Born in 1882, Geoffrey de Havilland was the second son of a village pastor. At an early age, he displayed a mechanical interest and pursued a career as an automotive engineer, building cars and motorcycles. Frustrated at work, in 1909 he received a gift of 1,000 pounds from his grandfather to build his first airplane, just a few years after the Wright brothers had made their first flight.

By World War I, de Havilland was working for Airco, where he designed a number of early warplanes, which enjoyed varying success, and flew as his own test pilot. In 1920, with the support of his former boss, de Havilland set up his own independent company and embarked on a series of aircraft named after moths, inspired by his love of lepidopterology, or the study of butterflies and moths.

• READ MORE: Reaching Uncharted Corners of the Globe in a Fokker F.VII

In 1932, he introduced the DH.82 Tiger Moth, a variant of earlier aircraft designed specifically as a military trainer for the Royal Air Force (RAF), as well as other air forces. Like many aircraft at the time, the Tiger Moth’s fuselage is constructed of fabric-covered steel tubing, while its wings are made of fabric-covered wooden frames. I’ve seen a single person lift a Tiger Moth by the tail to take it out of its hangar. The Tiger Moth was powered by a de Havilland Gypsy air-cooled, 4-cylinder in-line engine which produced 120-130 hp, depending on the version.

Like most trainers, the Tiger Moth had two seats, each with its own set of controls, with the student in front and the instructor or solo pilot in back. One of the major changes introduced to the Tiger Moth, at RAF insistence, was folding door panels that made it easier to enter and exit both cockpits. The feature was absolutely essential when a student or instructor needed to quickly bail out wearing  heavy parachutes.

The silver knobs on the left control throttle, fuel mixture, and aileron trim. The knob on the right enables “auto slots,” slats on the wings that automatically deploy like flaps to provide additional lift at low speeds and high angles of attack. Notice that there is no artificial horizon. However, there is a turn indicator (in the center) as well as a red column that indicates the aircraft’s pitch. It is currently showing nose-up because the plane is resting on its tailwheel.

The compass, situated just in front of the stick, is a bit tricky. You can either keep it pointed toward north and look to where the line is pointing, or you can rotate the compass ring to show the current heading at the top and follow that by keeping it centered.

• READ MORE: Reenacting Bombing Missions in an F-117 Nighthawk

In addition to the cockpit gauge, there’s also a mechanical airspeed indicator on the left wing. Red shows typical stall speed range (below 45 mph).

I’m at England’s Upavon Airfield, a few miles north of Stonehenge, which was home to the RAF’s Central Flying School, founded in 1912, and where the first Tiger Moths were delivered. It is now a small army base (hence the vehicles) and is also used as a glider field. With no electrical starter, the Tiger Moth is hand-propped to get it started. The turning of the propeller, by hand, engages the magnetos that send charges to the spark plugs, starting the engine.

This particular Tiger Moth, N-6635, is based on the one on display at the Imperial War Museum at RAF Duxford, near Cambridge. It’s actually a composite that was put together with parts from different Tiger Moths.

The engine is modeled realistically. If you overstress it on full throttle for more than a few minutes, it will overheat and conk out. If you let it idle for too long, the spark plugs will foul up. With a small engine like this, the left-turning tendencies are not pronounced. However, the trickiest part of takeoff for most tailwheel airplanes is still when the tail comes up. The descent of the rotating propeller causes a gyroscopic precession to the left.

The Tiger Moth gained immediate popularity as the RAF’s primary trainer—the first airplane a would-be pilot learned to fly after ground school before moving on to more advanced fighters or bombers. It gained a reputation for being “easy to fly, but difficult to master.” In normal flight, it was forgiving of mistakes. On the other hand, the Tiger Moth required great precision from a pilot to learn aerobatic combat maneuvers, without going into a spin. However, it recovers easily from spins, which meant it highlighted a student’s shortcomings without (usually) putting them at fatal risk. Though I did notice that when flying upside down (or going through a roll), the engine sputters, probably because gravity messes with the fuel flow.

During the 1930s, between world wars, students selected by the RAF took about nine to 12 months to earn their pilot wings, building up about 150 hours of flight time, about 55 with an instructor and the rest solo. Their instruction included night, formation, and instrument flying, along with gunnery and aerobatics (for combat).

