They called Fred Reese Mr. Aviation, a man who gave astronaut Gordon Cooper his first airplane ride, a ferry pilot during World War II and manager of the Shawnee Airport (OK). He was an accomplished balloon aviator and beloved by friends and family alike. His kids called him Poppy because they heard some of the younger pilots at Shawnee call him "Pappy." Even after he reached his late 70s, Reese was known to climb out of bed and gas up thirsty airplanes in the middle of the night. "One of the things Poppy would always do, even up to 78 years old, was, if someone called in the middle of the night wanting fuel, he'd always go sell it to them," said his daughter, Nancy Reese Barrett. "He was afraid if he didn't, they would try to go to Seminole or Ada and not make it. That was

An Israeli couple and their daughter were killed Friday flying from Tel Aviv to Paris when their GA aircraft went down in a wooded area of France. The aircraft, a Piper PA-31 (file photo of type, right), was reportedly descending toward a small airport west of Paris. French civil aviation officials reported the pilot radioed that he was picking up ice on his wings before apparently losing control of the aircraft.

AOPA last week sent a strongly worded letter to the FAA, opposing a moored balloon experiment near Lancaster (PA), and blasting the agency for giving a mere 10 days' notice. Moreover, the comment period on the proposal ends one day after the entire experiment is scheduled to end. "We would hope that in the future, common sense would prevail at the FAA," said AOPA Senior Vice President of Government and Technical Affairs Andy Cebula. "While there are no written guidelines for public comment periods on weather studies, it only makes sense to solicit ways to mitigate impact before a proposal is implemented — not during or after the effective period."

The search for a Cessna 182 carrying four people widened over the weekend, after it was reported missing Thursday night. Volunteers were out at dawn Saturday, searching for debris and -- hopefully -- survivors. Police in Glasgow (MT) identified the pilot as Bill Newman, a car dealer in his 40s; sons Lance, 14, and Ray, 24; and Ray's fiancee Jessica Gordy, 21. Newman's last transmission, at about 6:30 local time Thursday evening, indicated they were running into rough weather on a flight from Mobridge (SD) to Cut Bank (MT). Newman identified his position as somewhere near the Fort Peck Reservoir.

How big is it? 346,774 square feet. That’s 346 times the size of my apartment.  This is a big place. They can put their building from the mall inside here, no sweat. They will eventually have more than 200 aircraft on display. Now, they have 82. I continued my stroll last Friday through the facility. My feet were getting tired, but it was worth every step. I thought I had seen all the “historic” aircraft. Not quite. Unlike most museums, with aircraft parked on the floor, the planes here are flying on wires suspended at a dozen different levels. There are walks across the center and the length of the hangar that put you at nose or cockpit height, and you’re 30 or 40 feet off the floor. Leo Loudenslager's Laser 200, complete with Bud Light logos, is nose

A flying physician from Wisconsin Rapids (WI) was the 100th person to join the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame (WAHF) during its 2003 "100 for 100" Membership Drive, which ended December 17, the centennial anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight. Tim Wogahn, a family practice physician originally from Iowa, is an instrument rated private pilot who has been flying since 1999. He's a 1/3 owner of a 1960 Beech Debonair, along with fellow physician Doug Galuk and aviation educator Dan Fara. Wogahn became part owner of the Debonair in September 2003 and has already logged over 150 hours in it. Married to wife Linda and a father of three, the 270-hour pilot has made several trips throughout the Midwest, including, before its closure, Meigs Field on Chicago's lakefront. Wogahn a