Diamond Aircraft acquired by Chinese Wanfeng Auto Holdings Group
Diamond Aircraft Industries has been acquired by Wanfeng Aviation Industry Co., Ltd. Wanfeng Auto Holdings Group is a global company with more than 60 subsidiaries. Wanfeng Auto Holdings Group employs over 12,000 employees in six industrial sectors and is amongst the Chinese Private Enterprises Top 500 (#123) and China Auto Industry Top 30 (#18). Mr. Christian Dries, former CEO of Diamond Aircraft said: “Diamond is my life’s work. In...
Once in a while we allow some of the inmates at FTN Towers to climb on to their soap box and get something off their chest. Normal service will be resumed in the next issue…
I, Robert A week can be a long time in politics, a lifetime in Silicon Valley, but rarely a significant period of time in the aerospace industry. Sometimes, however, there are exceptions. Around mid-November an e-mail pinged into the inbox at FTN Towers with an announcement from Airbus that they are setting up a new Airbus China Innovation Centre in Shenzhen, widely considered to be the ‘Silicon Valley’ of China (it says here). The...
Liz Inwood Taildragger Scholarship receives £1,500 donation
The Liz Inwood scholarship was set up by the Vintage Aircraft Club (VAC) and the Inwood estate to give young pilots the opportunity to take their PPL flying a little further and convert from flying nose wheel aircraft to vintage taildragger types. Established in memory of Liz Inwood, Tiger Moth pilot and instructor, this year the scholarship was awarded to twenty-five year old Ben Pilgrim who had already shown his enthusiasm for...
Hong Kong Scholars gain PPLs in Scotland
Two scholarship winners from Hong Kong have received their ‘wings’ after travelling to Scotland for flying lessons. Huen Siu Ming (Felix), aged 22, and 23 year old Ng Man Tsun (Jason) have completed Tayside Aviation’s 45-hour, six-week programme to attain their Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL). Tayside Aviation train around 16 Hong Kong students each year and the two students are now likely to pursue their commercial pilot’s licence...
Why do we do it? By Darragh Owens
Complying with rules and checklists is a good idea, but we must understand the reasons why they are there In a flying club I instructed in some years ago I was taxiing out towards the runway one afternoon with a PPL student I hadn’t previously met, Chris. As we trundled along, a glance at the windsock told him which way the wind was blowing. Seeing that we were experiencing a head wind coming from the right, he moved the controls...
