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The Flying Aggies Stopped By
Last week yielded flying weather more suitable for local area flying than for cross-country trips, given the pop-up showers that interfered with long flights. As sometimes happens, the weather guessers didn’t always prognosticate accurately. As my old instructor said, “The weather is what is is, not what’s it’s supposed to be.”
Coming through last Thursday were the Stillwater, Oklahoma “Flying Aggies” collegiate flight team from Oklahoma State University, refueling at Butler on their way to Rockford, Illinois for the National Safecon contest where they’ll be competing. The four-ship flight included two Cessna Skyhawks and two 150s. Also in were a Cirrus SR22, a Piper Warrior and a Cessna 172.
Some of the locally-based airplanes being flown last week were Jeremie Platt’s Grumman Tiger, Jon Laughlin’s Piper Cherokee 180 and SkyDive KC’s Cessna 182 jump plane. Also, BCS’s Turbine AirTractor was applying spray to local farm fields.
The national news for the week seemed to be dominated by accident reports. A Cessna 150 making a forced landing on a highway near Superior, Arizona on May 10 clipped a pickup with its propeller as it touched down. No injuries or other damage resulted.
More attention last week was given to a big Beech King Air 300 with 11 people aboard that had electrical failures shutting down all radios and both engines; the pilot was forced to ditch in the Atlantic 50 miles off Florida. Fortunately, everybody made it into the life raft and the emergency beacon worked, and the Coasties picked them after three hours.
Just reported, U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy was getting recurrent training in his Czech-built L-39 Albatross jet in his home state of Montana last month when the engine flamed out, so they bellied it in on a vacant field. No major injuries resulted, and the banged-up airplane will probably be rebuilt. Sheehy is an accomplished pilot and knowledgeable legislator on aviation matters.
Last Tuesday, we lost an F-51 Mustang warbird and its pilot in an accident at Mound, Louisiana, near Vicksberg, only three minutes after takeoff. Details were not available at press time, but the plane was reportedly destroyed.
In better news, FedEx is back flying its fleet of MD-11 freight haulers, after a six-month grounding while the planes were inspected following last November’s disaster at Louisville, KY, when an engine fell off a departing FedEx MD-11. The fiery fatal crash parked all MD-11 cargo planes until they could be checked over and the failed parts replaced. UPS is no longer flying its MD-11s.
If you’ve ever bought items from the Sporty’s Pilot Shop catalog or website, you’ve done business with our friend Hal Shevers; he passed away last week at age 90, after a full life in aviation. Hal was fixture in the Sporty’s booth at major airshows and a good host at his home base in Cincinnati, Ohio on the Clermont County airport. He always remembered us whenever we ran into each other; his kind are not replaceable.
Our weekly question wanted to know when the U.S. first issued pilot’s licenses. Before the Department of Commerce started handing them out in 1927, no testing or certification was required to fly. Sporting licenses were issued earlier by aero clubs. For next week, what kind of ground transportation is available if you land at the Mackinac Island airport in Michigan? You can send your answer to kochhaus1@gmail.com.
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