In 1939, Franklin Roosevelt was the first sitting president to recognize GA, according to AOPA president Mark Baker. This year also marks the 85th anniversary of AOPA, an organization created to support GA.

The National Celebration of GA Flyover will be broadcast live on AOPA’s YouTube channel with commentary from longtime “AOPA Live This Week” host Tom Haines and journalist Miles O’Brien. The pair will be on a rooftop providing commentary as aircraft fly overhead. 

Haines noted that he’s spent a good bit of time researching the participant airplanes and was impressed to learn of their rich history.

Logistics

Mike Ginter, AOPA vice president of airports and state advocacy, will serve as the air boss for the event. Ginter said that all the aircraft will be strategically launched from Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK) in Maryland—the home of AOPA—beginning at 11:30 a.m. EST on May 11. 

The aircraft will be expected to fly at 90 knots at an altitude of 1,000 feet, ensuring they are visible from the ground and online. 

“The goal is to get aviation outside of the airport fence lines,” Ginter said.

For those who won’t be in D.C., pilots are encouraged to organize watch parties at their airports.

Sixty aircraft, representing 20 different chapters of GA, are scheduled to participate. The aircraft and pilots, most of whom are the aircraft owners, were selected months ago.

Baker will be leading the parade, flying his Beechcraft Staggerwing 17, an aircraft synonymous with the golden age of aviation. The round-engine Staggerwing biplane was one of the first to feature an enclosed cockpit. In the 1930s, it was the choice for executive transport and air racers.

“It’s going to be a special time for AOPA and for general aviation,” Baker said. “What a sight it will be to see the history of general aviation flying over the National Mall, as GA has given this nation so much over the past many decades. AOPA is uniquely positioned to plan this complex event and execute it safely and professionally.”

Among the aircraft planned to appear are a WACO UPF-7, Douglas DC-3, a Grumman Albatross, one of the only two Beechcraft Starships still flying, a Robinson R44, and a Piper M700 Fury certified this year.

The flyover will also feature an appearance by the Titan Aerobatic Team.

Parade Route

Washington has some of the most restricted airspace in the country. More than 11 agencies, including the FAA, air traffic control, TSA, and U.S. Secret Service are coordinating for the event, which will include flight in Prohibited Area P-56. The restricted airspace was created after 9/11. 

The route takes the aircraft past the Lincoln Memorial, down Independence Avenue, and past the Washington Monument.

GA, By the Numbers

Parade aircraft were selected to showcase technological advancements in aviation and demonstrate the ways GA has improved its safety records over the years.

According to AOPA, the GA industry enjoys the safest record ever due to better aircraft, navigation systems, flight training, and better, more engaging ways to stay proficient. General aviation aircraft fly more than 26 million flight hours each year, including about 30 million takeoffs and landings.

AOPA officials said they hope the event will help spread the word that general aviation often comes from small towns with small aircraft manufacturing facilities, such as Yakima, Washington; Vacaville, California; and Vero Beach, Florida. 

More information on the event, route, and planned aircraft can be found on AOPA’s GA Flyover campaign website.

The post ‘Parade of Airplanes’ Over Washington to Celebrate 85 years of GA appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

There also are plenty of popular, bustling , must-see cities that airlines serve regularly. But it would be a lot more fun to visit them in your own airplane on your own schedule, right? I know that approaching certain high-traffic destinations such as Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles might feel challenging or even forbidding , especially for VFR pilots not accustomed to speaking with controllers and navigating busy airspace full of commercial jets.

If you want to explore the U.S. by air, though, you will have to traverse a lot of Class B airspace to get to the smaller surrounding airports that make those cities truly accessible. Allow me to recommend an ideal place to start: New Orleans.

New Orleans Appeals

People may think of New Orleans as a small city, but that label is deceptive. While you can tour the place on foot, the cityscape flows and meanders into so many distinct, engaging neighborhoods and districts that it can seem overwhelming to visitors who fail to plan thoughtfully or try to fit everything into a few days.

There is a lot to see, hear, and eat in New Orleans— more than many visitors expect. I suggest planning at least a three-night stay with a promise to return next year to catch up on what you missed. From the Garden District to the Commercial District to the world-famous French Quarter, you are bound to leave something for which you’ll want to return.

For any pilot flying themselves in, the city is especially attractive because of its inviting, interesting airports and GA-friendly airspace.

You gain a unique perspective from the air, and by carrying a map of the city next to your charts, you will be ready to conduct an aerial reconnaissance that can keep you from getting lost on the ground later.

Getting There

While I would have loved flying my own aircraft the 1,000 nm to New Orleans from my home airport in Sussex, New Jersey (KFWN)—and doing so would have been a great stride in my effort to log 100 hours in 2023—many factors kept that from happening.

Our window for making the trip overlapped only partially with a similarly short period of acceptable weather forecasts, and Annie, my Commander 114B, would be in for her annual that week.

• READ MORE: Flying the Truckee-Lake Tahoe Region

We really are fortunate to have airlines standing by as Plan B. We flew into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (KMSY) and drove to Lakefront Airport (KNEW), the Class D field we would use on our GA reconnaissance flight.

There we met Patrick Box, a flight instructor with Gulf Coast Aviation, a flight school based at Lakefront, who had agreed to take us up for a photo flight and tour of the city.

