Aviators from around the world are making their way to North Carolina this week, to celebrate the first 100 years of powered flight. AOPA members will be well represented with one of the largest contributions to the Wright Brothers National Memorial. While AOPA will be joining other exhibitors with temporary aviation displays, as an Official First Flight Centennial Sponsor, AOPA's major contribution will have a lasting impact. "Our contribution is about ensuring the future and inspiring the next generations of aviators," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "AOPA members have given the nation a state-of-the-art pilot facility at First Flight Airfield right next to the Wright Brothers Memorial, which will serve generations of pilots and visitors to come." For those who can't make

In the United States, almost every man, woman and child can tell you who the Wright brothers were. But ask, "Who was Alberto Santos-Dumant" and you're likely to get a lot of empty looks. Ask that same question of anyone in Brazil, however, and they'll tell you right away: He invented the airplane. It's a common misconception, widely held in Europe just after the turn of the century. Santos-Dumont, an eccentric aviation enthusiast back when there wasn't a whole lot of flying going on, pioneered personal flight. He kept a dirigible tied to a lamppost in front of his Paris apartment. On November 12, 1906, he made the first public powered flight in an aircraft he called the 14-Bis. It traveled in controlled flight about 722 feet. Because the Wright brothers flight was conducted in pri

The fuselage of the prototype Warrior (Aero-Marine) Centaur has been moved to the company's assembly hangar at Sanford Airport (ME) where the power plant assembly (Lycoming IO-540 J2B) and other systems are being prepared.  The company calls it "a long awaited milestone and a welcome action." 

It's opening day for the National Air and Space Museum's newest facility, the long-awaited Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Intentional Airport (VA). Vice President Dick Cheney, who dedicated the extension, called it "a monument to the many great achievements in flight." Cheney said the museum clearly is worth the 30 mile drive from the Smithsonian's main campus in Washington (DC). "I've been looking forward to coming here for a tour," Cheney told the crowd at Thursday's dedication ceremony. "I'm extremely impressed by what I saw this morning."

They were glass negatives of the Wright brothers' famous first flight and for years, they were hidden away in the archives of the Library of Congress. Now, they've been digitized and are available online.

As the world gears up to celebrate the first century of powered flight, you might be wondering what the second century will look like. In a word: Challenging. "Aeronautics is not mature. We barely take advantage of it in our daily lives," says Mark Moore, one of NASA's top thinkers on future flight. "We haven't achieved the Wright brothers' dream."

Pressure from key members of Congress and AOPA's Washington staff has forced the US Forest Service back to the table to discuss the future of backcountry airstrips in central Idaho. The Forest Service had wanted to close four airstrips, Dewy Moore, Mile-Hi, Simonds and Vines, located in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness but is required by law to obtain the approval of Idaho's Division of Aeronautics before any such closure. The state denied approval. So instead, the Forest Service planned to restrict access at the four strips to "emergency use only."

Let's just say the FAA isn't happy with the idea. The Cumberland Times-News reports the Potomac Highlands Airport Authority is thinking about allowing four "autocross" events at the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport next year, an event that could pad the airport's coffers, but might not sit well with the FAA.

The Bay County Commission (BCC) in Panama City (FL) has approved a land-use plan one for the proposed relocated Panama City - Bay County International Airport on 4,000 acres in western Bay County. The measure was adopted by a vote of 3 to 1. But the airport isn't built yet. A number of additional regulatory steps remain before it becomes final, including additional review by the Florida Department of Community Affairs to determine if it's in compliance with state law.