Vicky Benzing hails from Northern California, growing up in San Jose. After graduating from high school, she pursued a career in physical chemistry, eventually obtaining a Ph.D in the discipline from the University of California-Berkeley. But a lucrative position in the Silicon Valley tech industry failed to hold onto her heart. Recognizing we have only so much time on the planet, she switched gears about 20 years ago, turned toward aviation, and practiced full time the aerosports she loves. Today she is based at Monterey Airport (KMRY).

She’s a skydiver, holds an airline transport pilot certificate, and flies her 450 hp 1940 Stearman in air shows around the country. In 2008, she placed in the top 10 in the Advanced category at the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships in an Extra 300S. But it’s her past 13 years at the National Championship Air Races in Reno that spark her forward the most. Benzing first raced at the Reno-Stead Airport (KRTS) in 2010, winning her first heat flying a Glasair SH-3R. She went on to become the “fastest woman at Reno” in 2015 in an L-139. And recently she’s topped the Sport Class Silver division with her custom Lancair Legacy, Lucky Girl.

• READ MORE: 6 Cities Competing to Host Next National Championship Air Races

FLYING caught up with Benzing as she was preparing for Reno 2023—hopeful to mark one more milestone at the storied event in the Unlimited Class at the controls of a P-51 Mustang.

FLYING Magazine (FM): How did you transition from aerobatics and get your start at Reno? What was the first airplane you brought to the races?

Vicky Benzing (VB): At the behest of Lee Behel, I went to PRS [Pylon Racing Seminar] in my Extra and, of course, the Extra is too slow to race. The Sport Class was not yet oversubscribed…we hadn’t opened the class up to [Van’s] RVs yet…so he asked me if I would race if he could find an airplane for me. Vicki Cruse [an aerobatic champion who died flying her Edge 540 at an airshow in England in 2009] was a close friend. Lee purchased her Glasair from her estate, and I raced it in her honor. She had previously raced at Reno—it was Race 13— the Cruse Missile. That airplane…had gremlins, and we always attributed that to Vicki’s sense of humor. I won that first race against Scott Nelson—I had to pass him to win the race. I got the fire truck ride, and the second race, I was on the pole, and when you’re a rookie, trying to find the pylons is tough. In the chute, when I put the throttle forward, I had a prop overspeed and very nearly lost the prop. I managed to get the airplane on the runway. We rebuilt the engine on that airplane, and I raced it the following year, the race that the Galloping Ghost went in, so we didn’t get to finish the race. So it wasn’t till the third year that I actually got to race all the heat races.

FM: From there, you went on to progress into the Jet Class, as well as getting the right airplane to advance in the Sport Class. Tell us about those experiences.

VB: In 2013, I raced the jet, Kermit, the L-39, and the Cruse Missile. We tried to make the Cruse Missile go faster with modifications—and I had a number of Lancair “kills.” But it wasn’t as fast as all the Lancairs. I put a rearview mirror in my cockpit, and I put a label on it that said, “Lancairs belong here.” But I wanted to have an airplane that I could modify and work on my own, and so in 2014, I went out and bought Lucky Girl [a Lancair Legacy]. I think the Cruse Missile was jealous, because Lee took me to go look at Lucky Girl in Fresno, California, and on the way, the Cruse Missile threw a fit and had a prop overspeed, and we ended up landing at the former Castle Air Force Base—Merced Airport [KMCE] now. Lucky Girl’s a fast stock Lancair, and through the years I’ve just modified her bit by bit, with bigger pistons, and last year, nitrous [oxide, a performance booster], and we’ll probably run nitrous this year.

FM: In 2015, you became the fastest woman at Reno. How did you come by that milestone?

VB: I raced the jet again in 2014, and then Dianna Stanger called me up to race her jet, Darkstar, an L-139, in 2015, and that’s when I became the fastest woman ever at Reno, ’cause I was clocked on the course at 469.831 mph, which was the same speed as one of the other guys did. And he clocked it first before me, so I ended up behind him in the order. Last year I raced Robin, the yellow jet [L-39]. Jets [are] a different deal—it’s really high G loading, especially for the really fast ones. You kind of say, “400 mph, 4 Gs; 500 mph, 5 Gs,” but that’s continuous, so if you hit wake, or fly unevenly, you’re hitting even higher Gs.

FM: You moved up to the top of the Sport Class Silver rankings regularly over the past few years in Lucky Girl. But you’ve had other dramatic moments in the race that stand out.

