Spring Is in the Air

Most of you are probably enjoying a warming trend after a really tough winter. Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In & Expo is only a few days away for those of you fortunate enough to be able to attend. Many of my friends make a point of it, getting the jump on the need to surround themselves with all things aviation after a long winter.

My own plans are to be there for most of the week, with a sharp eye on the weather for the route north to Canada. I’ll be making the short flight from my winter parking spot at Venice, Florida (KVNC), and camping for the duration of the show. Drop me a line if you would like to meet up.

Recently a wheel fell off an Australian Air Force F-111 on takeoff. Fortunately it was noticed by the air traffic controllers and reported to the pilot. The 7-minute video will have you holding your breath.

I’m sure most of you have heard of Jessica Cox, motivational speaker and the first licensed pilot to fly without arms. You can see a video of her here. We mentioned her a while back in an earlier Bits and Pieces. She flies an Ercoupe because of the coordinated controls and lack of rudder pedals. Jessica will be a featured speaker at both Sun ’n Fun and EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015 this year. It’s simply amazing to watch her eat with chopsticks, apply makeup and do a thousand other things that we would think nothing of. It takes a special technique to put your headset and seatbelt on if you have no arms. She’s not only a brave young lady but very pretty and also recently married.

Among other things, AirVenture this year will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Ercoupe design, a fascinating aircraft that was manufactured in quantity for 30 years. We’d be interested in hearing from any of our readers who either fly an Ercoupe or another similar design, and if they plan to join the celebration in Oshkosh.

STOL aircraft demonstrations also will be back at Oshkosh this year, re-creating the unique short takeoff and landing competitions of Valdez, Alaska. More than a dozen of these specially modified aircraft will arrive for demonstrations during the air show and in the ultralight flying area. Keep an eye out for more announcements about this and many other events at AirVenture.