The Airport

A peek at a sectional chart hints at the treat you are in for when landing at Lakefront. On approach the field looks almost like an aircraft carrier docked in the harbor, its deck stretching northward into Lake Pontchartrain. An art deco terminal dominates the ramp and makes the airport easy to spot.

The architectural style and manner in which the ramp and runways fan out from the terminal lets would-be historians know the airport is a product of aviation’s golden age. You also can tell that it was the area’s primary airline hub at the time.

• READ MORE: Chart Wise: New Orleans VOR DME 36L (KNEW)

Originally called Shushan Airport, the field opened in 1934 and was considered, locally at least, to be the “Air Hub of the Americas,” according to airport officials. The design is credited to the same architectural firm responsible for the Louisiana state capitol building.

For many years, the terminal was a local dining and social destination as well as an air travel hub. As the structure aged, though, it was subjected to numerous indignities. During the 1960s, its exterior was covered with concrete panels, and the interior balcony that surrounds the first floor was enclosed to form offices.

When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, several feet of water flooded the building. Preservation groups saved and gradually restored the terminal, and now it is in its glory, as if unchanged in nearly 90 years. It is easy to imagine Douglas DC-3s boarding passengers outside.

‘Big Easy’ from Above

On this day, though, we would embark on a smaller piston twin, a Beechcraft Baron 55 that Box uses for multiengine training. Winds were out of the north, and the tower cleared us for takeoff on Runway 36L. Lakefront is under the shelf of KMSY’s Class B, so GA pilots flying around the city are quickly handed off to New Orleans Approach. That is nothing unusual except that the controllers seemed extremely calm, agreeable, and forgiving compared with what I am accustomed to in the Northeast.

Instead of shooing us away, they encouraged us to fly around close to the “Big Easy” for as long as we wanted. While operating around larger Class C and Class B international airports demands a lot, it also rewards those who persevere in the face of apprehension.

• READ MORE: Mackinac Island Is Especially Stunning by Air

“Just give us a call when you’re done,” the controller said as we descended to 1,000 feet to traverse the VFR corridor over the Mississippi River. This arrangement is similar to the Hudson River route through New York City, except that the Mississippi winds sharply through New Orleans, giving the flight a tactical feel—thrilling. If you keep a map of the city next to your chart, it is easy to mentally plan out the neighborhoods you want to visit later.

Flying with a local pilot turned out to be an ideal introduction to the city from aloft. Box was familiar with the area and pointed out many significant sights that we might have missed, like the old forts that stand guard where the river and lake meet. We flew over Fort Pike and Fort Macomb, sister structures meant to defend Lake Pontchartrain from invasion. They were built between 1819 and 1826 after the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 exposed weaknesses in the city’s defenses. Today, both forts are ruins, but Pike is sufficiently intact to be a historic site that tourists can visit. Macomb is inaccessible and better viewed from the air.

From the legendary Caesars Superdome and skyscrapers downtown and shipping terminals along the river to the expansive marshland that borders the city, we felt like we covered the whole place within an hour. The flight made it easier to navigate once we started walking.

Leaving the airport might be the hardest part, because the terminal is a photographic bonanza. All of those deco details—including illuminated signs and a wooden telephone booth—make for wonderful keepsake photos or ‘grams. Do not leave without stopping for lunch at the terminal restaurant, Messina’s Runway Cafe.

There are other airports in the area with easy access to the city, including Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional (KASP), Hammond Northshore (KHDC), and St. Tammany Regional (L31). But Lakefront is such a special place that missing it would make the visit incomplete. If you do not land there, do make a point of visiting the terminal.

Into the City

Known for festivals such as Mardi Gras, jazz, food, and the French Quarter, “NOLA,” as the place is known affectionately, is no theme park. This real working city happens to be packed with history and culture from end to end.

While you have heard about Bourbon Street and other tourist epicenters around town, the lesser-known enclaves might be the most memorable. Travelers should make a point of visiting as many of the distinct neighborhoods as time allows.

Starting with the French Quarter, visitors can take in historic architecture that stretches back 300 years and landmarks from St. Louis Cathedral to Jackson Square. Walking is the best way to see this area and take in the sights, sounds, and shops along Bourbon Street, Royal Street, and others that make up the neighborhood’s tight grid.

Cross Rampart Street from the French Quarter to enter Treme, which is known as the oldest African-American neighborhood in the U.S. Landmarks include Louis Armstrong Park, named for the famous trumpeter and singer, and Congo Square, where enslaved people used to meet to play music thought to be the genesis of jazz.

The city’s streetcar will take you to Uptown, where sights include mansions, estates, and gardens. This is where you will find Audubon Park, the Audubon Zoo, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, and other historic attractions. This is another ideal area for walking or bike tours.

A Bonus for Pilots

Crossing into the central business district, or CBD, you will find modern skyscrapers, shopping areas, and hotels. Aviators will be happy to spot the National World War II Museum, with exhibits including numerous aircraft, vehicles, weapons, and more.

