Model Airplanes

Eiran Gazit has always liked miniatures. As a boy he built train and plane sets. “I had 200 model airplanes hanging above my bed,” he recalled. He never grew out of it.

On April 4 he will open his latest project to the public: a giant exhibit of the world built entirely in miniature, covering a 49,000-square-foot space in Times Square, at 216 W. 44th St.

Called Gulliver’s Gate, the $40 million attraction is Gazit’s brainchild—the culmination of a decade of dreaming and refining; three years of pitching and cajoling investors; two years of coordinating dozens of artists around the world; and several months of frenzied installation.

Gazit fashions himself as a master of ceremonies for a fantastical world, and is, at times, an apologist for it: “We’ve taken a lot of liberties.”

New Yorkers will spot them right away. Built by Brooklyn Model Works, the minimodel of the Big Apple focuses on lower Manhattan but includes Times Square, the Empire State Building and the Guggenheim Museum. A subterranean Grand Central Terminal runs the length of the exhibit. But the interactive model is teeming with life: taxicabs, street vendors, shoppers, ferries, moving trains.

“This is a magical, happy version of the world. It’s playful,” Gazit said. “We don’t have slums. We don’t have wars. We don’t have catastrophes.”

The son of an Israeli diplomat, Gazit had lived in Nigeria, Ghana and England by the time he was 10. He spent 14 years in the Israeli

Article source: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20170329/REAL_ESTATE/170329862/eiran-gazit-built-a-miniature-new-york-city-called-gullivers-gate-in-times-square

KILLEEN — Army Aviation’s primary mission is to support commanders and troops on the ground, and retired Army Lt. Col. Reggie Bass, 78, heroically fulfilled that mission during Vietnam earning two Distinguished Flying Crosses, an Air Medal for Valor and the Purple Heart Medal.

But soft-spoken Bass tells his stories humbly, giving credit to his flight crews and the troops on the ground.

“I guess some of the soldiers saw us do our duty and thought we did a good job, so they recommended us for the medals,” said Bass.

The son of a local grocer, Louis Reginald “Reggie” Bass was born in Killeen in 1938 and always knew he wanted to fly.

“I built model airplanes dreaming about flying one,” he said.

Inspired by his step-father, Bass went into ROTC at Kansas State University and joined the Army in 1961. He was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky., as an infantry officer then attended flight school in 1964 at Fort Rucker, Ala.

From 1965 to 1966, Bass was assigned to the 14th Aviation Battalion, piloting the CV-2B DeHavilland Caribou. His job was to drop supplies and ammunition to Special Forces camps, “A-Teams,” which meant flying low; making the airplane a target for enemy fire.

“I saw the remnants of several aircraft previously shot down doing the same job,” he said.

During one mission in A Shau Valley, Bass’s aircraft came under heavy enemy fire, but he flew over the camp dropping supplies. For Bass’ action, and that of the crew, each received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

During his second

Article source: http://kdhnews.com/fort_hood_herald/across_the_fort/retired-soldier-still-flying-the-friendly-skies-in-beechcraft-bonanza/article_bc4ca0ca-1402-11e7-a2c3-3be4d5a2ef5e.html

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – If you’ve ever thought about flying drones or becoming a pilot, the best time to start, as with most professions, is at a young age. The Aerospace Technology classes at Fernandina Beach High School are offering students that option.

Flight instructor and teacher Keoki Gray began this curriculum several years ago with the intent of getting kids interested in the FSCJ aviation program at Cecil Field in Jacksonville. The high school course started out teaching students the information they would need to pass the FAA exam for a private pilot license, according to Gray.

After a low initial success rate, the curriculum underwent some changes and became what it is today.

“So, they gave me a little bit of leeway and we came up with a different program instead that introduces kids to physics thru model rocketry the first semester and then more complex aerodynamics using model airplanes and quad-copters during the second semester,” said Gray.

Students in Gray’s class learn the basics of aviation via textbook and video flight simulators in the classroom. Students then build foam board model airplanes, equipped with battery-operated propellers, which they will use to put to the test what they’ve been studying.

Needless to say, learning to fly these somewhat fragile model airplanes requires practice, a little

Article source: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/high-school-class-gives-nassau-county-students-head-start-in-aviation-career/426427712