VB: From 2014 to present, I’ve raced Lucky Girl. My engine quit in the cooldown [lap]. I came out on downwind in the cooldown and went to land, and the engine quit. I was like, “What? You’re kidding me.” And those airplanes come down so quickly. I was basically over [Runway] 8, and I made the left turn to land on 32, and I barely got on the runway, barely got out of the turn before I made the runway. They are not gliders.

FM: For this year, you plan to campaign a special airplane. How did you come to buy a classic warbird?

VB: So I bought Clay Lacy’s P-51 [Miss Van Nuys] in 2019, and Steve Hinton Jr. has been restoring it, and it became a much bigger project than it started out as. The idea of purchasing the aircraft was to put it on the racecourse at Reno because it’s an historic aircraft [see “In Depth,” Issue 938] but also to fly it at airshows, because I think airplanes like that deserve to be seen. I think, as a woman, there are not that many opportunities to fly warbirds. I would love to be the person who is at the [Commemorative Air Force] museum wrenching on airplanes, but I just don’t have time to do that with doing the shows. I had to make an opportunity for myself to fly a warbird. I went to Stallion 51 to get training—and I swore up and down to my husband I was not going to buy a P-51. He bought me a little model for my desk. But Clay is my neighbor at Pine Mountain Lake, and I heard that his Mustang was for sale. It took a little talking to my husband and asking Clay if he would sell it to me.

FM: But the care and feeding of a warbird takes time and investment. Share with us the story of bringing an historic P-51 to the Unlimited Class.

VB: [Miss Van Nuys] had never been restored since it was built in 1944—never been overhauled. The last time an engine had been put in it was 1976 [after Lacy’s last time racing it at Reno in 1972]. I would be surprised if there were 100 hours on that engine. We were just going to bring it back up to snuff, but then one thing led to another. And that led to paint, and can you paint the cockpit, can you change the instrument panel? And then going through the airplane, we found a crack in the tail, so it had to come off. Steve is in the process of painting it—we got delayed by paint because we had a custom color mix, [a purple that is an exact match to the original shade]. We ordered it in September [2022], and we got it in April. We put in a water bar system for racing; the wing was profiled to make it smooth for racing. We put all the antennas inside the airplane. One of the things that I really like about racing is the modifications that you do to your airplane are there forever. If you’re using it for commuting or flying here to there, you’re going a lot faster because of the investment you’ve made in the airplane. My Lancair Legacy Lucky Girl cruises all day long at 2,500 rpm and full throttle, 5,500 feet, at 250 knots.

This column first appeared in the September 2023/Issue 941 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post Expanding the Campaign at Reno appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

That’s how it is supposed to go—and often it does go that well, provided you do your homework before you launch for the big event.

If this is your first flight to a given airshow or fly-in, look for a pilot who has made the trip before and is willing to share information. You might even find someone who will make the flight with you.

Pick the route that works best for your aircraft, keeping in mind performance, especially when it comes to climbing over any high terrain on the way. A turbocharged Cessna T182 might not have any trouble, but the pilot of the vintage Taylorcraft might take a longer route that keeps the airplane over lower terrain.

Consider using supplemental oxygen. Though the regs say that the minimum flight crew needs to be on supplemental oxygen at 12,500 feet after 30 minutes, most pilots begin to experience hypoxia at much lower altitudes—sometimes as low as 6,000 feet—so be prepared.

Know how to calculate performance and use the avionics you’re flying with. You don’t want to be the pilot randomly pushing buttons to update a flight plan while hurtling through the air.

Be conservative about weight and balance as well as performance. While it is tempting to overload your aircraft by ‘just a little’ with all the gear you want for camping, it can come back to bite you. Remember, the OEM determined the calculations in the POH using a new airplane and a test pilot at the controls.

Have at least two methods for updating your preflight briefing in the air—a tablet and com radio, for example—and always carry a backup handheld radio. If you’ve never used a payphone (these people walk among us—payphone operation is now part of my curriculum), learn how to use it. There are places that lack cell service but still have a payphone on location, believe it or not.

Pack water and snacks for the trip, and be wary of dehydration and hunger as they make you sleepy. Drink some water before the approach to landing, as water wakes you up—and an alert pilot is a better pilot.

Plan each leg of the flight meticulously. Be careful that get-there-itis does not cloud your judgment. Build in extra days, and ID places to divert to on each leg.

Make sure you are night current and proficient before you begin the journey. There are times when a pilot finds themselves playing “beat the clock” in an aircraft not certified for night flight because the last flight segment went longer than they anticipated.

