Dear Luke Supporter: The future of Luke Air Force Base is in your hands.  Help Luke retain its seven-decade tradition of training the world’s greatest fighter pilots.  The next 6-months are critical for Luke’s future as the United States Air Force evaluates the base as one of the key training sites for the F-35 Lightning II, a next-generation fighter aircraft that will replace F-16. If awarded the -35 training mission, Luke remains ... Read More

On January 14, 2012 just before noon the only flight-worthy EC-121 Warning Star throttled up its four 18-cylinder R3350’s and sent this Connie barreling down Camarillo’s runway; destination:  Yanks Air Museum, Chino airport.  Sliding the four throttles forward symbolized the completion of a seven year project to get this super constellation back into the air.  Completing the flight from Camarillo to Chino in about an hour, the Connie made ... Read More

Woo Hoo!  Airshow season is back, albeit to a slow start.  Cable airshow is the first airshow in the southern California area after the long and cold break since Nellis in November. Cable airport is a relatively small general aviation airport in Upland, California.  Like many general aviation airports in suburban areas there is quite the assortment of Cessnas, Pipers, and Cirruses, among others.  For one weekend, the lineup at ... Read More

After World War II ended, an abundance of surplus military aircraft found their way into the fledgling aerial firefighting industry.  The combination of a large payload and the high performance of many bombers, attack aircraft, and transports allowed enterprising companies to modify airframes with large tanks for carrying borate and water for dousing wildfires.  Some of these modifications were straightforward; large tanks were inserted into existing bomb bays and ... Read More

 On January 7, 2012 at 6:00 am, I made my way to the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California. There, I was to be a passenger in the museum’s Cessna L-19 Birddog that was scheduled to be on static display the Cable Airshow in Upland, California. To say I was excited to fly in the Birddog, let alone to an airshow, and with my good friend at ... Read More

On January 14th the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, hosted  "A Legacy of Honor, Valor and Pride: A Tribute to the Tuskegee Airman" . Several hundred people turned out to honor the service and sacrifice of the warriors known as the Tuskegee Airman. On hand were several Tuskegee airmen from the Archer-Ragsdale, Arizona Chapter of the TAI. A presentation of colors was performed by re-enactors portraying Buffalo Soldiers. ... Read More

Aviation Nation 2011 turned out to be the best show I have attend in many years. Being held the second week of November usually is hit or miss with the weather normally cold and wet. Having it on Veteran’s Day weekend is risky as Vegas turns cold the week following Halloween but this year proved to be different. We attended the practice show on Friday and the day started ... Read More

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  In a press conference to discuss the future of the National Championship Air Races, the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) announced on Wednesday the formation of a Blue Ribbon ReviewPanel to study the event. The panel will examine any possible changes or modifications that could bemade to enhance the already high level of safety established by the FAA and existing RARA procedures.  RARA also announced that, despite many challenges ... Read More