The Tiger Moth was sold to 25 air forces from different countries and proved popular to private buyers as well. It was a big commercial success for the company. A total of 1,424 Tiger Moths were produced prior to the outbreak of WWII, most of which were manufactured at the de Havilland factory in Hatfield, north of London.

Slowing down while descending to land can be difficult. I found I usually needed to cut the power to idle and glide in. Power-off landings were a very typical method in that era. It’s nearly impossible to see forward in the Tiger Moth, especially when landing. It’s best to lean your head out the side, while keeping one eye on controlling the airspeed at around 60 mph (about 15-20 mph above stalling).

• READ MORE: Exploring the Checkered History of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

There are also no wheel brakes. So once you do land, you just have to let friction slow you down. It’s easier in a grassy field like this.

The success of the Tiger Moth led to Geoffrey de Havilland being awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1934. But its story was only just beginning.

Welcome to Goderich Airport (CYGD) in Ontario, Canada, about 2.5 hours north of Detroit on the eastern shore of Lake Huron. In 1928, de Havilland set up a subsidiary in Canada to produce Tiger Moths to train Canadian airmen. This Tiger Moth, #8922 (registration C-GCWT), is based on a real plane that belongs to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Mount Hope, Ontario, and is in airworthy condition.

With the outbreak of WWII in 1939, the British government realized that Britain itself was an unsuitable location for training large numbers of new pilots. Not only is the weather often poor, the airspace over Britain was quickly becoming a battleground between the beleaguered RAF and the German Luftwaffe—the last place you’d want a student pilot to learn how to fly.

Canada, in contrast, offered vast areas far from enemy activity, where pilot training could be conducted. To take advantage of this, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) was created to instruct thousands of airmen from Britain and across the Empire in safer locations like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, and South Africa. The yellow “training” livery was typical of the BCATP, though the real-life airplane was also equipped with a plexiglass-enclosed cockpit to permit winter training.

Many of the small airports dotted across Canada from east to west—as well as some large ones—got their start as part of BCATP, commonly referred to as “the Plan.” I selected Goderich to fly from because after it was built in Canada in 1942, this plane, #8922, was used to train pilots here at the No. 12 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS), as part of the BCATP. The same airplane later went to No. 4 EFTS at Windsor Mills, Quebec, an airfield that no longer exists.

Eventually, there were 36 elementary flight schools across Canada, in addition to dozens more devoted to training bombardiers, navigators, and gunners. At least 131,533 Allied pilots and aircrew were trained in Canada under BCATP—the largest of any country participating in the Plan—of which 72,835 were Canadian. The program cost Canada $1.6 billion but employed 104,000 Canadians in air bases across the land. De Havilland produced 1,548 Tiger Moths in Canada, by war’s end, to help stock these flight schools with aircraft.

While training pilots in Canada was safer than in Britain, lives were still lost. From 1942 to 1944, a total of 831 fatal accidents took place, an average of five per week.

• READ MORE: The Story of the Schneider Trophy and the Supermarine S.5

BCATP training was by no means limited to Canada. I’m here at Parafield Airport in Adelaide, Australia, which was home to that country’s No. 1 Elementary Flight Training School and received its first Tiger Moths in April 1940. This particular Tiger Moth, A17-58, was built by de Havilland in Australia in 1940 and apparently still continues to fly. Australia eventually had 12 elementary flight schools (plus a host of other schools) as part of BCATP, which was known there as the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS).

Prior to BCATP, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) only trained about 50 pilots per year. By 1945, more than 37,500 Australian aircrew had been trained in Australia, though many then went to Canada to complete their more advanced training before going into combat. Most Australians in the RAAF went on to fight in the Pacific Theater, though some joined the RAF to fight over Europe. De Havilland built a total of 1,070 Tiger Moths in Australia and even exported a few batches to the U.S. Army Air Forces and the Royal Indian Air Force.

The BCATP was one of the largest aviation training programs in history, providing about half of the airmen who flew for Britain and its dependencies in WWII. The ability to train in safety, away from the combat zone, gave Allied pilots a crucial advantage over the Germans, who typically went into combat with roughly half the training hours of their  counterparts. The program was so important that President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who called the U.S. “the arsenal of democracy,” dubbed Canada “the aerodrome of democracy” as a result of its contribution to training Allied airmen—many of them in the Tiger Moth.

Tiger Moths were not only used to train pilots during WWII. Some were deployed for coastal patrols. I’m here at Farnborough, Britain’s former center for experimental aircraft development (southwest of London), to investigate another interesting purpose they served.