For navigation, use a combination of digital and analog methods—if the digital goes tango uniform, the paper could save your trip. Make sure both paper and digital materials are current. You do not want to fly with a sectional years out of date and enter Class D airspace thinking it’s a Class E airport—only to learn the airport now has a tower.

Be conservative about fuel burn. Make a list of all the airports that have fuel, located along your route and within 20 miles off to each side, just in case.

If you are flying with a copilot or a companion, have a discussion about cockpit duties before you leave the ground. With a copilot, make sure to designate who is the ‘pilot flying’ and who is the pilot monitoring and fielding radio calls and programming avionics.

If they are not a pilot, you can still assign them the task of watching for traffic and dialing in frequencies on the com side.

Airshow NOTAMs

By regulation, specifically FAR 91.103: “Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight.” This means the pilot needs to know what weather to expect, be familiar with the forecasts, fuel requirements, aircraft takeoff and landing data, weight and balance, alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be completed, and any known traffic delays of which the pilot in command has been advised by ATC. If your intended destination is an airshow or fly-in, this regulation is now on steroids—expect to find a multi- page notice to air missions (NOTAM) released several days before the event.

The larger the fly-in, the larger the NOTAM. Pay special attention to the communication procedures. If the airport is non-towered, it is likely that a temporary control tower will be brought in for the event. The procedures are created to lessen frequency congestion.

Instead of having hundreds of pilots all talking at once, it’s often one radio call made over a specific landmark to establish contact. Rock your wings when recognized, then follow instructions for landing.

Most NOTAMs have traffic pattern diagrams imposed on Google Earth images for illustration—it’s easy to see where you should be and where you need to avoid when you have an image to refer to.

Pilots who have flown into airshows before—like Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo and EAA AirVenture—recommend having a hard copy of the NOTAM with you in the cockpit along with any digital presentation. Paper doesn’t run out of batteries.

Even if you have flown into this particular event before, still study the NOTAM, as they are often adjusted year to year—for example, traffic patterns may be altered to move aircraft away from heavily populated parking areas.

Skills for the Airshow Arrival

Brush up on specialty takeoffs and landings, crosswind approaches, and go-arounds before you head out on the great adventure. You do not want to be rusty flying into an airshow.

There is a maneuver you were probably not taught as a student pilot but you need it to establish communication and many of these events—that is rocking the wings of the aircraft.

It sounds simple enough, but the controllers who ask the airplanes to identify themselves by rocking their wings really want to see you rock those wings. Make that airplane thrash around like a 10-year-old who has had a frog put down their shirt—but don’t stall or roll inverted.

Practice approaches, especially short approaches and precision landing technique, because “land on the green dot” means land on the green dot.

Study the airport diagram for the facility and know where you will be expected to park. Usually, airshows have ground marshalers, often people on scooters wearing safety vests with FOLLOW ME on the back.

Remember to watch your wingtips as you taxi, especially when there are lots of people around. Though there may be designated pathways for pe- destrians, some people drift outside of their lanes. You don’t want to be the pilot of the Cessna 172 who hits someone in the back of the head with your wing while you taxi, or the guy in the Beechcraft Baron who decides to ignore the ground handlers and taxi into the grass—putting the nosewheel into a gopher hole, resulting in two propeller strikes.

And, in the end, if you are delayed getting to the event, learn from the experience—and realize that it will make a better story to be told around the campfire.

The post A Fond Memory: Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo 2023 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.

He was the military’s first Black fighter jet pilot to fly in Korean airspace, according to the Air Force. In 1949, Harvey and his fellow 332nd Fighter Group Tuskegee Airmen were also the winners of the original Top Gunnery Meet at what was Las Vegas Air Force Base.

• READ MORE: How LaGuardia Airport Inspired a Tuskegee Airman to Dream of Flight

On Saturday, Harvey gained one additional accolade to his military career that spanned more than two decades when he received an honorary promotion to colonel. 

During the event at halftime of the Air Force-Army football game in Denver, Harvey was pinned with the rank by his daughters and niece while wearing a new service dress uniform provided by the Air & Space Forces Association. Also in attendance was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown Jr., Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.

• READ MORE: The Story of Jesse L. Brown: The Navy’s First African American Pilot

“Having served in a military that was still segregated, he faced no shortage of obstacles, but his incredible courage, skill, and perseverance led him to earn repeated honors,” said Bennet, who initiated the promotion. “I’m honored to have supported lieutenant colonel Harvey’s honorary promotion and to recognize his contributions to our country’s history and the advancement of civil rights.”

