Investigation Finds Florida Man Died Seconds Before Impact

The 80-year old pilot of an ultralight trainer that crashed in southwest Florida died of a heart attack before the aircraft hit the ground Sunday, according to the widow.

Parachute Deployment Saves Pilot and Plane in Oklahoma When Fuel Line Fails

The pilot of a Flightstar Ultralight powered by a Rotax 447, by all reports, considered last Sunday an ideal day for flying until his aircraft's motor began to sputter. Instead of panicking at 800 feet, Ron Elrod, a 56-year-old Shawnee, Oklahoma attorney, deployed his BRS parachute. Seconds later, Elrod's plane landed safely in wooded terrain one mile south of Tecumseh (OK). After a frantic 3-hour search and rescue, Elrod was found by local law enforcement and walked away from the incident without suffering any major injuries to himself or his plane. "It is my opinion that had I not deployed the BRS unit, I would not have survived this crash," stated Elrod. "The device saved my life."

Part Two: Talking About The New LH-10 Ellipse

(Tuesday, we published the first ten questions with LH Aviation co-founder Frederic Hubschwerlen on his new company and its new aircraft -- the LH-10 Ellipse. The aircraft debuts this week at the Avia Expo in France. Here, now, is the second part of that interview. --ed.)

Returns to the Sky at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004

Through a special arrangement that allows a well-known B-17 bomber to return to the sky, the Experimental Aircraft Association's hugely popular national B-17 tour will be back in the air beginning at the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in, scheduled for July 27-August 2 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. The return comes less than three months after the tour was temporarily halted when a gear malfunction sidelined EAA's B-17 "Aluminum Overcast."