No, it’s not a mistake—there’s a reason why there are no pilots visible in either cockpit. This aircraft, LF858, was what was known as a “Queen Bee.” British anti-aircraft gun crews needed practice firing at real targets. But flying an airplane with people shooting at you is, well, rather dangerous. So de Havilland figured out a way to put radio equipment in the rear cockpit that could receive messages for an operator on the ground and work the aircraft’s controls accordingly. In other words, it was the world’s first “drone” aircraft.

Besides being able to fly by remote control, the main difference between a regular Tiger Moth and a Queen Bee is that instead of metal tubing for the fuselage frame, the latter used wood (like for its wings) to save money. The objective wasn’t to shoot down the Tiger Moth—that would be wasteful. Gunners used an offset to hopefully miss, so the airplane could land and be used again. But if they did hit, no pilots were at risk.

About 470 Tiger Moth “Queen Bees” were built during WWII. The term “drone” for a pilotless airplane derives directly from the Queen Bee program and refers to a male bee who flies just once to mate with a queen then dies.

By the end of WWII, nearly 8,700 Tiger Moths had been built, 4,200 of them for the RAF alone. It continued to be used by the RAF for training until it was replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in the 1950s.

The fact that so many people across the British Empire had learned to fly in a Tiger Moth made them immensely popular after the war, among private pilots and enthusiasts. An estimated 250 Tiger Moths are still flying, including this one based out of the small airstrip near Ranfurly on the southern island of New Zealand.

A number of Tiger Moth clubs exist around the world. The late Christopher Reeve, of Superman fame, once joined one of these clubs and learned how to fly the Tiger Moth. Reeve even made a movie about it, which you can find on YouTube. He said it took some time getting used to how slow they approach and land.

Tiger Moths have appeared in several films, often disguised as other biplanes. For instance, the plane in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) was a Tiger Moth, decked out to look like a German Fokker. The silver biplane in The English Patient (1993) was a Tiger Moth (the other, yellow biplane in that movie was a Stearman). It’s worth mentioning that the biplane in Out of Africa (1985) was not a Tiger Moth, but the earlier and very similar Gypsy Moth, also built by de Havilland. Apparently there was even a movie in 1974 called The Sergeant and the Tiger Moth (1974) about a guy and his girlfriend who aren’t even pilots but build and fly one anyway. I have no idea if it’s any good, so please find and watch it for me.

If you’d like to see a version of this story with more historical photos and screenshots, you can check out my original post here. This story was told utilizing Ant’s Airplanes Tiger Moth add-on to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, along with liveries and scenery downloaded for free from the flightsim.to community.

The post Recreating the de Havilland Tiger Moth appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“The pilot shortage has caused many flight training providers to focus their operations primarily on recruiting and training professional pilot candidates,” said Charlie Gregoire, Redbird’s president and chief operations officer. “Consequently, pilots interested in pursuing recreational flying opportunities are left with little support beyond the typical $100 hamburger run. This new initiative with the RAF will broaden exposure to the many flying activities outside of training for a new certificate or rating, and arm pilots with information for how to approach them safely.”

• READ MORE: Recreational Aviation Foundation Remains the Sum of Its Hearts

Since 2006 Redbird has been building basic aviation training devices (BATDs) and advanced aviation training devices (AATDs) to supplement the educational process. The AATDs are used around the world by pilots, flight schools, colleges and universities, and K-12 programs.

The RAF was founded by a group of Montana pilots who realized that the threat of recreational airstrip closures was of national concern. The group is dedicated to preserving existing airstrips and creating new public-use recreational airstrips throughout the U.S.

The two entities are creating a catalog of resources covering topics such as practical flying skills and habits, planning and preparation, basic survival and first aid, and gear recommendations and usage.

Among the topics to be presented are: 

• What to pack and avoid packing for recreational flying adventures
• How to evaluate a potential landing zone
• How to read the wind without ATIS (or even a windsock)
• When to land (or not land) with a tailwind
• Nonstandard traffic patterns
• Basic first aid and triage
• Leave-no-trace and good-neighbor flying

How It Will Work

Over the next 18 months, Redbird will be releasing the material in written and video formats at no cost to pilots or training providers. In addition the organizations are collaborating on the creation of training scenarios for Redbird’s subscription-based personalized proficiency training app, Redbird Pro.

