Who’s Where?

The new organizers of the Flying Aviation Expo, led by Scheyden Precision Eyewear President Jeff Herold, hope to build on past successes and build the show into the premier GA event for the West Coast. Herold tells AVweb how this month’s event came together. Duration: 10:33 File Size: 5.1 MB download here

John Frank, a founder and executive director of the Cessna Pilots Association, died at his home in Santa Maria, California, on Thursday, June 9. Frank was well-known as an expert and advocate for Cessna aircraft and pilots. He hosted seminars, consulted with the FAA and other agencies, and authored three buyers’ guides. He was an […]

George Neal, an award-winning test pilot who earned his Canadian private certificate 80 years ago, died this week at 97. He was recognized last June at age 96 by Guinness World Records as the oldest active pilot after flying his DHC-1 Chipmunk from Brampton Airport to Toronto’s Pearson International. Neal began his flying career as […]

The National Air Transportation Association’s President and CEO, Thomas L. Hendricks, announced Friday he will resign on Aug. 31. Hendricks, who by then will have served about four years at NATA’s helm, joined the organization in 2012 from Airlines for America, where he was senior vice president of safety, security and operations. During his tenure […]

The phrase “witness to history” is an overused one in the obituary writer’s vocabulary and probably just as often overstates the departed’s life role. But in the case of Eric “Winkle” Brown, it’s barely adequate to describe the man. As you read in this week’s news columns, Brown died thisweek at the age of 97. […]

Burt Rutan’s latest aircraft prototype, the SkiGull, took a first flight this week from Coeur d’Alene airport in Idaho. The documentary film team following Rutan’s work posted photos on Facebook, saying the flight lasted for about 90 minutes with test pilot Glenn Smith, who reported that “the plane was responsive, predictable and fun.” Rutan’s 47th […]

Richard “Dick” Taylor, known for his decades of work on jet designs, died earlier this month at 93 at his home in Seattle. He was a test pilot and later director of engineering for Boeing, where his portfolio included the B-29 tanker, the B-47, B-52 and later, the 737. The Seattle Times noted that Taylor […]

Jim Bede, who for more than 50 years designed airplanes, aircraft components and homebuilding kits, died Thursday in Cleveland, Ohio, after suffering an aneurysm. His company in Medina, Bedecorp, sells plans and kits for a series of aircraft including the BD-4B and BD-17. His early design, the BD-1 from the early 1960s, evolved into the […]

George Applebay will be remembered for more than being a pioneer in glider design and a fixture in the soaring community. Applebay, who died in April at 89, also was a World War II flight engineer and a test pilot for various aviation companies. His career spanned decades as he worked until late 2014 at […]

Cresting a sparkling aviating career, George Neal is now the oldest active pilot in the world at age 96, as entered in the Guinness Book of World Records. Neal, a longtime test pilot, flew his Chipmunk from Brampton Airport to Toronto Pearson International on June 2 to set the record. Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, […]