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Alaska Airlines Flight 261: Investigating what caused the tragedy

Aerotime

Twenty-five years on from this terrible accident, we look back at what led up to the crash, what was learned from it, and why the pilots Ted Thompson and Bill Tansky are now hailed as heroes for their actions during the incident. Wikimedia Flying the aircraft were two highly experienced former military pilots.

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Helicopter that crashed in Hudson River not equipped with flight recorders: NTSB

Aerotime

RELATED Hudson River helicopter crash: what we know so far and who were the victims The agency said that the main fuselage, including the cockpit and cabin, along with the forward portion of the tail boom, the horizontal stabilizer finlets and the vertical fin, have been recovered. Investigators also examined two exemplar helicopters.

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The Last Beechcraft Starships

Vintage Aviation News

The Starships lifting surface was positioned aft of the horizontal stabilizer, making stalls unlikely. The Starships lifting surface was positioned aft of the horizontal stabilizer, making stalls unlikely. The forward surface would stall first, causing the nose to dip slightly and preventing the main wing from stalling.

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Mach Number Explained: What It Is and Why Pilots Use It

Pilot Institute

Why do jet pilots talk about speed in terms of Mach number? Why don’t they use Indicated Airspeed just like the pilots who fly slower aircraft? Pilots switch to Mach number at high altitudes to avoid inaccuracies in IAS due to compressibility effects. And why should pilots be wary of Mach 1? Here’s why. Here’s why.

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NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on Holland Accident

Flying Magazine

The preliminary report on the accident that killed aerobatic pilot Rob Holland has been released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Pilot Rob Holland (pictured here in 2015) made history by winning for the seventh consecutive year at the U.S. The show went on as scheduled, with a moment of silence to honor Holland.

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AirCorps Aviation’s Piper L-4H Grasshopper – Winter 2025 Update

Vintage Aviation News

(image via AirCorps Aviation) The larger, freshly painted parts shown here include the brake cylinders (lower left center), brake pedals above them, the vertical stabilizer fairing on the near right center, and the horizontal stabilizers center tube on the far right.

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Today in Aviation History: July 19th First Flight of the Curtiss XP-55 Ascender

Vintage Aviation News

This proposal called for a fighter with superior performance, heavier armament, and improved pilot visibility compared to existing aircraft—and it notably encouraged unconventional designs. In response, Curtiss developed the XP-55 as a radical canard configuration aircraft, featuring a horizontal stabilizer at the nose.