• READ MORE: We Fly: The RAF at 20 Years into Moose Creek

“This partnership with Redbird is exciting and yet one more piece in the aviation puzzle,” said John McKenna, RAF chairman. “We hope this excites a few more folks about aviation and perhaps the joy of recreational flying.”

For those lucky enough to be at this week’s Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, Redbird has a special edition of its MX2 aviation training device with a custom RAF livery on display to raise awareness of the initiative. The organizations are showcasing it in the Redbird booth (NE-51, NE-52).

In July, the device will be on display at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Pilots and prospective pilots are welcome to demo the device and try their hand at a series of recreational flying scenarios.

The post Redbird, Recreational Aviation Foundation Partner to Boost Backcountry Flight Training appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The aviators graduated from elementary flight training Friday and were recognized in a ceremony marking the milestone. 

• READ MORE: First Ukrainian Pilots Expected to Finish U.S. F-16 Training By Summer

“RAF flying instructors have taught the pilots general handling, instrument flying, low-level navigation, and advanced formation flying to prepare the pilots for advanced fast jet flying training prior to F-16 conversion with coalition partners,” the RAF said. “On the ground they completed an aviation medicine course and high G-force centrifuge training. Babcock provided the Grob Tutor aircraft along with technical and operational support. Together with the RAF team they completed the training ahead of time with 100 percent aircraft availability.”

The pilots will now progress to advanced fast jet training and conversion to the F-16 with partner nations from the Air Force Capability Coalition, the RAF said.

At least a dozen Ukrainian pilots continue to train with the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard (ANG) at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, with the first four expected to finish by May.

“I would like to congratulate these brave pilots on completing their initial training here in the U.K.,” British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said during Friday’s event. “Thanks to the world-renowned skills of the RAF, they have received some of the best training available and are now a step closer to joining the fight against [Russia President Vladimir] Putin’s illegal invasion.”

• READ MORE: First Ukrainian F-16 Pilots Finish Training in UK

On Wednesday, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said the Netherlands will be supplying Ukraine with advanced reconnaissance drones, as well as 350 million euros for F-16 ammunition, Reuters reported. The country, along with Denmark and the U.S., are planning to deliver the first of dozens of the fighters to Ukraine this summer.

Ukrainian defense officials have long sought access to the aircraft following Russia’s invasion in 2022.

“The conflict in Ukraine highlights the importance of air and space power, and the need to gain and maintain control of the air to defeat an enemy,” Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, RAF’s chief of the air staff, said during the ceremony. “I salute the courage and determination of these Ukrainian pilots.”

The post Ukrainian Pilots Advance in F-16 Training in U.K. appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

• READ MORE: Hartzell Expands Composite Prop Series in Top Prop Program

JJ Frigge, President of Hartzell, said in a release, “This exclusive discount and our contribution to the RAF exemplify our commitment to the adventure of flight and the RAF’s mission to maintain aviation access to the backcountry.”

RAF chairman John McKenna echoed the sentiment, saying, “Hartzell’s continued support of the RAF is a genuine benefit to our supporters and serves as a powerful incentive for new RAF supporters.”

The RAF is a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and preserving backcountry airstrips across the U.S.

The backcountry propellers eligible for the discount include:

• The Voyager: A three-blade aluminum scimitar optimized for the Cessna 180, 182, 185, and 206 models powered by certain Continental 470 engines, and Continental 520 and 550 engines under a recent STC.
• The Pathfinder: A three-blade “Raptor” carbon fiber composite available for the Cubcrafters XCub and Carbon Cub FX, as well as the Glasair Sportsman, American Legend, and several other experimental aircraft.
• The Trailblazer: A two-blade or three-blade carbon fiber composite available for various aircraft from American Champion, American Legend, Aviat, Avipro, Cubcrafters, Glasair, Maule, and several other experimental aircraft.

These propellers are meticulously designed to enhance backcountry performance, fostering shorter takeoff rolls and improved climb rates.

The post Hartzell Extends Generous Prop Discounts to RAF Supporters appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The aircraft and crew are in the U.S. participating in the large-scale  “Red Flag-Nellis 24-1” intensive fighter training underway in Nevada. The realistic combat training exercise has nearly 2,000 participants, about 100 aircraft, and personnel from 30 U.S. and allied units, including the RAF and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). 

