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LEGEND: JT = Jim Tucker [Co-pilot] AC = Auburn Calloway [Jumpseat Passenger] AP = Andy Peterson [Flight Engineer] DS = David Sanders [Pilot] Center = Memphis ARTCC Tower = Memphis Air Traffic Control Tower UV = Unidentified Voice AW = Autowarning UA = Unidentified Aircraft UNIN = Unitelligible [UNIN] [Laughter] DS: I can’t believe it, […]

James Morgan Tucker, Jr. was bornSeptember 7, 1951, in Miami, Fla. He grew up two blocks from MIA with A&Psfor neighbors, and watched Eastern Airlines transition from props to jets. Hewent to college in Alabama looking at a law career, but a carrier aviationposter in the recruiter’s office caught his eye, and he became a […]

I‘ve been writing for AVweb just over a year now. It’s amazing the things I’ve been learning. One of the things that I’ve learned is that new people start reading this column all the time. And they don’t necessarily go back to where I started and “catch up,” as it were. So, at the risk […]

Click any image to view a larger version. “Didn’t you make a quilt that looked that, Mabel?” The TFR enforcer lifts off That WOULD be a great fall, Mr. Dumpty! “Wait … didn’t I see you hanging around Reno last month? “Can I get some fresh cream in my coffee?” An udder delight of a […]

Click any image to view a larger version. Gas balloons getting ready It’s loud, it’s boring, it’s inflation time for the gas balloons “Why do I always sound like a mouse when we inflate these helium balloons?” Much-needed sand for ballast — fortunately, New Mexico has a lot to spare Richard Abruzzo’s basket — ready […]

It sounds like a flat-out emergency. It’s the deafening din of helium gas, squeezing and squirming and squealing through hoses and valves and connectors, finding its way from a tank truck, across the launch field, and into the inflation port of a balloon. The noise is very alarming, and it’s nonstop. It whines and whooshes […]

SPECIAL REPORT: Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta 2002 Now in its 31st year, Albuquerque’s annual extravaganza of ballooning attracts pilots and spectators from all over the world. It’s a massive congregation of the devoted and the dilettante, a celebration of the mystery and magic of this most ancient form of flight, and pure spectacle. AVweb’s Senior […]

When I was young, I had fantasies of becoming a test pilot. I’d done some test flying in the F-51 and lesser airplanes, but with no college at all, no money, and very poor high-school grades, it seemed an impossible prospect. Then I joined Air America in 1963, and the money started flowing into my […]

A collection of images to accompany “Pelican’s Perch #61: Test Pilot School.“ KEDWAirspace Chart Click the image for a much higher-resolution version, which will open in a new window. Note: CHUM (see lower right corner of chart)stands for Chart Update Manual. The CHUM has all the changes to the charts for new towers and obstructions, […]

While we’ll concede the presidential TFR over Kennebunkport, Maine, last weekend was breathtakingly excessive — any chance we could fly over some of the state? — the consolation is that, with the cancellation of the Statue of Liberty TFR, the New York Hudson corridor is back to normal. AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli flew it last week, […]