If you pictured DC-3s at the Lakefront airport, you will be pleased to find a C-47 version in D-Day markings hanging in the museum lobby. Other airplanes strung dramatically from the ceiling include a North American P-51 Mustang, Supermarine Spitfire, Messerschmitt 109, and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

Some of the aircraft in the collection are largely complete and closer to airworthiness than others, which might be missing their engines and other vital-but-hidden parts. The C-47 that hangs overhead as you enter the ticket line and sits at eye level when viewed from the second-floor balcony looks like it could have just flown back from Europe.

One of the museum docents told me the aircraft arrived in pieces, and when volunteers assembled it for display, they did not drain all of the oil from one of its engines. So the old Pratt & Whitney R-1830s dripped every so often, for years, sometimes narrowly missing visitors— and sometimes not.

I think those radials would start if given the spark again. It’s not hard to contemplate such rich history in a town like New Orleans.

New Orleans Lakefront Airport (KNEW)

Location: New Orleans

Airport Elevation: 7.3 feet msl (give or take)

Airspace: Class D

Airport Hours: Continuous

Runways: 18R/36L, 18L/36R, 9/27

Lighted: Yes, all runways

Pattern Altitude: 1,000 feet msl for all traffic

This feature first appeared in the January-February 2024/Issue 945 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post New Orleans Is a GA-Friendly, Fly-In Locale appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

After my employer, Flying Media Group, acquired the aviation marketplace Aircraft For Sale, I began writing short daily articles about listed aircraft, including history about the featured make and model and details about the specific listed aircraft. This is a great way to keep track of pricing, availability, and other market trends, as well as being an encouraging reminder of how many interesting and unique aircraft are out there looking for new homes.

As the owner of a Commander 114B, I am familiar with the question, “What type of airplane is that?” and the joy of providing the answer, especially the long version. While flying a rare airplane can be a lot of fun, it is not without a measure of concern regarding parts and service support, not to mention the potential added expense of keeping such “orphans” airworthy.

Spending a lot of time perusing Aircraft For Sale, I realized that my Commander is relatively mainstream and plentiful compared with some of the machines that crop up on the site, like the 1967 Nanchang CJ-6A, a Chinese military trainer that made its way to the U.S. or the former Soviet 1991 Antonov An-2 utility biplane now outfitted like a recreational vehicle. I often wonder how owners of these aircraft go about sourcing spare parts, but mostly I think about how much fun they must have traveling in these rare birds.

The following are a few that caught my attention – and held it – during the past year.  

1951 Hawker Sea Fury ‘Furias’

Have you ever considered air racing? There are several ways to get involved, but buying a genuine racing aircraft with a long history seems like the most direct route. Spotting Furias for sale brought back memories of watching the aircraft in action for decades during the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada.

1980 North American Sabreliner

Speaking of Reno makes me think of R.A. Bob Hoover, the legendary test pilot and aviator extraordinaire who for many years paced the Unlimited racers at Reno and gave memorable aerobatic demonstrations between races in a variety of seemingly unlikely aircraft including a Saberliner. On the practical side, this aircraft would make a fine family or business transporter.

1943 Douglas DC-3

The DC-3 is such a legend that every pilot I know wants a type rating in the airplane. A few have that honor already. The versatile twin transport is known for many things, such as being the first profitable airliner, but the fact that many of them are still operating, hauling goods and making money, might be the most impressive thing about the aircraft.

1954 de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver Mk I

While the Beaver is far from common, there are quite a few of them plying the skies around Alaska and throughout Canada’s rural territories. One problem for would-be buyers is that owners rarely give up their beloved Beavers if they can possibly avoid it. For pilots seeking an outdoor lifestyle full of aerial backcountry exploration, the right Beaver is worth the wait.  

1975 Great Lakes 2T-1A-2

The Great Lakes is a classic “sport biplane” design, meaning it is meant to be flown with vigor, often as an aerobatic trainer. Indeed, many well-known pilots flew and competed in Great Lakes biplanes into the 1960s before monoplane designs took over. This colorful example would make an exciting personal transport for a solo pilot or one with a single, special passenger.

The post A Shopper’s Market: 5 Interesting Rare Birds from 2023 on ‘AircraftForSale’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

That’s because—just over three decades later in 1935—the auspicious date saw the first flight of the Douglas Sleeper Transport, or DST, which marked the first variant of the DC-3 series.

When the final DST configuration was settled on and the first model ready for flight, it was a cool, clear day in December. Coincidentally, it was the 32nd anniversary of the Wrights’ famous flight: December 17. In the late afternoon, around 3 p.m., the airplane rolled out, but this time the flight wasn’t turned into a company lunch break or notable event, and even few of the Douglas executives took the time out to watch. It’s assumed that Doug did, but no photo remains of the occasion (if one was ever taken) and no specific notes remain on the particular flight. [Douglas chief pilot Carl] Cover’s logbook entry is simple, as though he was just testing another DC-2 off the line.

In a sense, he was—there was little in the way of dramatic leaps in technology or performance from the DC-1 to the DST, as Doug would note later on, yet it was almost a totally new airplane from a parts standpoint. Much of the change needed to stretch and widen the airplane resulted in similar but improved handling characteristics. What Cover may have noticed were the improvements to ergonomics in the cockpit, and, as the testing went on, the more luxurious interior on the DST, required by the purpose it served as a sleeper transport and not just a day plane.