The Voyager air-to-air refueler is participating in the Red Flag exercise to support British and U.S. fighter jets. 

• READ MORE: ‘Red Flag-Nellis’ Intensive Fighter Training Underway in Nevada

“[While] hurtling along the runway in Nevada with a takeoff speed of around 160 mph, the tire of the 204-ton jet, laden with 80 tons of fuel, failed,” RAF said in a statement Saturday.

The aircraft, which is capable of carrying nearly 300 passengers, also had a small number of British and allied passengers on board.

“The crew felt some minor vibrations early on, as per a routine takeoff, but were unaware of the seriousness of the incident and the take-off continued safely,” RAF said.

Video footage of the incident (posted below) shows the moment the tire failed.

Once airborne, the aircraft’s tire pressure sensors indicated there were faults with two tires, RAF said. The crew confirmed the damage using the Voyager’s external cameras and also contacted a U.S. Air Force F-16 in the exercise to conduct a visual inspection.

• READ MORE: Royal Air Force Tests Expeditionary Fueling System in Arctic Circle 

“This was my first flight in charge of the cabin with passengers onboard,” said RAF Corporal Jaz Lawton, cabin supervisor on the aircraft. “It was a shock to learn that the tire had burst, but my training kicked in, and I worked with the pilots and other crew to keep the passengers updated and reassure them.”

The crew then devised a plan for returning the aircraft to the ground.

“To minimize the risks of landing with damaged wheels, the crew extended their sortie to reduce the amount of fuel and, therefore, weight on board,” RAF said. “This also provided time for all the fighter jets to return to base before the Voyager, as it was possible that it might damage the runway when it landed.”

• READ MORE: Downed WWII Lancaster Bomber Raised from Sea Floor

Tanker pilots landed the aircraft safely and—after an inspection by U.S. Air Force firefighters— were able to slowly taxi to their parking space, where they replaced the wheel. The aircraft and crew rejoined the exercise the next day.

Red Flag 24-1 is set to conclude Friday.

RAF Voyager Tire Blows Out During Takeoff

The post Watch: RAF Tanker Carrying 80 Tons of Fuel Has Tire Blow During Takeoff appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The large-scale exercise—dubbed “Red Flag 24-1″—will focus on overcoming pacing challenges with allies in the Indo-Pacific theater, the Air Force said. The realistic combat training exercise has nearly 2,000 participants, about 100 aircraft, and personnel from 30 U.S. and allied units, including the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). 

• READ MORE: Royal Australian Air Force Refuels USAF Aircraft in Trials

During the event, Red Flag participants will undergo a range of combat environment scenarios, including defensive counter air, offensive counter air suppression of enemy air defenses, as well as offensive counter air-to-air interdiction, the service said.

“Training prioritizes first timer’s combat missions, mission commander upgrades, integration, and flag unique experiences that contribute most to readiness and partnering,” said Colonel Eric Winterbottom, commander of the 414th Combat Training Squadron based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

• READ MORE: Royal Air Force Tests Expeditionary Fueling System in Arctic Circle

The Royal Air Force’s presence in the exercise includes eight Typhoon fighters, a Voyager air-to-air refueling aircraft, a rivet joint aircrew, and air operation controllers.

RAAF said it has deployed about 150 of its personnel, along with six F-35A Lightning II fighters, marking the first time the country’s fighter jets have participated in the exercises.

• READ MORE: Downed WWII Lancaster Bomber Raised from Sea Floor

“Generations of RAAF aviators have come to this exercise since 1980, and it continues to evolve and reflect the threats and challenges faced on modern operations,” said RAAF Wing Commander Adrian Kiely, commanding officer of 3 Squadron Wing. “Exercise ‘Red Flag Nellis’ will test every facet of our F-35A capability, allow us to integrate with our American and British allies, and practice how we project force on combat operations.”

One of the world’s toughest air combat training environments, Exercise Red Flag Nellis 24-1, has now begun.#AusAirForce aviators have joined counterparts from @usairforce and @RoyalAirForce to hone their war-fighting skills.#RFNAFB #OurPartners @NellisAFB pic.twitter.com/T6dXe72LEk

— Royal Australian Air Force (@AusAirForce) January 16, 2024

Red Flag exercises began at Nellis AFB in 1975, deploying lessons learned from Vietnam in order to expose military pilots to combat missions and increase their effectiveness and confidence. Exercises typically include a variety of attack, fighter, bomber, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and aerial refueling aircraft.

