Latest aircraft additions

2008-11-06 - Avro Lancaster construction image to lancaster plan view. Some insight in the construction (by Roy Chadwick) of the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber.
2008-11-06 - Bacchus Marsh Airfield, Vic, Australia image to Bacchus Marsh gliding. The small but delightfully situated airfield in Bacchus Marsh, Vic, Australia - home of the Geelong Gliding Club.
2008-11-06 - Sunraysia Gliding Club, 1967 image to sunraysia gliding club. Long ago (1967) in Mildura, Vic, Australia: the Kookaburra twoseater of the Sunraysia Gliding Club.

Aircraft and aviation

The field of aviation is a challenging and rewarding career that is perfect for anyone who loves to fly. There are several different types of jobs in the field of aviation. An individual can work as a pilot for a commercial or private airline company. Also, an individual may be interested in working in air traffic control or as a co-pilot or in aeronautics maintenance. There are hundreds of Aeronautics Schools and Aviation Schools located around the country.

The most popular aviation jobs are working as a pilot or as a co-pilot. Other aviation jobs may include positions with the Federal Aviation Administration, air cabin crew or working in an airport in a different type of capacity. Aviation is a very broad career field. Everyone who has chosen aviation as their career agrees that the major perk of the job is getting to travel for free. This is a great way for an individual to travel around the world.

Aeronautics Schools and Aviation Schools are designed to train individuals in several different programs. Some of these programs include Aeronautical Drafters, Aeronautical Engineer, Aerospace Engineer, Air...
Read on!

The Importance of GPS for Pilots

When Amelia Earhart made her attempt to fly 29,000 miles around the world, available technology only allowed her to complete about 22,000 of the miles. Had GPS (Global Positioning System) been available to her, it is likely she would have been able to find and land on Howland Island in the mid-Pacific Ocean in July of 1937.

GPS technology is available for widespread use by hikers, drivers, boaters, or flyers, and smart pilots know to take advantage of it. GPS is even being included in the latest versions of wireless phones.

GPS was developed by the US Department of Defense in the 1970's; at that time it was known as NAVSTAR GPS. The primary purpose was for military use. In 1983, a Soviet plane shot down a Korean Air Lines flight that had entered Soviet airspace. As a result, 269 passengers on board the flight were killed. President Ronald Reagan reacted by issuing a directive making the Global Positioning System available, upon completion, for worldwide civilian use at no charge to the user.

Three components make up the Global Positioning System: a series of 24 or more satellites that orbit the earth sending precise...
Read on!

Holiday flight planning for airline passengers

Not all flight planning is done by pilots - passengers to need to take care of this issue, albeit in a different way. Especially in the holiday season, some careful planning may be required in order to get where you want to get, preferably together with your luggage!

There is always a chance that your flight will get cancelled or delayed regardless of when you fly. However, the holidays are a very busy time for airports and you don’t want to spend Christmas there instead of with your family. Be prepared for long lines at the check in desk and security. Even though you should be at the airport two hours before your plane takes off during normal travel times, you will want to increase that up to three hours when you travel around the holidays.

Try to keep the amount of items you bring along to a minimum. It will make checking in your baggage easier and prevent such items from being lost or damaged. If you are traveling for Christmas and you want to send gifts it is a good idea to mail them separately and they will be there when you arrive. If you do decide to...
Read on!

It began Right with Wright

If you ask any student even in elementary school why the town of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina is significant to American history, they will know the answer immediately. They will know that this was the place that Orville and Wilber Wright made the first working airplane and discovered that man could fly.

Today, with thousands of airplanes taking to the sky at any given moment and the experience of flying high above the earth as common as riding a bicycle, it seems that a world where men did not fly is as far away as the ancient Romans. But we have to travel in time back to the days before the Wright brothers made their phenomenal discovery and the invention of the first aircraft when there was a time when it was firmly believed that man would never fly like a bird and indeed, man was meant to never fly but always be a terrestrial being. We can be grateful that the Wright brothers did not hold to that belief.

The date of that first successful flight was December 17, 1903. It was on that fateful day that Orville and Wilber successfully flew the first controlled, powered, heavier than air...
Read on!