 aircraft is not a joke and damn sure not wasted time. As you know, the airframe remains in service. The current drivers continue to execute their missions safely because you and your (our?) ilk paid close attention to the small details. Again, thank you for your service. -Craig.
Sorry, but one more… The article about Barbara Hamner is ceretainly on point and we are sorry to learn of her passing. Her career is a near-perfect example of both t he joys – and the risks – of a fling career. In an age of mergers, melding seniority lists, changed retirement ages, reduced wages and benefits, only the serious (nuts?) will be flying ten years from now. As sad as it may be, some brain-free gamble on a unknown airline, ten or fifteen years ago, could well be the difference between flying PIC on a big airplane today, or perhaps not flying at all. It was a crap-shoot 10-15 years ago and it is not really any better. Honestly, other than the gut-based passion, I do not understand why today’s young pilots stay in the business. Choosing a flying career today, and sticking with it, requires a degree of passion and drive that most of us do not understand. I think that those entry level psych exams should be tightened up a bit as the younger flyers must really be ‘nuts.’ Regards, -Craig.
About the tabs and windows… I guess I don’t much care. I read/follow a lot of sites and blogs and each seems to have its own unique habits. When a new ‘tab’ is opened, I can see it and I know to close it as a backout stroke. If the Back Arrow is not bright, I have a clue… To be perfectly frank, Tracy, I don’t much care. What I DO care about is regular postings and of material that is worth reading. Your blog scores high marks on both and I keep coming back becasue I’m never disappointed. I don’t know how you find the often great articles, but you do. Friday or the weekend is always time to check the weather at ATP. Thanks. -Craig (I know. Enought is enough! The blog is about your posts, not my responses .)
You’re absolutely right I’ll fix that in a sec. Thanks for pointing it out. ……All fixed now.
You’re welcome. I appreciate the thought.
Thanks very much for the comments. You can never leave too many. It’s the way I find out that people are actually reading what I post.
another vote for the current “new tabs” link format!
Chris,
Thanks for the vote. Looks like whoever wrote that article I read was in the minority.
Tracy
90% of the time I read your blog in Google Reader, so when I click on a link it opens in a new tab. When I’m on your Blog, however, I prefer a new tab.
Yours is not a heavily commented site, but I never miss a post, and do greatly enjoy all of your links that you post. Lack of comments should not imply that we’re not out here enjoying the time you put into this blog.
Thanks Jim, I appreciate that.
Tracy