—excerpt from “Honest Vision: The Donald Douglas Story”

READ MORE: The Douglas DC-3 Changed Aviation History Forever

A Key to Winning the War

Just a few years later, the DC-3’s military versions—beginning with the C-47—would prove pivotal in World War II. The capable and forgiving twin would keep its crews safe with the numerous improvements integrated into its systems and performance, while they delivered load after load of troops and cargo across oceans and to the front lines, particularly in the European Theater.

As a result of the massive mobilization of aircraft manufacturing in the wake of the establishment of the industry-led War Production Board in January 1942, the Allied Forces had the “Arsenal of Democracy,” which exceeded the 50,000 aircraft touted by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as an outline of the production effort.

The D-Day Squadron will honor the missions flown around the Normandy Invasion when it returns to those shores in May and June 2024—but also lend to its audience and participants the sense of what other massive operations would feel like witnessing from the air and on the ground. While several aircraft flying over from the U.S. participated in the commemorative occasion on the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, at least one new entrant hopes to be flying in time: the C-47 ‘Night Fright’.

READ MORE: To Honor and Remember: D-Day

After D-Day

The Normandy Invasion marked a turning point in the war—and following the strikes in June 1944, it seemed that it would be nearing its end in Europe. But a few critical events remained. 

One would begin on the eve of the airplane’s 9th anniversary. On December 16, 1944, the German war machine launched one last large-scale offensive, amassing more than a million soldiers along a 75-mile front.

The Battle of the Bulge—known then as the Ardennes Offensive, as it spanned the Ardennes Forest along the German-Belgian border—caught the Allied forces by surprise, but they quickly mobilized a counter attack that once again hinged on the utilization of the C-47 fleets. Fighting the severe cold over the course of six weeks, more than a million Allied troops, including the 101st Airborne Division, brought their full force to bear. Defending the town of Bastogne, beginning on December 22, over the course of the next several days, “961 C-47s and 61 gliders dropped 850 tons of supplies and ammunition to Bastogne,” according to the RAF Mildenhall website.

To talk with the troops on the ground, those supplies proved not only critical from a logistical sense, but also in terms of morale. The pilots I spoke with while gathering stories for “Together We Fly: Voices From the DC-3” recalled the bitter cold—and the fact the brunt of the fighting took place over Christmas. Feeling far from home at a poignant time, soldiers witnessed the sight of one hundred C-47s at a time overhead, visible through the clearing skies.

So on this anniversary of the Wright Flyer’s first success, and that of the DC-3’s inaugural test flight, I think of those soldiers and count my blessings this holiday season.

Editor’s Note: You can win a flight in a DC-3 and a history package from the D-Day Squadron by entering here.

The post The Douglas C-47: A Christmas Story appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In 1964, Lacy was a demonstration pilot for Pacific Learjet, and he flew one of the first Learjet 24s into Van Nuys, California (KVNY), an airport that would become identified with him over the years—from the Air National Guard, to the charter company that he founded there in 1968, to the movie One Six Right, released in 2005, which capped his career as an actor and photo pilot. Lacy helped develop the Astrovision camera system mounted on Learjets and others. With it, he filmed for Bombardier, Boeing, and Lear, as well as other manufacturers, not only for marketing efforts but also flight test segments. Film credits for the Astrovision system include Flight of the Intruder, The Great Santini, Armageddon, and Top Gun.

Lacy raced airplanes as a passion, and served as president of the Air Racing Association from 1966 to 1970. He won the Unlimited category at the National Air Races at Reno in the stunning purple P-51 Mustang, Miss Van Nuys, he owned for many years. In 2010, he received the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

Now, Lacy continues to give back, just as he always has over his career. Today, he’s working with the Aviation Youth Mentoring Program (AYMP, www.aymp.world), a women-owned and child-centered nonprofit committed to involving and inspiring underserved communities through aviation. AYMP students had the privilege to meet Lacy in person at the Van Nuys airport and learn what it takes to be an aviator. Through the Clay Lacy AYMP Flight Scholarship, Lacy has funded 12 students in 2023 for their private pilot certificates, and aviation management and/or aerospace education.

FLYING Magazine (FM): You started flying early in life in Wichita. Can you share a story from those teen years when you first took flight?

Clay Lacy (CL): I remember seeing my first airplanes when I was five years old. There was Continental Airlines flying into Wichita from Denver [Colorado], same time every day, in a Lockheed 12—smaller than a DC-3—and I’d watch it every day. When I was eight years old, my mother took me for a ride in a Staggerwing Beechcraft at the airport—I was into model airplanes by then. When I could see my house from the air, I just thought this was great. From that time until I was 12, occasionally, I would get a few dollars and buy a ride. My grandmother had a farm outside of Wichita…and across the road was a golf course, and in 1944 a guy named Orville Sanders started bringing airplanes in there. I started going over there and helping him. [My grandmother agreed to rent land to Sanders] and three weeks later there were airplanes landing there. So from the time I was 12, I got to fly almost every day.

FM: In flying for United Airlines, you saw the breadth of some of the greatest transport category airplanes ever built. Does one stand out as your favorite?

