Father’s Day is Sunday and it can be tough to try to buy for the dad who has everything. But since the man gave you everything, you’ll want to find him the perfect gift. Instead of another tie he won’t wear or another gadget he won’t use, why not really wow him this year? Get him his own private jet! The bizav industry is full of private jet options that are perfect for dad.
Here are 10 reasons you should buy dad his own jet this year:
- Easy to travel to see his grandkids. He won’t have to find a cheap flight or enough time to drive across the country. Now he can jump in his plane and see his grandkids whenever he wants!
- He bought you your first car, so it’s only fair that you buy him his first jet.
- He can visit all the places he’s talked about seeing all these years. He can jet around to Wrigley Field, the Grand Canyon, and Disneyland and still make it home for the weekend.
- He won’t have to worry about baggage overage fees for his tackle box, golf clubs, and hunting gear like he would on a commercial flight.
- You know he’ll get you awesome souvenirs from his travels, so you’re winning in this deal, too.
- Remember when he got you that pony you always wanted when you were 7? This is the perfect way to pay him back.
- The guy is worn out from teaching you all those sweet football moves, and he deserves to travel in luxury.
- When he falls asleep during the flight, his snoring won’t disturb other passengers (just the crew).
- Great bragging rights to his buddies. Oh, their kids got them a juicer? His kid got him a jet. He wins.
- He deserves it. He’s been an awesome dad, and you’d do anything to pay him back for everything he’s done for you.
Private and corporate jets are a great way to get more done in your personal and professional life. If you are ready to get Dad a jet for Father’s Day, we’ll help you find the right one. But if you aren’t ready to make that purchase for dad, don’t worry. We know he’ll love you no matter what (even if you do get him another tie).
In the U.S., we celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 12. What a terrific time to remember some of the adventurous female aviators! These women in aviation pioneered the field before women even had the right to vote. Amelia Earhart is a household name in aviation, but many women before her paved the way for her famous solo Atlantic flight.
Here are just a few of the influential women in aviation history:
Raymonde de Laroche
Born in Paris, Laroche originally pursued a stage career before falling in love with flying during a flight demonstration by Wilbur Wright. She went on to become the first woman in the world to earn her pilot’s license in 1910 at the age of 24. Laroche suffered serious injuries after a crash, but didn’t let it keep her out of the sky. She went on to train to become the first female test pilot.
Harriet Quimby
Harriet’s job as a reporter in New York City brought her in contact with a flight instructor, who Harriet asked to give her flying lessons. She showed a knack for flying, especially at a time when most learning was done through experimentation in the air. Harriet became the first American woman to earn her pilot’s license, and she also became the first woman to fly across the English Channel. The accomplishment earned her the title of “America’s First Lady of the Air.”
Bessie Coleman
Bessie was working as a manicurist in Chicago when she first heard stories from the pilots returning from WWI. When she was unable to get into flight training because she was an African-American woman, she traveled to France to train as a pilot. In 1921, she was not only the first black woman to gain her pilot’s license—she was also the first ever American to gain an international pilot’s license. She joined the exhibition circuit as a stunt flyer, hoping to make enough money to start her own school for aspiring black pilots. Bessie didn’t live long enough to make that dream come true, but she did inspire generations of pilots after her.
These few examples show us that women have been in aviation for a long time. They’ve helped pave the path for both men and women in aviation today, from the pilots of commercial aircraft to those in a private jet. To learn more about women in aviation, check out the terrific resources on Women in Aviation International’s website, including their list of 100 most influential women aviators.
Yesterday was May Day, but it might have escaped your notice. May Day is less popular in the United States than it is in Europe, where larger celebrations take place in Germany and England. The holiday started in pre-Christian times as a welcome to the summer season and the midpoint of the year. Revelers celebrate by dancing around the May Pole and anonymously delivering small baskets of sweets and treats to their neighbors’ doorsteps.
If you’re a pilot or private jet owner, you’re probably more familiar with another kind of may day: the distress call primarily used over ship and aircraft radio communications. The phrase originated in 1923 when a senior radio officer was asked to think of a code word to use to express distress. The mayday call comes from the French “vener m’aidez,” which means “come help me.”
The mayday call should be repeated three times over the radio so it is clearly heard over noise: Mayday Mayday Mayday! The call can be used by pilots on a commercial flight as well as on a corporate jet, but making a false mayday call can carry a penalty in the U.S. of up to a $250,000 fine and six years of imprisonment.
Another well-known distress signal is the SOS call. The SOS letters have been said to mean “save our ship,” “save our souls,” or “sink or swim.” In fact, none of these are true. The SOS signal was chosen because it‘s easy to remember and communicate over Morse code: three dots, three dashes, and three dots. The signal was agreed upon at a 1906 conference and became the official Morse code distress signal in 1908.
Ideally your May Day was filled with candy and celebrations, not distress calls! Now you have some aviation trivia to share at your next hangar party or on your next flight.