Red Flag 24-1 is set to conclude February 2.

The post ‘Red Flag-Nellis’ Intensive Fighter Training Underway in Nevada appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The expeditionary refueling of the Atlas A400M occurred during Exercise Arctic Phoenix at Bardufoss Air Station (ENDU), RAF said Monday. The extreme cold weather exercise began earlier this month to train RAF personnel and test a range of service capabilities, including aeromedical evacuations and cold weather survival skills amid extreme arctic conditions with temperatures reaching minus-20 degrees Celsius (minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit) and with limited daylight.

• READ MORE: Downed WWII Lancaster Bomber Raised from Sea Floor

“The ability to maintain flying operations from remote and austere locations is vital to the RAF being ready to survive or evade attack and outmaneuver an adversary, known as Agile Combat Employment,” the service said.

During the expeditionary refueling test, an RAF team built the temporary fuel system for remote aircraft operations—known as Air Landed Aircraft Refuelling System—with a fabric tank that was supported by snow-filled sandbags.

• READ MORE: RAF Protector RG Mk1 Takes First Flight

“They then proved its functionality by firstly defueling and then refueling the Atlas heavy lift transporter,” RAF said.

During the extreme cold weather exercise, a team of RAF aeromedical evacuation specialists also tested equipment on the ground, as well as in air while on board an A400M.

“More than 20 individual pieces of medical equipment, including patient monitoring and testing devices, blood storage containers, and communications systems have been pushed to their limits to understand how the arctic conditions could impact medical operations,” the service said.

The post Royal Air Force Tests Expeditionary Fueling System in Arctic Circle appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

They represent some of our most precious resources in aviation, and a collection of more than 11,000 volunteers coordinated by the RAF have helped maintain them and promote them to the flying community.

Join FLYING’s editor-in-chief Julie Boatman as she flies in with a work crew in a Daher Kodiak 100 to experience the camaraderie and satisfaction that participating in such an important effort can bring.

Look for the full story in our feature in the latest issue of FLYING, Issue 944 for December 2023/January 2024. Subscribers will receive it in their mailbox or inbox soon.

The post We Fly: The RAF at 20 Years Into Moose Creek appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Sappington’s second trip in 2019 was a wholly different experience. The airport, active since 1952, had begun showing its age. 

“The airport and property went through a few different hands and ended up with a gentleman who wanted to put it in the hands of the community through a nonprofit organization,” Sappingotn said. “So, he donated the airport and property to a nonprofit called Blue Sky Center. They are a community development organization, whose objective is to help the people of the Cuyama Valley. They always tried to take care of the airstrip but didn’t have a lot of money to do so. As a private GA airport, they are not eligible for federal airport grants.

“I flew back to the airport in 2019, and there were weeds all over the runway, so I had to be careful about how I landed. The folks at Blue Sky explained that their mower had broken and were unable to mow the runway. That kind of gives you a feel for what kind of condition the surface was in. Caltrans [California Department of Transportation] closed the airport for that and a few other issues. So, I asked whether any pilots had offered to help reopen the airport. I was told that some had offered to help but hadn’t come through. I thought maybe I could provide a focus for pilot support and see if we could reopen the airport.”

Since that time, Sappington and his wife, Nancy, have been an integral part of the flurry of activity at the airport. He explained that in order to recertify the airport, Caltrans required three major repairs: the runway, the runway overrun safety area, and the segmented circle.

It took a lot of effort to see the improvements through, according to the couple. A sizable collection of people pitched in to help get the airport reopened, including a dedicated aviator and entrepreneur from the northern part of California.

“About the time that we realized that the runway couldn’t be patched and had to be resurfaced, Blue Sky Center received an enquiry from a fellow pilot and Cessna 182 owner by the name of William Randolph Hearst III,” Sappington said. “He is in publishing, like his grandfather was, and was in New Cuyama a few decades before doing an article about the nearby [Sisquoc] Condor Sanctuary. So, he knew about the airport and the town, and reached out to the airport manager, [Emily] Johnson, asking how he could help. It was great timing, as I had come up to speed with the airport’s issues, and he came in saying that he might like to help.

