Model Airplanes

Bally spent 45 to 50 hours a week, for 17 years and 10 months, working on the bomber before the Federal Aviation Administration certified it as flight-ready. 

Article source: http://herald-review.com/news/state-and-regional/vietnam-veteran-builds-b--bomber/article_7499a695-7046-5370-94ff-7c859cd0e2b6.html

SANTA CRUZ — Thousands of people converged at Pleasure Point Sunday morning to witness what was expected to be the largest-ever paddle-out memorial, to honor Jack O’Neill, inventor of the modern-day wetsuit.

Surfers on foot balancing longboards on their heads, couples on cruiser bikes, mothers with strollers and dogs, and elderly people with lawn chairs filed down every street, converging at the green, iconic cliffside home of O’Neill, a longtime Santa Cruz resident and founder of the O’Neill wetsuit and surfboard brand, who died on June 2 at the age of 94.

A paddle out is an age-old memorial tradition, in which surfers form a circle in the ocean, whooping, splashing and throwing flowers in the water, to honor a fellow waterman’s passing.

The paddle out circle on Sunday for O’Neill stretched more than half a mile across.

Estimates ranged from 2,000 to 3,000 surfers joining in the circle. Roughly 700 more people were in 83 vessels, and on the cliffs, thousands more, a thick mass stretching from the Pleasure Point staircase to the Hook.

At around 11 a.m., when the event officially began, a Coast Guard helicopter circled twice, and as if on cue, the sun broke through the clouds.

Tucked into their wetsuits or held in their teeth, paddlers carried white orchids, which were passed out by organizers. Some paddlers wore eye patches, in honor of O’Neill’s

Article source: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/09/thousands-honor-surfing-pioneer-jack-oneill/

ISHUA— A rainy start to the day didn’t discourage over 40 people participating in this weekend’s Olean Air Show held at the Cattaraugus County-Olean Airport.

The annual two day taking place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday is hosted by the Southern Tier Aero Radio Society and welcomed pilots to show off their model aircrafts ranging from jet powered aircrafts to high wing trainer planes.

The flying club also welcomed spectators to view the show where pilots demonstrated flight skills with dives, loops, and swoops.

Although the grounds were muddy, and ATVs with trailers had to bring spectators to the site, the skies eventually cleared and model planes soared.

“We got a slow start today because of the rain, but we’ve got a few airplanes that we’re flying,” said Randy Bittinger, the contest director.

Though the air show is not a true competition, Bittinger is still responsible for making sure that the organization and safety is equivalent to that of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. The AMA is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the recognition of recreational aviation. Mr. Bittinger also runs the S.T.A.R. strip in Cuba.

This year’s air show marks the 40th anniversary of the Olean Airshow, one of the oldest in the country. Over the years, the number of members of the S.T.A.R.S. program has grown.

“This is a great sport for people who like people,” said Walter Hibbard, an information officer and past president of the Southern Tier Aero Radio

Article source: http://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/model-planes-take-flight-at-the-th-annual-olean-air/article_7fe987fa-6453-11e7-902d-e3310566719c.html

John Freckman spent his early life staring at airplanes.

“Even in Little League, I was always staring at airplanes,” Freckman said. “I ran into the fence once doing that, my eyes on the plane instead of the ball. I’ve been interested in planes since I was very little.”

Freckman has been flying since 1980. Since then, he has owned three different airplanes, including the Nanchang CJ-6 he currently flies. Freckman’s plane is painted like those of the 325th Fighter Group, which flew in World War II and later in the Korean war.

The group had 27 Ace pilots over the course of its operations. Freckman is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran. He placed decals of the five rescues he was involved with the same as a fighter pilot would for enemy planes taken down.

Freckman is one off the 60 to 80 pilots who are involved in the Nevada County AirFest, held every year since the event took off in 1996. Before AirFest there was a fly-by done every year by the Golden Empire Flying Association, which currently runs the AirFest since its creation in 1968. The AirFest alternates between the Auburn Airport and Nevada County Airport yearly.

The Nanchang CJ-6 that Freckman flies is a Chinese air force trainer plane. He owns one of around 300 in the U.S. The airshow will include three others flying in formation, with Freckman flying behind.

This Saturday, the AirFest will be returning with the

Article source: http://www.theunion.com/news/local-news/airfest-set-to-take-flight-friday-at-saturday-at-nevada-county-airport/

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The Greatest Generation soars over Pensacola Beach in WWII Stearman biplanes during the annual Veterans Flight.
Gregg Pachkowski/gregg@pnj.com

Before the Blue Angels roared above the skies of Pensacola Beach on Friday in high-powered F/A-18 Hornets, a group of older and slower Boeing-Stearman Model 75 planes buzzed the beach.

The gentle flying biplanes were part of Veterans Flight, a group of Stearman owners and volunteers who offer free rides to World War II veteran pilots each year during the morning hours of the Pensacola Beach air show.

More: U.S. Navy Blue Angels soar over Pensacola Beach for a third day

More than 30 World War II veteran aviators are participating in this year’s program, organized by Roy Kinsey, a Pensacola attorney and Stearman owner.

The Stearman aircraft was used as a trainer for basic flight lessons for many World War II-era pilots, including Navy veteran Dick Pace, who arrived Friday wearing his wartime flight suit. Pace, now in his 90s, donated all of his military papers and uniforms to the National Naval Aviation Museum when he returned to Pensacola after the war. When he found out about Veterans Flight, he went back to the museum and asked

Article source: http://www.pnj.com/story/news/2017/07/07/world-war-ii-veterans-take-skies-before-pensacola-beach-air-show/460238001/

Jack Bally reached new heights when his creation, nearly 18 years in the making, took flight in November.

The 76-year-old Dixon native built a B-17G bomber one-third the size of the World War II aircraft, which dropped more payloads than any other U.S. plane during the war.

Pegged the “Bally Bomber,” the project was born from an ambition to create something different, something unique.

Others have built single-engine and twin-engine replicas, but Bally wanted to tackle a four-engine challenge.

“I didn’t want to build the same one everyone else was building,” he said. “There are no four-engine ones that I know of in the world.”

He spent 45 to 50 hours a week, for 17 years and 10 months, working on the bomber before the Federal Aviation Administration certified it as flight-ready.

“I worked on it so much that it began to be called an obsession,” he said.

He took that term to heart and named his B-17 Obsession, which appears on two decals on the sides of the plane strewn across a bomb accompanied by a pin-up girl.

It wasn’t the first plane the retired carpenter built – his collection also touts a Kitfox Model 3, a Georgia Special and ultralight Sky Pup – but it’s likely his last.

“It ain’t happening,” he said when asked what’s in store for his next project. “At least, not another airplane, anyway.”

Bally started building planes in 1965, after serving as an Army specialist 4 from 1962 to 1964, during the Vietnam War.

He was stationed at Fort Gordon in Georgia, where he

Article source: http://www.bnd.com/news/state/illinois/article159833694.html