Brown, who served as the first Black Air Force chief of staff in history, credited Harvey for his own career trajectory.

“Because of his work breaking barriers, I can stand here today as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” Brown said. “James, I want to thank you for your service. I want to thank you for breaking barriers, and it’s my distinct honor to promote you to colonel today.”

• READ MORE: Mutiny at Freeman Army Airfield Helped Spur Military Desegregation

Following Harvey’s pinning, a P-51 Mustang, like that flown by the Tuskegee Airmen, and a P-47 Thunderbolt, like that flown from the 332nd Fighter Wing, conducted a flyover of the stadium.

The post Tuskegee Fighter Pilot, 100, Receives Honorary Promotion to Colonel appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

MT said one of its goals in designing and manufacturing the propeller, called the MTV-4-1, is to help keep the vintage aircraft flying as airworthy parts for the original propellers are “becoming increasingly difficult” to find.

• READ MORE: Pilatus PC-12 Aircraft Meet European Noise Regs with 7-Blade Prop

The new propeller looks like the original, with a similar blade shape, but the blades are made of a natural composite and certified and tested for an unlimited lifespan, according to MT. The F-82 used for testing has helped demonstrate the propellers’ capabilities this year while flying to airshows across the U.S. The composite warbird propellers are moving through the FAA certification process.

MT is a renowned manufacturer of a range of composite propellers, including hydraulically controlled models with two to seven blades designed for engines of up to 5,000 hp and electrically controlled props with two to four blades for engines up to 350 hp. The company also makes two-blade, fixed-pitch propellers.

• READ MORE: MT Flight-Tests Propeller With 11 Blades On A Piper Cheyenne

MT said its props—30 models in all—are designed for traditional piston- and turbine-powered aircraft, ranging from motor gliders to regional airliners. They are also made for airships, hovercraft, and for use in wind tunnels.

MT holds more than 220 supplemental type certificates (STCs) and is an OEM supplier for more than 90 percent of the European aircraft industry and about 30 percent of the U.S. aircraft industry. The company said it has more than 28,000 propeller systems delivered, with more than 100,000 installations in service.

The post MT-Propeller Builds Composite Warbird Props for North American P-51, F-82 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

During the last race on Saturday officials said John Maloney, pilot of the Yak-3U Miss Trinidad flew above the maximum allowed altitude on part of the course during the Unlimited Class Heat 3A. The resulting penalty is expected to place Maloney in Sunday’s Unlimited Silver Race instead of the Gold, according to members of Miss Trinidad’s crew.

Altitude regulations instituted by the FAA after the 2011 crash of racer Jimmy Leeward in the P-51 Mustang Galloping Ghost set the maximum racing altitude at 400 feet agl for Unlimited competitors in the Bronze Race, 325 feet in the Silver, and 250 feet in the Gold. Minimum altitude for each race is 50 feet agl.

Some pilots have long criticized the altitude rules for making them feel hemmed-in while flying. Others have called the rules “political” weapons often used to harass competitors and to deny or nullify their victories. Earlier this week Brent Hisey, owner and pilot of the P-51 Miss America, received a penalty for flying too high and was bumped down to a subsequent heat filled with slower aircraft. The penalty essentially forces pilots to race their way back into the competition.

After racing ended on Saturday the pit area buzzed as annoyed as pilots and crew members, annoyed and frustrated, discussed possible strategies to eliminate the maximum altitude rules and even talked about staging a walkout to compel officials to amend the rules or at least develop a system for applying them more consistently.

As of Saturday evening the issue had not been settled and Reno Air Racing Association’s contest committee was meeting to consider the penalty and perhaps the objections.

The final day of racing begins at 7:45 a.m. and the Unlimited Bronze is scheduled for 12:25. Unlimited Silver kicks off at 2:15 p.m. and Gold begins at 4:55. The P-51 Bardahl Special flown by Steven Hinton is favored to win the Gold. The Hawker Sea Fury ‘Dreadnought’ remains sidelined for the final.

The post Air Race Pilots Say Altitude Rules at Reno Have Not Improved Safety appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

This is a good time for pilots and others to reflect on the challenges the Wrights and other aviation pioneers faced during the early days of powered flight and how far flying has advanced since then.

• READ MORE: Eileen Collins To Be Awarded Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy

This is also the time of year when the First Flight Society inducts its latest honoree into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. This year’s honoree is General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., the first African-American general in the United States Air Force.

A West Point graduate, Davis, went on to command the famous Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. He flew a number of aircraft during his long career including the P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, and F-86 Sabre. He will be inducted into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine at Wright Brothers National Memorial on December 17.

