Author: FlightDrama

Many years ago, while working my way through college pumping avgas at the local airport, I discovered that one of our university deans owned a diminutive two-seat, twin-tailed airplane—an Ercoupe. He was proud of his little bird, with its unique split sliding canopy, no rudder pedals, and a delightful art deco instrument panel.  Long before he purchased his very own Boeing 707, actor John Travolta discovered this economical fun flier and began his remarkable aviation career as a proud owner. Then, a few years ago, I was privileged to hear how an amazing young woman, Jessica Cox, earned her sport…

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In the interest of full disclosure, OMAAT earns a referral bonus for anyone that’s approved through some of the below links. These are the best publicly available offers (terms apply) that we have found for each product or service. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the bank, credit card issuer, airline, hotel chain, or product manufacturer/service provider, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Please check out our advertiser policy for further details about our partners, and thanks for your support! Link: Apply now for the World of Hyatt…

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The Finnish Air Force will secure NATO skies by deploying four F/A-18 Hornets to Keflavik Air Base for the next rotation of the Icelandic Air Policing mission in February 2025. The Finnish Air Force is preparing to safeguard the NATO skies for the first time as a NATO member by deploying four F/A-18 Hornets to Keflavik Air Base, Iceland, in February 2025 for the Icelandic Air Policing mission. The Finnish Jets will be on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duty in Iceland for three weeks, and during this time they will closely collaborate with Icelandic Coast Guard and personnel from the…

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The Yaks from North Shore were not part of the Warbirds programme yesterday, but just popped up for lunch:That is the way to make an entrance over the airfield!Then they were marshalled to park along the fenceline out by the runway as the rest of the parking was full.  They were Rob Fry’s ZK-BJK2, Chistpoh Berthoud’s ZK-DSJ2 and Brent Hempel’s ZK-RUS2.

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When there are decent flight deals to Japan, they are often only available for the off-season. This typically means somewhere between December and March, when it’s too late for the autumn foliage but too early for (most) cherry blossoms. It’s not uncommon for comments to point out that this is not an ideal time to visit Japan. This is true to some extent when looking at popular tourist destinations like Tokyo or Osaka. However, there are many good reasons to travel to Japan in winter that you might not necessarily be aware of. Whether you prefer trudging through meters of…

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Hello! I wanted to share this incredible experience in order to say that when we have focus, motivation, vision, and fortitude, dreams can come true! Most people do not know this about me so if you are reading this, you will get a small glimpse into where I came from. There were times when I was homeless, had no food, and did not know how I was going to survive, let alone make a life like this for myself and my family. I am sharing more about my journey in my book and film “Lost and Found,” streaming series “Captain,”…

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The Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Communications, Aleksandar Nikoloski, has said the government is working on the launch of long-haul flights from Skopje. “We are working intensively to make Skopje the third capital in the Balkans to offer transoceanic flights. Currently, long-haul flights are available from airports in Istanbul and Belgrade, and our goal is for Skopje to become the third city to provide such connections”, the Minister noted. Mr Nikoloski said the project is “ambitious” but noted the benefits for the country would be significant.The Minister did not specify how long-haul flights would be established…

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By Vic Syracuse, EAA Lifetime 180848 This piece originally ran in Vic’s Checkpoints column in the November 2024 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine. A large driver for my focus on maintenance reliability earlier this year was due in part to a planned trip to Alaska. I didn’t want to jinx the trip by mentioning it, as we’ve learned over the years that the Alaska trips have so many potential variables that can cause the best-laid plans to not come to fruition. The weather window is quite narrow for flying a small general aviation aircraft up and back from the…

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