“In the fall of 2021, at a volunteer work party event, we were trying to figure out our options for reopening the airstrip when one of the pilots, Mike Kent, asked if he could call the Caltrans aeronautics office to see if they could help. We huddled on the tarmac around Mike’s cell phone and explained our dilemma to [agency safety officer Dan] Gargas, who spent 40 minutes with us discussing some possible options to reopening the airport.

“When I later conveyed our Caltrans call to Mr. Hearst, he asked for a range of bids to better understand the options. It became apparent we needed a formal group to manage the scope of the effort. We formed the ‘L88 Circle’ with [Emily], Mike, Nancy, and glider pilot Kevin Shaw. With the help of another pilot, Jim Mitchell, a civil engineer and contractor, we gathered several rounds of quotes and found an inexpensive yet robust approach for paving the runway.”

These conversations would quickly take hold and improvements made.

“Mr. Hearst graciously provided the funds for the airstrip’s repavement and reconstruction of the runway safety areas,” Sappington said. “We reached out to the pilots and aviation enthusiasts for the remaining funds needed for airport striping and necessary improvements to the parking area. Work started on July 11, 2022, with Nancy and I as the Blue Sky Center project managers. With the support of the Blue Sky Center staff, many aviation volunteers, and dedicated contractors, the construction was completed on time.”

To the excitement of general aviation pilots in the area, New Cuyama Airport reopened in October 2022. The airport now boasts a smooth asphalt runway that measures 3,380 feet long. The Sappingtons emphasized that the airport is “away from it all.” But its remoteness, yet close proximity to the Los Angeles metropolitan area, is one of its biggest draws to Southern California aviators, not to mention those from nearby states.

“It’s a unique place and it is so remote,” Nancy Sappington said. “You feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, and you are. The runway is longer than the town, which is three blocks wide. There is camping right next to the airstrip. We have received one grant from the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) and are in phase one of that project, putting in some shade structures, platforms to put tents on, and signage. We would also like to create an area for big tire folks to taxi off the runway to a camping area that’s a little more remote with a shower facility.” 

She also highlighted several other overnight accommodations nearby, including rentable huts and the Cuyama Buckhorn, a renovated historic roadside resort that reportedly offers pilot discounts.

Steve Sappington also spoke to the future of New Cuyama Airport.

“The [Blue Sky] board is trying to plan for recurring maintenance of the runway, as well as future improvement projects,” he said. “We would also like to make it easier for people to visit things, such as Carrizo Plain National Monument, which is next door. We just had a superbloom, which was so magnificent.”

“And one of the coolest things to do here, since it’s a daytime-use-only airport, is going and sitting out on the runway at night and stargazing or watching a launch from Vandenberg [Space Force Base]. It’s kind of magical, and the feeling of remoteness and solitude is something that’s hard to get from the metropolitan areas that are only an hour or two away for pilots. That’s one of the big draws, I think.”

Pilots can stay apprised of New Cuyama Airport’s progress, as well as contribute to its efforts, at L88 Airstrip—Cuyama (visitcuyama.com).

The post Couple Take Lead on Reopening New Cuyama Airport appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The long-endurance uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and based on GA-ASI’s MQ-9B UAV variant, can be flown anywhere in the world while operated from RAF Waddington in England.

“In addition to accepting the operational roles currently undertaken by Reaper, which has provided exceptional service on operations around the clock for over 15 years, Protector will be certified to stringent NATO safety and certification standards, allowing it to operate in the U.K. and European civilian airspace,” the RAF said in a statement.

• READ MORE: Royal Air Force Receives First Protector RG Mk1 Combat Drone

Trials will include ground testing of satellite links and taxi procedures, as well as takeoff and landing procedures, RAF said.

Earlier this month, the RAF took delivery of the first of 16 ordered Protectors and said receiving the remaining combat drones will come in phases. It is expected to be in service in 2024.

“The [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] capability team will be working with 56 Squadron, our test and evaluation experts, [which] will put the aircraft through its paces to ensure it is ready for operational service next year, whilst the newly reformed 31 Squadron will focus on preparing to operate the aircraft in service,” said Air Commodore Alex Hicks, who is the senior officer responsible for the Protector program. “This is an important milestone for the program, Air Force, and wider defense, and I am delighted to see Protector at RAF Waddington.”

The Protector boasts a wingspan of nearly 80 feet, a maximum takeoff weight of 12,500 pounds, and is capable of carrying 500 pounds of Paveway IV laser-guided bombs and Brimstone 3 missiles.

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