The Society also is naming four new honorary members: record holder Zara Rutherford, military pilot Nicole Malachowski, aircraft collector Jerry Yagen and artist Gregory Kavalec.

Earlier this year 19-year-old Rutherford became the youngest woman to fly around the world and the first to circumnavigate the earth in an ultralight aircraft. The trip began in Kortrijk, Belgium, in August 2021, and ended there in January 2022.

Nicole Malachowski was the first woman selected as a member of  U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team. She went on to command the Commander of the 333rd Fighter Squadron, where she trained students to fly the F-15E fighter. She is a retired Air Force colonel.

Gerald “Jerry” Yagen founded the Military Aviation Museum in Pungo, Virginia, Centura College and the Aviation Institute of Maintenance schools. His museum is home to one of the world’s largest collections of vintage military aircraft that fly regularly.

The artist Gregory Kavalec created many of the paintings In the First Flight Society’s Paul E Garber Shrine. His latest work will be unveiled on December 17 at Wright Brothers National Memorial.

Previous honorary members include General Charles McGee, Colonel Gail Halvorsen, Patty Wagstaff, Rob Holland, and Sean D Tucker.

The post First Flight Society To Name Latest Honoree, Honorary Members appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Two prominent equestrian-focused airparks in the U.S. are Jumbolair Aviation and Equestrian Estates (17FL), in central Florida, and Big South Fork Airpark (KSCX), in northeastern Tennessee.

Jumbolair Aviation and Equestrian Estates

Jumbolair is located in beautiful Ocala, Florida, which is nicknamed “The Horse Capital of the World.” Consequently, it is no surprise that this fly-in community has long standing equine roots, which date back to the late 1960s. The grounds were initially owned by Muriel Vanderbilt (the great-great granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the famous railroad tycoon) as her private farm. Here, she bred racehorses for many years, including the U.S. Riding Hall of Fame inductee, Desert Vixen. 

It wasn’t until 20 or so years later that aircraft were introduced to this legacy property. This introduction was spearheaded by Arthur Jones, who was the founder of the strength training company, Nautilus. This newly added landing site was capable of accommodating Jones’ jumbo jet, which reportedly transported a number of exotic animals to the property. Animals that once called the many hundred-acre site home include: three white rhinos, several hundred crocodiles and snakes, a gorilla, and dozens of larger safari animals. 

Liz Wakefield, Jumbolair’s operations manager, elaborates on this unique aspect of the community’s history and how it got its name. 

“In the early 1980s, the couple made the property into a destination of sorts for celebrities and others. They eventually flew to Africa to rescue 63 baby elephants and brought them back to their new home in Ocala, Florida. It was because of this venture that the property earned its name. Jumbolair: ‘jumbo’ as in large, as a nod to the elephants; and ‘lair’ as in a place where one seeks refuge,” Wakefield said.

Jumbolair is first and foremost a community for aviators, Wakefield explained. “The airpark is well-known for having the longest privately-owned, paved runway in the country at 7,550 feet long by 200 feet wide. It is equipped with a GPS approach, as well as a VASI approach lighting system. The community has the convenience of having separate streets and taxiways. There are presently 38 multi-acre home sites in the exclusive community, each with buildable area for a house and hangar.”

New ownership began managing Jumbolair last year and has been fast at work revitalizing the community with renovations on the current facilities as well as plans for expansion. Since the airpark is located in the Horse Capital of the World—and only 15 miles from the Ocala’s brand-new World Equestrian Center—a key portion of the new owners’ strategic vision includes a strong focus towards equestrian amenities. They have just recently added to the equestrian facilities by building a multi-million-dollar horse barn, and a 100-foot by 200-foot covered riding arena. The fly-in community’s residents now have access to state-of-the-art facilities to board and train their horses on site.

Wakefield continued her explanation about the community, noting, “We believe there is a growing class of people whose interests combine the love of aviation and equestrian lifestyles, and we wanted to provide the opportunity to experience both of these lifestyles in one place. Jumbolair Aviation and Equestrian Estates provides the perfect setting to do just that.”

Big South Fork Airpark

Big South Fork Airpark in Oneida, Tennessee, is another residential airpark that has acknowledged the importance of catering to both aircraft owners and equestrian enthusiasts. The community’s name and its touted equestrian amenities are the result of its location, advised Bill Armstrong, the community’s developer. 