CL: I had a great career at United—a good company—I had the opportunity to be copilot on a DC-3 for my first year with United. The Convair came in new in 1952, so a year later—they had a contract with the union so the company just assigned people to be copilots—I was assigned it and what a lucky thing that was. It was a modern airplane, with a lot of new systems and good things—and just a great opportunity.

FM: You flew the Learjet early on, and worked with the company and Bill Lear. Any stories to share from that time?

CL: I was really immersed in corporate aircraft sales at an early age, and then I became manager of sales for Learjet in [11] western states in 1964, and with Al Paulsen and his company. I introduced Bill Lear—and his company got the distributorship for those states. I flew the Learjet and I met so many people, like half of Hollywood, giving them demonstrations on Lears. It was a great period in my life. And I started my own charter company in 1969.

FM: For the first flight of the “Pregnant Guppy,” how did that come about?

CL: There was a fellow in the Guard named Jack Conroy. He was always into something new. He had set a record in F-86s from LA to New York and back in one day. He ended up in 1961 building the Pregnant Guppy airplane, which is a big airplane—it would carry the [Saturn rocket] engines that would take man [up to] the Moon, in the Apollo program. Jack would build a lot of airplanes in those days, and I was test-flying most of them. So we flew the Guppy in September 1962—at the time it was considered the world’s largest airplane. It lost some speed—about 18 percent at a given altitude. But Boeing was interested in the project because they were in the process of building the 747. They were interested in how much performance it was going to lose [with the wider cross section]. They were very happy when the numbers came in.

FM: Any good memories of flying the F-86? What was it like balancing the flying with United and keeping your commitment to the Air National Guard?

CL: In January 1954, I went into the air force pilot training for 20 months and was in Georgia, Greenville, Mississippi; Del Rio, Texas; and Las Vegas, Nellis Air Force Base. I came back to United Airlines and the [Air National Guard] in September 1955. I got to fly F-86s on my days off [from the airline]—it was a great life. [The F-86] was a great airplane—I loved it. It was new to the USAF, then the Guard got it during the Korean War. I became head of instrument training for the Guard, and it gave me the opportunity to fly with the general, wing commander, and group commander. We had problems in the Guard, they had had several accidents—like seven accidents in one year—the year before I came in. They were primarily people on cross-countries, with problems in instrument flying. They had a big inspection—and our Air Force advisor chose me to do the instrument flying. I really knew a lot about it because of my job with United. When the inspection was over, he gave me a ’10,’ the highest score he could give me.

FM: What drew you to the P-51, and to race it in the Unlimited Class at the first Reno Air Races?

CL: I always thought it would be fun to do the air racing—I had never done it. I was flying for United, early January 1964, into Reno [Nevada], and I got snowed in one day and I was walking around downtown, and I went by the Chamber of Commerce’s office. They had a sign in the window that the air race was coming in September, and I went in and got the information on it. The next day I was back in Al Paulsen’s office, and I said, ‘They’re gonna have races in Reno, and I’d like to get an airplane and fly it, a P-51.’ He looked shocked, and he said, ‘I just talked to a guy on the phone, and he wants to trade me a P-51 on a Cessna 310 he had for sale.’ The guy was in Lewiston, Idaho. In those days, the P-51s weren’t worth near as much as they are today. So Al wanted $17,500 for the Cessna 310, and…Al told him [he’d give him] $7,500 on the P-51. It was low time, one of the very last ones built— and it flew very nicely.

FM: You’ve made the move from pilot to philanthropist full-time—but you’ve been involved with charitable work all of your career. Tell us about the Clay Lacy Foundation, and the Aviation Youth Mentoring Program you’re involved in now—and what drives you to support kids?

CL: It’s something that I got into some time ago, just overall supporting kids. It’s been a good experience. I’ve had so much fun in aviation—I’m told I might be the highest-time pilot; I have over 55,000 flight hours. I love people in aviation—they’re good, honest people, I think. You tend to be honest in aviation, because if you’re not, you get in trouble if you’re a pilot. So they make good role models for young people. If [a young person] is really interested, they need to meet people who are in aviation who can sponsor them and help get them going.

Quick 6

Is there anyone living or dead who you would most like to fly with?

So many good friends…one being Bill Lear

If you could fly any aircraft that you haven’t flown yet, what would it be?

Several aircraft that I’ve filmed but not flown—like the SR-71

What’s your favorite airport that you’ve flown into?

When I was flying the line for United, Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport

What do you believe has been the biggest innovation breakthrough or event in aviation?

With the advances we’ve made in supersonic flight by the 1950s, I’m surprised we’re not flying faster now. But the increase in safety—it’s remarkable.

What is one important life lesson you’ve learned from being a pilot?

Learn all that you can—always be on the lookout to learn something new.

When not flying or promoting your charitable foundation, what would you rather be doing?

I have a place in Idaho, in the mountains. But, the main thing has always been airplanes and the people in aviation.

