Air Race Classic Traces Its Roots To The 1929 Women's Air Derby, Aka The Powder Puff Derby

It should be an amazing event... and usually has been, in past iterations. Women pilots from across the United States and around the world will take off Tuesday, June 18, from Southern Illinois Airport in Carbondale, Illinois, for a 2,610-statute mile competition across 11 states that ends Friday, June 21, at Northern Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland, Colorado. The oldest race of its kind in the nation, the Air Race Classic traces its roots to the 1929 Women's Air Derby, aka the Powder Puff Derby, in which Amelia Earhart and 19 other daring female pilots raced from Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio.

Airplane Canopy Suddenly Opened, So He Elected To Land The Airplane On A Dirt Road Ahead

Analysis: The pilot reported that during level flight, the airplane canopy suddenly opened, so he elected to land the airplane on a dirt road ahead. On approach to the dirt road, he encountered power lines and climbed to avoid them, then he continued the emergency approach to the road. When the airplane touched down on the dirt road, it veered aggressively to the left, becoming airborne momentarily, then landing in a ditch and nosing over before coming to rest inverted. 

From 2022 (YouTube Version): Engine Company Challenges Convention—and Wins

Viking Aircraft Engines, the Edgewater, Florida-based manufacturer of piston aircraft engines, has fashioned a seemingly humble business-model into a genuine, and genuinely American success story. Viking’s praxis is simple. The company buys new and gently-used, late-model Honda automotive engines, and converts them to aircraft powerplants. Conversion, however, is no simple feat. In point of fact, it’s a downright complex process comprising extensive modification of the engine’s cylinder heads, valve-train, cam chain, pistons, oil-system, crankshaft, exhaust manifold, and a great many other bits and bobs which, though critical, make for boring reading.

Wing Leading Edges Exhibited Minor Impact Marks From Exiting Engine Debris

On July 20, 2023, at about 1:42pm local time, a Lancair Legacy airplane, registration number, N707NM, powered by a single Pratt & Whiteny Canada PT6A-42 turbopropeller engine experienced an uncontained engine failure while enroute from the Rapid City Regional Airport (KRAP), South Dakota to the Rochester International Airport (KRST), Minnesota. The pilot declared an emergency, started a gliding descent into KRST, and made a successful landing without power.

Kit Helicopter's A-Game Gains Recognition at Spring's Biggest Fly-In

Hummingbird's 300L helicopter was awarded "Best Helicopter" at the recent Sun 'n Fun fly-in, garnering some serious bragging rights for the design. Vertical Aviation took a brief moment to make a little victory lap for their Hummingbird 300L, noting its popularity around the show. Their display aircraft was completed by Frank McMullan and Vic Syracuse, who did a great job with a multi-layer black, red, and gold striped livery. It's a nice showing for a fresh addition to the world of kit helicopters, straddling the best of homebuilt experimental and certificated aircraft. 

Airplane Flew Over The Top Of (Witness) From The East To The West, Then Entered A Nosedive

On April 30, 2024, at 1418 eastern daylight time, a Zodiac CH-601 HDS airplane, N6271F, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Bristol, Indiana. The private pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot’s wife reported that he and the passenger intended to fly to Branch County Memorial Airport (OEB), Coldwater, Michigan, for lunch and then return to Elkhart Municipal Airport (EKM) Elkhart, Indiana, where the airplane was hangared. She stated that this was a very popular flight for the pilot, and he usually returned within 3 hours.

Someone Must Have Screwed Up Somewhere, Because These Talkin'-To's are Rare!

The Young Eagles Program has been one of the Experimental Aviation Association's best tools in their repertoire when it comes to fostering a continued culture of aviation, but it doesn't come for cheap. The EAA has only been able to keep it running with the blessing of its insurers, which brings about all the usual restrictions underwriters require. While flying Young Eagles, pilots must complete their flights in daytime VFR conditions, retain full control over the aircraft throughout the flight, and refrain from any aerobatics, a rule that extends to even unusual attitudes and formation flights. 

Endurance Format Highlights Airmanship, Skill, Planning, and Navigation

The FAI has announced the first event in a brand-new series of championship races geared towards paramotor pilots who want to stay aloft and take the long way home, with the first big event coming next August. The FAI World Endurance Paramotor Championships have their roots in Estonian pilot Papa Kolar's concept in 2010, where he envisioned a competition focused on extended airtime and strategic power management over strict speed.

Unusual Offering Comes Across the Public Auction Block

The University of Wisconsin-Madison listed a surprising bit of public surplus in the form of an Aeromarine Electrolyte, a converted Zigolo ultralight that runs on pure battery power. The aircraft has evidently never been flown while in the University's care, despite some indication that the Zigolo type had been pressed into service with their Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Back in 2018, the school had issued a short press release about a similar ultralight Zigolo MG12, expecting to press it into use with low-level atmospheric data gathering.

From 2016 (YouTube Version): The Super Petrel LSA Is Here To Stay...

At the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo 2016, we learn that a biplane is not necessarily a piece of history from the golden age of aviation. ANN News Editor, Tom Patton, paid a visit to find out more about the Super Petrel, a modern amphibious biplane. In this video, Tom talks with David Kyrk, the Director of Sales and Marketing for Super Petrel USA. Kyrk tells us that the airplane has actually been around for about 20 years, and they have just opened a new production facility in Ormond Beach, FL. The design started in France and has been built elsewhere, but now it is being made available at the new U.S. facility.