“That’s the easiest question that anybody has ever asked me [what makes the airpark’s location perfect for it to have an equestrian focus]. The answer is that our property—specifically our equestrian center—borders the Big South Fork River and Recreation Area. It’s a 125,000-acre national park with a river, hiking trails, and 180 miles of horse trails. People come here from all over the eastern United States and beyond to ride into the park, where there’s the opportunity to camp with your horse and experience the scenery. Big South Fork is a horse haven. Every weekend horse trailers roll into our town from all over, as the area is well known for equestrian activities.” 

Armstrong added additional detail, “If you look at our site map, you will see that the runway is on the south side of our property and the equestrian center is on the northeast side. The difference in elevation between the two areas is significant. The airpark’s homes are at [a] 1,550-foot elevation and the equestrian facilities sit down along the creek bed, which leads to the river, at [a] roughly 1,320-foot elevation. While separated from one another, this makes it easy for residents to enjoy both airplanes and horses-which are really two separate aspects of the development here.” 

The community is located adjacent to Scott Municipal Airport (KSCX), with through-the-fence access to its 5,505-foot-long by 75-foot-wide asphalt runway. Armstrong asserts that airpark residents benefit when there are onsite recreational avenues, in addition to aviation facilities. 

“We’re not just an aviation community, as we have a full-service equestrian center, riding trails in our development, a competition-size riding arena, a round pen for training work, staff to manage your horses if needed, as well as horses that you can rent by the hour. The nice thing about being a resident of the airpark is that if you want to enjoy the equestrian part of it, you don’t have to go and buy a horse. We can arrange for you to rent one here, we can provide the tack, and we teach your grandkids how to ride. We have all the amenities, and you don’t even have to own a horse.” 

“There’s no mistaking that our equestrian community is far below in numbers, compared to our aviation community. There are far more people that are here that are interested in aviation, so there is a marked difference between those two needs. But I will tell you that we have several folks who are both equestrian enthusiasts and aviators. Having equestrian facilities helps to round out the appeal of the airpark,” Armstrong explained. 

“For instance, you are an aviator, you build a hangar, and you live in an airpark. You fly in and then once you get there, now what? What do you do? There is another dynamic to our development that allows you to enjoy the national park by horse, by mountain bike, or by four-wheeler. You can also put a canoe in the river and float. So, there is a whole other dynamic here at Big South Fork Airpark and equestrian is just one part of that dynamic.”

The post Equestrian Airparks Offer Best of Two Worlds appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Known originally as Glenn H. Curtiss Airport and then as North Beach Municipal Airport, the flying field was rechristened New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field on October 15, 1939 (officially becoming LaGuardia Airport in June 1947). The prewar ceremony marked the culmination of a $20 million improvement project. Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the event, including an enthusiastic 15-year-old student from the nearby Corona section of Queens.

Harry T. Stewart, Jr. was awed by the aircraft that had flown in for the event, especially one of the Douglas DC-3 airliners of Transcontinental & Western Air (later to become Trans World Airlines, commonly referred to as TWA). The carrier touted its relationship with Charles Lindbergh by promoting itself as “The Lindbergh Line.” Harry’s ebullience in the presence of the plane was captured in a couple snapshots taken that special day.

• READ MORE: Why Are There So Few African American Air Force Pilots?

Even before the airport’s extensive makeover and renaming, Harry had often trekked to the site after school to gaze at the airplanes taking off and landing. His attraction only grew the following March with the opening of the art deco Marine Air Terminal, decorated inside by a huge mural depicting the history of flight. Stately Pan American Airways flying boats, sporting nicknames like Yankee Clipper, started flying oceanic routes to such exotic destinations as Lisbon, Portugal, and Southampton, England.

By coincidence at that time, Harry’s counselor and history teacher at Public School 16 asked him what he planned to do as an adult. “I want to be an airline pilot,” he responded with gusto. He did not understand until later why his teacher had suddenly begun to tear up.

Commercial flying jobs were then closed to African Americans, which made Harry’s aspiration untenable. His teacher tried to nudge him towards another profession. But Harry would have none of it; he held onto his dream and kept going back to the airport.

One day he crossed the perimeter fence and climbed atop a derelict airplane abandoned in the grass. A policeman caught sight of the lad and angrily called out to him. Yet, after Harry explained his love of aviation and plan for the future, the officer’s stern demeanor softened. The cop muttered, “Who can blame you?” Then the two clambered into the airplane’s cockpit and sat together, peering out on the field and contemplating the exhilaration that would surely accompany the act of flight.