The post A Life in Pursuit with Clay Lacy appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

• READ MORE: D-Day Squadron Details Plans for 80th Anniversary Flight To Normandy

The group announced the first 10 aircraft joining its Legacy Tour to make the journey to Europe in the spring to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasions and 75th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. More aircraft are expected to join the squadron as preparations continue, but the following have confirmed their participation as of November 10:

• C-47 Placid Lassie ( N74589), Tunison Foundation, U.S.
• C-47 That’s All, Brother ( N74TB), Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Centex Wing, U.S.
• C-47 Screaming Eagle (N150D),  private owner, USA
• R4D Ready 4 Duty (151ZE), CAF Dallas-Forth Worth Wing, U.S.
• C-53 Spirit of Benovia (N8336C), Aerometal International, U.S.
• C-41A Hap*penstance (N341A), The RM Group LLC, U.S.
• DC-3 Chalair (F-AZOX), private owner, France
• C-47 Night Fright (N308SF), Night Fright Promotions Ltd., U.K.
• C-47 Drag ’em Oot (N473DC), Aero Legends, U.K.
• C-47 Pegasus (G-ANAF), Aero Legends, U.K.

“We’re excited to join the D-Day Squadron to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Operation Overlord. As a U.S. Naval aircraft, Ready 4 Duty and her crew are honored to represent the contributions of the U.S. Navy at this historic event,” said Chris Volpe, wing leader of the CAF’s DFW wing “This will be our first flight mission with the squadron, a great salute to the Greatest Generation who came before us.”

With additional teams continuing preparations, the squadron plans to add more aircraft to the mission. The group also expects at least three U.K.-based C-47s and possibly two more from France and Sweden to join those in its recent announcement in time for the event. The squadron led a similar flight in 2019.

• READ MORE: D-Day Squadron Plans 2024 Tour in Europe

“Having led the DC-3’s journey to Europe in 2019, the D-Day Squadron earned a global presence that’s provided our organization to grow, multiply our DC-3 connections, and even launch the DC-3 Society, where we actively aid operators, crews, and enthusiasts with maintenance, operations, airworthiness, and displays,” said Eric Zipkin, director of operations and mission chief pilot for the D-Day Squadron. “We won the war because of our logistical abilities. It’s only appropriate [that] we, as the stewards of this noble aircraft, continue to fly and maintain the very airframe that was the backbone to achieving victory.”

D-Day Squadron plans to depart Oxford-Waterbury Airport (KOXC) in Connecticut on May 18. The flight will then head east across the Atlantic, following the original Blue Spruce route. More information and updates about the mission are available here.

The post D-Day Squadron Names 10 Aircraft Participating in Legacy Tour appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Why? Well, it’s old and has centerline drainage but, most importantly, it’s too close to a row of corporate hangars full of jets—used for both business and privately owned. I don’t know if FAA standards have changed or if they are just being enforced, but I do know that some of these “big operators” have expansion plans and there’s nowhere to go except into the runway’s safety area. The reality is, with 21R gone, accommodating traffic from three busy flight schools with a steady stream of “big iron” on a single runway is going to be a challenge…or, as one controller opined, “It sucks.”

You may have guessed by now that occasionally I don’t see things the same way as the FAA, but this edict seems exceptionally onerous. It reduces a heavily used airport, with three (at one time four) runways, to the single 6,500-foot, fully IFR-equipped 21L-03R. Oh, there is one other “old-timer”—Runway 25—still in use but restricted to aircraft under 12,500 pounds. It’s further limited because its final approach conflicts with the 21L final, and speculation is that it too is on the way out.

Everybody who flies in the Midwest knows that after a cold front steamrolls through the Ohio Valley, the normal south-southwest surface winds typically shift around to north-northwest and landing on 21L demands significant crosswind capabilities and pilot skills. And, with “Sunken Lunken” in a valley surrounded by hills, the turbulence approaching that runway can be awesome. (I confess that not too long ago, after waging an interesting battle with a turbulent crosswind in my Cessna 180, the tower asked, “Martha, are you OK?”) When these winds reach the edge of max crosswind capability for large turbine airplanes, they’re relegated to using Greater Cincinnati (KCVG) some 12 miles away across the Ohio River in Kentucky. This is generally not popular with corporate executives or passengers.

READ MORE: Unusual Attitudes

Maybe I’m just being old-fashioned or, as I get older, change is becoming more difficult to accept. And old memories die hard, like when you find out your old grade school has been demolished or your childhood neighborhood has become a slum, when you find yourself mourning the loss of an old lover…or even a runway (not to mention an airport).

I took my first hour of instruction and gave my first hour of dual on what was back then Runway 20 (because magnetic orientation changes over the years). And many, many times I would surprise a student by saying, “Hey. I’m tired of grinding around this traffic pattern with you. Let me out here, tell the tower you need to taxi back, and make three takeoffs and landings by yourself. And, REMEMBER, you’re going to be high on final!” Of course, this had been coordinated with the tower (and couldn’t happen like that these days), but I’d hop out and sit in the grass alongside the runway, making daisy chains or chewing on a piece of clover while my student made those first glorious three solo takeoffs and landings. Now, I was way across the airport from my flying school and, after his full stop landing, the tower took great delight in clearing the student back to the hangar. He was usually so excited he’d forget about me. So I’d climb the tower steps and use their phone to get somebody to come pick me up.

