Air Force Museum

General Aviation Accessible Aviation Museum Directory

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I eventually compiled a list of 176 on-airport aviation museums in the U.S. and some in Canada – all of which can be accessed without the need to rent a car or pay for a ride. I contacted most of the museums to confirm that a pilot could land at the airport and either park at the museum or walk to the museum.
P-47 Thunderbolt

Old men: from Lindbergh’s flight to the horrors of World War II

It was not long before draft notices arrived in the mail of all young men. It was not a question of if you would receive one, but of when. Many decided to enlist and hope for the choice of which branch they would serve in, instead of waiting to see where they would be placed. For my brother there was never a question: if he was going to serve, his choice would be as a pilot.
G100UL vs avgas

Lead-free avgas STC—a historical preview?

The FAA has granted an STC to GAMI allowing use of its new lead-free avgas formulation in all piston engines. That seems like a slam dunk win for lead-free fuel, something that has eluded general aviation for decades. But there is at least one precedent of how an STC for a vital piston engine fluid can go wrong.
Four Winds

The Four Winds: Spain’s record-setting flight to Cuba in 1933

On June 10, 1933, two Spanish officers departed Tablada Aerodrome in Seville, Spain. Captain Mariano Baberan's and Lieutenant Joaquin Collar Serra's goal was to fly nonstop from Spain to Cuba. Their aircraft was a Breguet XIX, a French-designed biplane having begun life as a bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.
Convair in flight

Memories of flying the Convair 880

About everyone who flew the 880 fell in love with it because it was such a dream to hand fly. It did have a good autopilot and dual flight directors, and I think it was our first aircraft to receive approval for CAT II approaches. In my opinion it was the prettiest of the four engine jets.
B-17 crew in front of airplane

Flying a B-17 over Germany, April 1944

During World War II I flew B-17 bombers out of England, performing 30 missions bombing Germany. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a very good four-engine plane and 12,000 of them were built. I was in the 547th squadron of the 384th Bomb Group…
Airphibian

From the archives: The Airphibian

This article first appeared in the January 1947 edition of Air Facts. As amazing as it might seem today, Leighton Collins believed back then that flying cars had arrived. He wrote in the headline to this article, "Put it down for keeps that a successful car-airplane is now an accomplished fact." Seventy five years later, flying cars are still in the headlines but not in any garages or hangars. Still, the description of the Airphibian offers a fascinating look at the post-war general aviation boom.

A history of aviation gasoline

The development of 100/130 avgas was initially a case of Catch-22. The engine manufacturers needed a fuel that could withstand the higher compression ratios and not detonate prematurely. At the same time, the fuel refiners needed a large enough customer base to afford to set up the refining capacity for high octane avgas. The aviation demands in WWII satisfied both requirements.
Khe Sanh takeoff

The siege of Khe Sanh

I felt sweat drip under my arms. I took a long, deep breath to settle my nerves without making it noticeable to my copilot and flight engineer. As we taxied toward number one position for takeoff, the sun was just starting to come up. It looked like a beautiful day was about to begin. We made our takeoff for Khe Sanh at 0730. On schedule.
Bob Hoover

How a local airshow thrives and dies

As any good story in aviation starts, the rise and fall of Airshow Chattanooga begins with Bob Hoover and a dare. At the turn of 1990, then 28-year-old Morty Lloyd found the legendary WWII pilot and airshow performer’s phone number. On a whim he called, asking if he and his buddies started an airshow in Chattanooga, Tennessee, would he perform.
Early flight sim

A personal progression through flight sims

Bruce Artwick, a computer graphics guy, along with marketing student and pilot, Stu Moment, formed a company named SubLogic to sell their home-grown computer games. With their program a person could fly a simulated aircraft over a five-square-mile grid of primitive wire-frame graphics. It was outstanding!
EICN

Runways, large and small

Runways have been marked out on beaches, deserts, mountains and on water. Many companies still operate out of impossible airstrips perched on mountain tops at high elevations, while others fly out of jungle airstrips in remote areas. These are often the only way in which people have access to the outside world, like in Alaska and Canada.
Harriet Quimby

Overlooked pioneers in women’s aviation

While observing Women’s History Month this month, the names of Amelia Earhart, Pancho Barnes, and Bessie Colman come easily to mind, but the achievements of many less well-known women aviators are also worth celebrating. What follows is simply a place to start…
Stalag Luft IV

The story of a winged boot, and the men who wore it

We have a lot of memorabilia from both of our fathers, however, one unique item really grabbed our attention. It is a small patch featuring an embroidered boot with a single wing on it. Susan and I wondered what the significance of a winged boot was and why it was part of her father’s memorabilia. I searched the Internet and was stunned by what I learned.
Jetwing on ramp

From jars to jets: the forgotten story of the Jetwing

Backyard gardens enjoyed a good growing season hear in the Midwest, leaving us with an abundance of produce. What hasn’t been used already is being saved by drying, freezing or canning. There’s even a shortage of canning supplies at the local hardware store. That got me thinking about glass jars and outer space. Stay with me and I’ll explain.
Curtiss Falcon

Charles Lindbergh flies virus serum to Quebec

Whatever his personal flaws and shortcomings, there are some traits of Lindbergh’s that have never been questioned: he was a brave, distinguished, and incredibly capable aviator. These characteristics were on full display on April 24, 1928, when Lindbergh flew anti-virus pneumonia serum to Quebec City, Canada, in an attempt to save the life of his aviator friend, Floyd Bennett, who was desperately ill.
Mooney 201

The magical Mooney

Richard Collins often told me that the Mooney was a cult airplane. And he was right. While all pilots would brag about how fast their airplane was, and how much it could carry, and how fast it climbed, and how far it went on full tanks, Mooney owners focused on one thing. How fast they flew on so little fuel.

Editor’s choice: our top 10 articles from 2019

We published over 200 articles at Air Facts this year, including personal stories, tips for safer flying, and memorable pictures. Some of these were written by well-known authors like Mac McClellan, but most were written by everyday pilots. After reviewing all of them, we've selected ten must-read articles from 2019.
Pat Luebke at Oshkosh

Remembering Pat Luebke, Long-time Air Facts Managing Editor

Aviation lost a truly special person last week, but it’s not a name most pilots outside the publishing industry will know. Patricia Luebke, managing editor at Air Facts and one of the driving forces behind relaunching this magazine in 2011, passed away on Friday, November 22, 2019 after a brief illness. She was 69. Here we share remembrances from four colleagues.
Frank Thomas

Five dollar Frank and the poor man’s flying school

“Five Dollar Frank” was his moniker, as he owned Thomas Flying Service and gave sightseeing tours of the area for $5. Each flight was a half hour, with his sister sitting beside the Esso gas pump next to the stone “terminal” waiting to gas up the plane upon arrival. Thousands flew with Frank over the years, and his name still brings a smile to those with history in the area.