• READ MORE: The Story of Jesse L. Brown: The Navy’s First African American Pilot

When war engulfed America, Harry’s chance to fly had arrived. He enlisted in the Army with the purpose of entering the all-Black flying program at Tuskegee, Alabama. The train ride south was an eye-opener for Harry, who had rarely ventured beyond the boroughs of New York.

The separate lavatories and green curtain that isolated him in the dining car were reminders of the persistent intrusions of Jim Crow in parts of American society. He briefly pondered the absurdity of seeking to fight for liberty abroad while being denied its full fruits at home.

The atmosphere at Tuskegee’s airfields was electrifying. The aircraft and the camaraderie of like-minded young men from across the country were the realization of Harry’s yearnings that had been kindled by his plane-gazing at LaGuardia. Cruising over Tuskegee’s cotton fields he tasted a measure of freedom that was all the more profound by the fact that during the Civil War his grandfather, Preston James Stewart, had been born into slavery in Alabama.

On June 27, 1944, Harry graduated in Class 44-F. In a sign of the times, the newly-commissioned 19-year-old second lieutenant had obtained neither a high school diploma nor a driver’s license. Regardless, in seven months he would be escorting American bombers and tangling with Luftwaffe fighters as a pilot with the legendary 332nd Fighter Group, the Red Tails.

The fast-maturing young man who a short time before was reading accounts of combat pilots in the pulp magazines found himself immersed in the very action of his make-believe heroes. Flying out of Ramitelli Air Base in Italy, the Tuskegee Airmen would emerge years later as leading examples of those who had pursued the Double V—the twin victories against the evils of totalitarianism overseas and racism at home. When asked retrospectively about his wartime service, he says that he and his fellow pilots were too busy in the work of their unit to know that they were making history.

• READ MORE: FLYING Classics: P-51 Mustangs Helped Win the Air During World War II

Harry’s most harrowing mission occurred near Linz, Austria on April 1, 1945. His formation of P-51 Mustangs was jumped by superior numbers of enemy fighters, leading to raging dogfights. Harry drew on his training and self-confidence, downing three long-nosed Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, the premiere German piston fighters of the war. For his bravery and skill he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, concluding his deployment with a total of 43 combat missions.

What the Tuskegee Airmen accomplished during the war undoubtedly contributed to President Truman’s decision to desegregate the armed forces in 1948. But before the executive order was implemented in the latter part of 1949, Harry along with Alva N. Temple and James H. Harvey III of the 332nd were sent to the expansive air base north of Las Vegas (now Nellis Air Force Base) to compete in the first postwar Air Force-wide gunnery meet.

Flying late-model P-47 Thunderbolts, the 332nd ’s team won first-place in the propeller division, notching yet another achievement for the all-Black fighter unit. Team members’ names were etched on a trophy that is displayed at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

• READ MORE: An Aviation Outreach to Youth Follows a Tuskegee Legacy

Harry had every intention of making a career out of the Air Force, but huge cuts to the military’s budget after the war forced him out as an active-duty pilot and into a non-flying reservist status. He eventually retired as a lieutenant colonel. Hoping his Air Force flying record might be a gamechanger, he approached TWA and Pan Am, the two airlines whose airplanes had stirred his imagination. Sadly, the carriers’ discriminatory employment policies had not yet changed.

Heartbroken, Harry took a deep breath and determined to press on despite being denied his profession of choice. He enrolled in night classes at New York University while holding down a city job, convinced that education was the answer to his future.

His wife, Delphine, the sister of a former squadron mate, always left sandwiches in the fridge for his return late at night and contributed to the household expenses with her salary as an office worker for the New York Yankees. Harry’s studies paid off. He earned a mechanical engineering degree, which opened the door to a rewarding career as an executive with Bechtel Corporation in San Francisco and ANR Pipeline Company in Detroit, where he became a vice president.

In retirement, Harry finally had the chance to go back to flying. He qualified in the motor-gilders operated by the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum in Detroit. As a pilot in the organization’s Youth Academy, he took inner-city children up for their first airplane rides, encouraging them to follow the dream of flight as he had known it growing up in proximity to LaGuardia.

In 2007, Harry was one of a handful of Tuskegee Airmen chosen by his peers to accept the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of all who were a part of the groundbreaking program. And, in recent years, the successors to the companies that had rejected his attempts to secure a flying job in the postwar era made amends. American Airlines, which acquired TWA, and Delta, which assumed major Pan Am routes, presented Harry with honorary captain’s wings.