Runway 21R was the scene of my introduction to ground loops. A group of guys (one of them a CFI who knew how to fly taildraggers) bought an Aeronca 7AC and called themselves the Kamikaze Flying Club. Frank was a little sweet on me and anxious to show his prowess so we went flying in the little yellow airplane with the famous shark’s mouth painted on the nose. Taxiing back to the tiedown, things suddenly began to spin—I saw grass, the taxiway behind us, the tower, and some hangars. It was fun so I laughed and said, “Oh Frank, do it again!” He glowered at me and said, “Shut up! That was a ground loop.” No damage, except to this future airline pilot’s pride.

Another afternoon, when the winds were strong and steady, blowing right down the runway, Mike Smith and I were out in one of Cincinnati Aircraft’s Champs. (Mike’s father, Bud Smith, owned the operation so “rental” was no problem.) Out on final, he was able to slow the airplane to the edge of a stall…and it stopped! We were stationary over the golf course. After clearing us to land two or three times, the controller—who had little sense of humor—told us to LAND or go somewhere else.

The Procter and Gamble flight department had occupied with a fleet of Douglas DC-3s the old Aeronca hangar at the end of 20L since 1950. They’d even designed an ingenious “track” to turn their airplanes sideways on the ramp and winch them into the hangar. Well, the ’60s brought the Gulfstream I, and the only way they’d fit was to raise the hangar roof. P&G being P&G, thought raising the roof and obstructing the tower’s view of the approach end of the 20L was no problem. The city just displaced the threshold of 21R by a considerable 900 feet.

Then the city constructed a wide taxiway for the Gulfstreams crossing at that unusable end and put in a narrow blacktop one for the little guys taking off at the new threshold. It was less than adequate—too narrow to even turn into the wind for runup. That was the impetus for a midnight (after the tower closed) expedition out to the new “corporate” taxiway on our bicycles with cans of traffic paint, graph paper, and measuring tapes. In honor of the notoriously pompous flight department manager who exerted considerable “juice” with the city, we spent all night painting, in large letters: THE NELSON U. ROKES MEMORIAL TAXIWAY.

Nobody knew who did it but, kind of surprisingly, both the company pilots and Nelson loved it. For years, the tower commonly cleared airplanes to their hangar, “via the memorial!”

It was a different time, and I have to accept today’s 8-foot fences and security cameras as the norm—obsolete runways and all those tempting bridges have to go. But, oh, how I miss those days.

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This was certainly true of the Wright Brothers in 1903 as they approached the aerial tests that would either prove their theories of controlled flight—or send them crashing again and again into the sand, scattering the pieces of their now-famous fabric-and-wood biplane across the dunes.

They had experience with this kind of development program, as they taught themselves to fly beginning with the first biplane-style kite they ordered in 1899, and through the piloted gliders they built and flew—more or less successfully—in 1900 and 1901. 

With the 1903 Flyer, they had an evolution of the wing-warping flight control system they had developed, and other known quantities. But it was the first series of flight tests for Charles Taylor’s new twelve-horsepower engine, the first trial of a novel means of driving the propellers—and the first time the Wrights would try their method of lateral and pitch control under power.

Though the Wrights appeared methodical in their approach, the willingness to take on so many leaps forward at once took a lot of nerve. And it made for the Eureka! moment we will celebrate again on December 17, 119 years later.

Trial and Error—and Creative Experimentation

When researching my latest biographical take on Clyde Cessna, I was struck again by the trial-and-error method by which the first flights he made in his version of the Blériot XI took place just a few years later, in 1909.

Twelve crashes before success? The first one or two would be enough to get your pilot certificate pulled these days. But, wait—he held no such piece of paper. He learned to fly by observing the actions of those few pilots around him, then he strapped himself into the machine he had built and gave it a go. The tall grass prairie with its open prospects and flat land must have given him some kind of confidence that the pile-up at the end of a botched landing attempt wouldn’t hurt too much. However, he did spend some time at the doctor’s office along the way.

But what he learned from this creative experimentation was an extraordinary amount—the curve went from hugging the X-axis to exponential. And within a couple of years, he had demonstrated his Silver Wings in front of enthusiastic crowds.

A Game-Changing Airliner

Flash forward just 26 years later, and on another December 17 afternoon in California, the first Douglas DC-3—actually, a Douglas Sleeper Transport—took flight. By 1935, Douglas Aircraft Company had matured enough in its flight test programs that the milestone we honor 87 years later was a mere logbook entry for chief pilot Carl Cover. 

Certain aspects of an airplane’s flight characteristics won’t be known until that first foray into the sky. Witness the initial climb of the DC-1, and the carburetors installed backwards that nearly cut the program short. What Cover had learned before as a pilot saved them—and the airplane—and the thousands of flights of the DC-2 models set them up for success with the DC-3.

But they were also supported by a modern approach to the experimental flight test program, with advanced wind tunnel testing and modeling, incremental expansion of the flight envelope, and the building of performance charts to capture the way the airplane should be flown when it came on line.

First Flights in Modern Times

Over the past 25 years, I’ve had the privilege to fly several dozen new airplanes in various stages of pre-production and immediately after they have made it out of the factory, as well as those that have been in the field for a while but are still new to me.

I’ve made my own first flights with the incredible benefit that neither the Wrights nor Cessna had—quality instruction during the process. A wide range of pilots have been there in the right seat to guide me through those introductions, with just as many styles of imparting critical—yes, lifesaving—information in a timely and digestible manner.

