Oilman, industrialist, investor, visionary… William T Piper has as much right to claim the title ‘Father of General Aviation’ as anyone. His long insistence on making aircraft that were cheap to buy and easy to fly brought thousands of people into flying. What’s more, his insightful strategy of making learning to fly as cheap as possible is a lesson in GA promotion that’s as instructive … Continue reading The way a pilot feels
Found in the December 1942 issue of Air Force, the official service journal of the US Army Air Forces (formerly the Air Forces News Letter)… An Old Bag of Bolts The saga of a globe-trotting B-24 by Major Ben H Pearse, Air Transport Command, USAAF She was blessed with an assortment of names. To many she was Old ’76. Some called her Red Cap and … Continue reading Old Bag Of Bolts
airscape now has a resident pair of eyes in Africa, in the form of photographer Niel Swart. Based near Johannesburg, Niel has agreed to be our man on the flight line for South African aviation events so I’m looking forward to sharing his images from that part of the world with you. Here’s a taste of Niel’s talents… South Africa has a surprisingly rich aviation … Continue reading Under African skies
They were ex-fishermen mostly, but to say they’d chosen a safer life ashore would be a lie. The Surfmen of the 19th century United States Life Saving Service were the forerunners of today’s US Coast Guard, a service that’s still renowned for helping aviators in need. History’s first ground crew A hundred years ago, those brave men lived in windswept stations along the worst stretches … Continue reading Wright Savers
A century ago, World War One changed the course of history. Total, global, industrial and mechanical, it was a new kind of conflict that redrew maps, destroyed families – from royal to rural, helped emancipate women, and hand-propped the infant aviation industry. For the first time in history, young men would wheel simple but surprisingly advanced machines high above the mud-bound stalemate of artillery and trench sieges. And … Continue reading Southern Knights
Dominic Salvatore Gentile (1920 – 1951) “…But it was not until I was 17 that I finally got into an airplane. At that time I felt I had come to the place where I belonged in the world. The air to me was what being on the ground was to other people. When I felt nervous it pulled me together. Things could get … Continue reading “…where I belonged…
If you’re tired of turning up to airshows and aviation museums in that torn old Cessna T-shirt, here’s something a long way left of centre for you… completely unauthorised Air Koryo apparel. Air Koryo is the state airline of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (that’s North Korea to you and me), and has operated a small fleet of Tupolev Tu-154 tri-jets since 1975 (although they’re now banned from … Continue reading North, then hard Left
If you’ve felt like airscape’s content has been a bit ‘samey’ lately, well, congratulations – you’re way ahead of me! Personally, I don’t think there’s been a shortage of interesting content, per se, but that’s probably helped lull me into some comfortable habits too. . . It’s high time I kicked myself where nobody should physically be able to kick themselves. New template, more stuff … Continue reading Re: Direction
Just recently, Editor Jeb Burnside published an article in the August 2016 issue Aviation Safety magazine that set me thinking. Here’s how it started: If you know a better way to teach and explain critical analysis of the dangers a proposed flight might pose, we’re all ears. Well, okay, seeing as you asked… But first, a little of the backstory. PAVE and I’M SAFE The article … Continue reading I’M SAFE
“In this world, the unseen has power” – Apache proverb Apache over Libya by Will Laidlaw Simply astonishing! There are a lot of very good aviation books out there – but not many as good as this. To tell the truth, I’ve been putting off writing my review of it, purely out of fear that I wouldn’t do it justice. (And I still might not.) … Continue reading Unseen power
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