As the 83rd anniversary of LaGuardia’s unveiling looms, air travelers dashing through the airport’s magnificent new terminals would do well to slow down and reflect on how this crossroads of the sky enriched the world when it lifted the spirits of a neighborhood kid. Now 98 years old and one of only about 6 surviving World War II combat pilots among the Tuskegee Airmen, Harry perks up when talk turns to LaGuardia and the airliners of the Golden Age that he watched soaring aloft long ago. The glint in his eye affirms that the dream of flight lives on everlastingly in his heart, ready to be embraced by today’s air-minded youth.

Philip Handleman is a longtime pilot and former owner of a private airport in southeast Michigan. He co-authored retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Harry T. Stewart, Jr.’s, memoir, titled Soaring to Glory.

The post How LaGuardia Airport Inspired a Tuskegee Airman to Dream of Flight appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

There are lots of ways that you could celebrate National Aviation Day, but is there a better way than getting in the cockpit of one of the most beautiful airplanes in the world? If money or time were no object, what would you want to spend the day surfing the clouds in?

Here’s what we’d pick:

Douglas DC-3

While the DC-3 has been out of production since the mid-1940s, there are many beautiful examples still flying. However, with a dwindling number of usable engines and the possible end to the 100LL fuel needed to feed them, the days of this historic airplane taking flight might be numbered—unless those engines get an upgrade to Pratt & Whitney PT6s.

North American P-51D Mustang

Part of the allure here comes from the visceral, hollowing whistle of the legendary World War II fighter’s 12-cylinder Rolls-Royce Merlin engine as it passes by at more than 400 mph. It’s also stunningly beautiful. Its long, slim nose, teardrop canopy and belly air scoop make it instantly recognizable. It arrived in Europe in 1944, becoming the Allies’ primary long-range escort fighter. In all nearly 8,000 were built.

Piper J-3 Cub

Things that are beautiful don’t always need to be paragons of design. Sometimes, the elements, however homey and simple, blend into a whole that is inexplicably, well, perfect. The Piper J-3 Cub (not the first Cub and certainly not the last) achieved the status of the light airplane archetype, its yellow painted doped fabric covering and black lightning bolt zip along the side creating a brand that was at once globally known and locally grown. Its recognition went beyond the airstrip. For a time “Piper Cub” became the popular parlance for “airplane,” for even non-pilots recognize a beautiful airplane when they see one.

Beechcraft Bonanza

When the subject of legendary light airplanes comes up, one of the names certain to be mentioned early in the conversation is the Beechcraft Bonanza. The latest model, the G36, bears a passing resemblance to the revolutionary original, which Beech Aircraft began selling way back in 1947. But today’s Bonanza is a very sophisticated platform, one that has enjoyed a wealth of improvements, from spinner to tail, over its 65-year production span. No other airplane has been able to achieve such a lengthy production record.

de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver

This is an airplane worshipped by bush pilots and rightfully so. As big as the Beaver is, with room for up to seven passengers, it requires only light control input and the three engine control levers in the center of the glareshield give the airplane a unique look and feel. The airplane’s rugged tailwheel design and ability to haul a heavy load make it impossible to beat in the backcountry. The sound of the Beaver’s nine-cylinder Pratt & Whitney and the beautiful shape of the fuselage put a smile on the face of anyone who loves airplanes.

Beechcraft King Air

Ten years after the successful Beech King Air 90 took to the skies, Beech Aircraft Corp. introduced the King Air 200 series in 1974. Powered by Pratt & Whitney’s reliable PT6, the twin-engine turboprop airplane was designed to carry eight to nine passengers. Known for its excellent carrying capacity, speed and durability, the 200 and 300 series were originally marketed as the “Super King Air” family. Beech has delivered more than 2,000 King Air 200s and another 600 Beechcraft 1900s—a model derived from the B200. It is no wonder the series is still alive after more than four decades.

Gulfstream G600

You want speed? The G600 has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925. It can achieve a long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.85 with eight passengers on board. During its testing, it made speed records for 11 city pairs. The cockpit also includes the Symmetry Flight Deck. Are we having fun yet?

Van’s RV-3

You might forget your first kiss, your first love or possibly even your first name, but you’ll never forget your first flight in an RV-3! (The RV-3 is the Van’s design that got the ball rolling.) Richard VanGrunsven’s first commercial design may well be his best. Originally designed in the late ‘60s, kits first became available by 1974. With a fully cantilevered wing and tail, the RV-3 set a new standard for performance in homebuilt aircraft and for ease of building. The only drawback of the RV-3: It has only one seat.

The post Here Are 8 Aircraft We’d Love to Fly appeared first on FLYING Magazine.