From Scott Anderson in the Cirrus SR20 in 1998 to Charlie Wilcox in the Cessna Skycatcher in 2008, many of these patient teachers have come from experimental flight test operations. Others have been master flight instructors like Kirby Ortega, in the Grand Caravan, or Roger Sharp, in the Beech 18.

My recent introduction to the Kodiak series—the 100 and the new 900 that we will feature in an upcoming We Fly—represented well this range of approaches. Chief demo pilot and sales and marketing director Mark Brown introduced me to the 900 this fall. With his 8-plus years first with Quest Aircraft and now with Daher, Brown drew from operating the previous model all over the globe, and being part of the development of the new model. His comfort with the airplane through all its regimes meant our demonstration could explore the finer points of the 900—and why it’s unique among single-engine turboprops.

For my first flights in the 100, I had a real treat: I flew with two longtime CFIs in sequence, with the explicit purpose to learn from each of them. Daher’s director of training Wayman Luy knew my flying style from our previous flights in the TBM series, and tailored his approach accordingly, drawing spot-on comparisons to what we had flown before. Daher Aircraft USA CEO Nicolas Chabbert brought an entirely different take, basing our lesson together on his experience and training at mountain airports in France—as well as his fluency in PT6 management over decades of steering the TBM program.

We found a strip of grass to show off the Kodiak’s capabilities—and it didn’t even need to be that forgiving for a handful of my first landings in the 100. Yes, my learning curve may have been merely geometric, rather than exponential, but that’s only because I have had the benefit of flying with such fantastic teachers.

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The D-Day Squadron plans to return to Europe on tour in 2024, with a tribute to the role played by those aircraft and the crews that flew and supported them in World War II. The year will mark the 80th anniversary of Operation Overlord and its associated missions, as well as the 75th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift in Germany.

“Having led the DC-3’s journey to Europe in 2019, the D-Day Squadron earned a global presence that’s provided our organization to grow, multiply our DC-3 presence, and even launch the DC-3 Society where we actively aid operators and enthusiasts with maintenance, operations, airworthiness, and displays,” said Eric Zipkin, director of operations and mission chief pilot for the D-Day Squadron. “We won the war because of our logistical abilities; it’s only appropriate we, as the stewards of this noble aircraft, continue to fly and maintain the very airframe that was the backbone to achieving victory.”

The D-Day Squadron forms a nexus for the 2024 tour, helping other organizations in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia that wish to participate. The team is also joining forces with the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) in the U.S. CAF president Hank Coates said, “We are excited to work with the D-Day Squadron on another mission to Europe. When we participated in 2019, it was wonderful to see how many people were impacted by seeing our aircraft and aircrews paying tribute to these important moments in history.” 

Volunteers are coming together to form an organizational committee as well as other key tasks in the almost two years before the tour plans to launch. The DC-3 Society continues on in concert with the tour plans, supporting the Douglas DC-3 and C-47 models in maintaining airworthiness for the type and ensuring they can continue to fly in aerial displays and other events into the future.

DC-3 and World War II history enthusiasts are also encouraged to seek out the film created to document the 2019 tour, “Into Flight Once More,” produced by Sound Off Films and narrated by Gary Sinise. The film covers the reenactment of Operation Overlord and tells the stories of veterans and crews. It is streaming currently on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, among other platforms.

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The Douglas Gooney Bird hadn’t flown since 2009.

The Flight

The plan was to take the DC-3, N983DC, up for a short flight to test basic systems and the operation of its Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp engines. Everything went smoothly, according to Sells, and they stayed up a little bit longer than expected—about 40 minutes.

“We looked around for problems and we didn’t find any,” said Sells, save for an intermittent intercom. Macario, the group’s maintenance technician with inspection authority, wants to adjust the fuel pressures on the engines so they match, but that’s about it as far as squawks from the first flight after 13 years.

The aircraft is currently shepherded by owners Kent Casady, Malcolm Van Kirk, and Derek White—though White puts it well: “You never really own anything. You also can’t take anything materialistic with you when you die. We are just good stewards for Yukon Sourdough.”

Though Macario’s typed in the airplane—and the team has worked on it consistently for the past four years—the group brought in Sells for the test flight and to help Macario and other pilots return to currency as well.

The History

The airplane was built at one of the Douglas Aircraft Company’s wartime production plants in Oklahoma City in 1942 for the U.S. Air Force, originally carrying U.S. Air Force No. 42-92464. The registration transferred over to the Canadian Air Force, where it flew as Dakota IIIU FZ675, then No. 960. Air North, a Canadian airline founded in 1977, operated scheduled service between the Yukon and Alaska, and the company purchased the airplane in 1982, registering it as CF-OVW, a Douglas DC3C-S1C3G. 

The airline painted on the DC-3’s distinctive tail art, for which it was christened Yukon Sourdough. It sold in 1998, and its restoration was picked up by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in 2001. It was purchased from EAA by Stephen Van Kirk, Malcolm’s brother, before going to its current owners.

Once the airplane has been through its paces—and the pilots complete recurrent training—they intend to hit the airshow circuit with Yukon Sourdough as part of the D-Day Squadron’s participating aircraft.

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