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December 17, 2003

Fossett And Delore Achieve 3 New Records With 13 Hour Glider Flight

Flying in the Andes Mountains, Steve Fossett (USA) and Terry Delore (NZL) Saturday capped a highly successful 2003 southern hemisphere summer gliding season with one of the top flights ever in the sport of gliding - the first ever 1500 kilometer (932.1 mile) triangle. Simultaneously, they set three new world records for speed and distance, bringing their season record total to six and their career partnership total to nine. Their aircraft was a 2-seat, German built ASH 25 Mi high-performance sailplane of carbon-composite construction, with a 25 m (82 ft) wingspan and a 60-1 glide ratio.

Through four long days and longer nights at the Wyndham-Anatole Hotel in Dallas, ANN tried talking with all 1,532 people at the ICAS convention. A few of the results: Tom Weber, Aerobatic performer, Phoenix, AZ: “This was a pretty good show… not as frantic as last year. I’m hoping to do 18-20 shows next year…I think we’re still in a recovery following 9/11. As far as Dallas and this hotel…well, I don’t like $14 hamburgers and $4.50 for a bottle of water. It wasn’t very user friendly.” Duane Carroll, TBM “Ida Red”: “Well, we didn’t sign any deal, but made a lot of good contacts…some good possibilities. Too much walking at this hotel, though… I&

The AC-47 Gunship earned it’s spurs almost 40 years ago flying fire support missions over South Vietnam. Developed from the C-47 it gave a new lease on life to that venerable and legendary airframe. It has always bothered me that aircraft unique to the Vietnam War have gotten, like so many of it’s Veterans, a “short shrift” when it comes to air show performances or appearances. However, the tide seems to be turning. Not only is the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation flying their fleet of big green machines, but the American Flight Museum in Topeka, Kansas has taken to the sky in their AC-47 “Spooky 71."