Originally published in 1999 Air Travel Still the Safest Despite Recent Accidents & Bad Press During the past few months, two tragic general aviation accidents occurred focusing nationwide attention on the safety of travel in general aviation aircraft. The first was the untimely death of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife and her sister as…

Originally published in 1999 By Arb Rylant Texas Airport Management Association The Texas Association of Airport Executives (TAAE) is reevaluating its goals and has voted to restructure the organization, and change its name to “Texas Airport Management Association.” Arb Rylant, president, and the other five executive board members met on July 13 to discuss the…

Originally published in 1999 San Antonio International Airport- New Airport Manager: Kevin C. Briseno, San Antonio, Texas Gilmer-Upshur County Airport- New Airport Name: Fox Stephens Field-Gilmer Municipal Airport, Gilmer, Texas Wharton Municipal Airport- New Airport Name: Wharton Regional Airport, Wharton, Texas Galveston International Airport-Scholes Airport- New Airport Name: Scholes International Airport, Galveston, Texas Gonzales Municipal…

Originally published in 1999 In September 1999, the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame, which is administered by the National Flight Instructors (NAFI), officially inducted three persons whose combined hours total nearly 40,000 hours of flight instruction time. The three inductees are Anders Christenson, Dale DeRemer and Verne Jobst. Christenson, of Bloomington, Minn., has logged more…

Originally published in 1999 By Leo J. Kainer Airport Advisory Committee The new “F-100 Static Display” was dedicated at Fayette County Regional Airport, near LaGrange, Texas on Sept. 24, 1999. The aircraft was obtained from the U.S. storage facility near Tucson, Arizona, and was refurbished by local volunteers, supported by donated funds and materials from…

Originally published in 1999 We believe that our employees are the most important resource that we have available to support us daily in the fulfillment of the “aviation” mission for the State of Texas. They are, as team members, our winning hand. We will continue to showcase employees in Wingtips, so that you can get…

Originally published in 1999 The first airports to launch their Adopt-an-Airport Programs in Texas this fall were Fayette Regional County Airport in La Grange and Yoakum Municipal Airport in Yoakum. Signing on to this new program were the Boy Scout Troop No. 204 at Fayette Regional County Airport and the Yoakum Rotary and Lions Clubs…

Originally published in 1999 Silver Spring Md-The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) has selected the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) to receive its year 2000 “Milton Caniff Spirit of Flight Award.” The National Association of State Aviation Officials represents, on a national level, the state government aviation officials who serve the public…

Originally published in 1999 By Bill Gunn Aviation Division The first person to cross the Pacific in an airplane, Charles Kingford-Smith, once remarked “You never have too much fuel in an airplane, unless it’s on fire, then you have way too much.” He was a practical man who embraced technology, but even he would be…

Originally published in 1999 Ability to color discriminate decreases. Older pilots require more light in order to see. Processing visual information takes longer Diseases, which can affect vision-high blood pressure, diabetes and arteriosclerosis-become more common. Pupil size actually decreases significantly. Range and speed of eye focus decreases. Source: Plane & Pilot, November 1999

Originally published in 1999 By Sandra Gaither Aviation Division The first set of compliance terms and conditions that this article will address is the airport sponsor’s obligation to establish and maintain ownership and control of the airport property. If your airport has ever been improved through state or federal grant funds, these contractual obligations were…

Originally published in 1999 Dec. 28 – First time that an airplane reaches 20,000 feet, 1913. Jan. 13 – NASA selects the first group of women astronauts, 1978. Jan. 26 – Glenn Curtiss flies the first seaplane, the Curtis single-float plane, 1911. Feb 14 – The D-4 Douglas airliner makes its first flight. It is…

Originally published in 1999 TRIBUTE TO TUSKEGEE HEROES-A famous squadron from the past will play a role in the future. The legendary 100th Flying Training Squadron was recently reactivated as part of the Air Force Reserve out of Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. In 1942, the 100th FTS was known as the 100th Fighter Squadron…

Originally published in 1999 On Oct. 28, 1999, the Texas Transportation Commission reappointed Mark Huffstutler from Uvalde to his second three-year term on the Aviation Advisory Board. The Commission also appointed a new member, Clyde Barton, from Brazoria County to a three-year term. Mark Huffstutler is the airport manager at Gamer Field in Uvalde and…