If the U.S. aviation sector wants to continue its path of innovation, it needs to attract young people to the field. Without fresh minds, the industry may find itself in a drought of talent in coming years. Many people are concerned that young people today are too removed from aviation – that they don’t have any direct access to planes or contact with pilots. Most young people’s only experience with flight is a commercial airline trip every once in a while.
But there are certainly places where adolescents gain exposure to the field of aviation. One shining example is at a high school in League City, Texas. Students at Clear Spring High School have been working together to build an airplane from the ground up. They have deciphered complex instructions to construct a shiny, super-light aircraft.
On the other side of the country, a teenager in New Jersey completed his first solo flight on the same day he received his learner’s permit to drive a car. While most students his age are worrying about denting Mom’s SUV, Josh Eichel understands what it takes to take off and land an airplane without any one else on board.
Down under, Ryan Campbell is gearing up for the flight of his life. The young Australian pilot is planning to leave in July 2013 to fly around the world. This 25-stop, 15-country tour will make 19-year-old Campbell the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world.
Perhaps you have a youngster in your life who you think would be excited to get involved in aviation. Throughout the U.S., the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has volunteer pilots that take kids on flights. The Young Eagle program was started in 1992, and it encourages young people to learn how to fly an airplane. AOPA research discovered that participants in the Young Eagles program are more likely to become pilots. Find a participating pilot in your area.
Keep up the great work, kiddos!
Wondering what to get that person who has everything? Here are a few ideas for those people in your life who love to fly.
For kids of all ages, the World Record Paper Airplane Book by Jeff Lammers and Ken Blackburn is sure to please. It’s revised and updated and includes tons of pull-out pages to fold into planes. This book has directions for many models, like the Valkyrie, Hammerhead, and Pterodactyl. You can test the designs and keep track of their successes with the flight log and pull-out runway.
Sharp dressers use cufflinks, and these Classic Spitfire Plane Cufflinks will dress up any occasion.
A pilot’s jacket is the perfect gift for people who love to fly. This Classic USAAF Pilot Jacket is lightweight and stays true to the original model worn by pilots in World War II.
Sometimes it may be slightly chilly onboard the corporate jet. These luxurious Capri cashmere throws from Aiko Luxury Linens will keep you warm and comfortable throughout the flight.
Have someone in your life who works to fly? Give them these airplane paper clips to keep the dream alive during those long workdays.
And of course, everybody needs a Santa tie for the holidays. How about this necktie picturing Santa in a vintage biplane?
This list should get you started. There is something for every aviation enthusiast on your list this year!
Kids of all ages are starting to get excited about Santa’s annual trip around the world. Santa Claus and his reindeer will launch the Santa One sleigh on Dec. 24 to stop at every good boy and girl’s house throughout the world to deliver a gift. This has been going on for 160 centuries.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) explains: “Long before the Wright brothers flew the first airplane or the Montgolfier brothers launched the first hot air balloon, Santa had to find a way to travel from house to house at great speed. We know from our Santa Cam images that Santa’s choice for quick transportation was a herd of flying reindeer.”
Technology is catching up to Santa, though. In 1955, NORAD started following Santa’s every move on Christmas Eve and answering phone calls and requests for updates of Santa’s progress. In 1998, NORAD launched the NORAD Tracks Santa website, so people from all over the world have access to Santa’s progress in real time. The good people at NORAD in Colorado Springs, Colo., volunteer their time each year to monitor Santa in four ways: radar, satellites, Santa Cams, and fighter jets.
A couple of years ago, we suggested that perhaps the time has come for Santa Claus to upgrade to a corporate jet. This assertion is based on improved standards for both comfort and safety. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintains that air traffic controllers can watch for Santa One thanks to retrofitting Rudolph’s red nose with state-of-the-art avionics and the implementation of NextGen.
This year, the FAA is suggesting that Santa consider a new approach to his annual journey: pre-shipping the gifts to airports all over the world and picking them up from there. This would help Santa One use less fuel because it would carry a lighter load, and NextGen capabilities allow for more direct descents and takeoffs, which will also conserve fuel. You can follow Santa’s Story every day in December.
It’s Thanksgiving here in the U.S. — a day we set aside to appreciate all that we have, watch football, and eat a huge feast. While regional differences do exist, the typical Thanksgiving meal consists of mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, wild rice, yams, green bean casserole, fresh rolls, and of course … turkey.
Because I’m a fan of flying, the upcoming holiday made me wonder if turkeys can fly. They have wings, right? They just don’t seem flightworthy.
Obviously, having wings doesn’t mean something can fly. Look at ostriches or penguins. And domestic turkeys, sadly, cannot fly; they’re just too heavy. Wild turkeys, however, can take flight, contrary to popular myth.
Turkey Flight Facts
- They roost in trees, so they fly up to their nests. This protects them from predators.
- They can reach top flight speeds of 55 m.p.h.
- Although they can fly, turkeys prefer to stay on the ground.
Have you ever seen a wild turkey glide through the sky, high above? They do live in every one of the 48 contiguous states, so it’s definitely possible to see turkeys, no matter where you live in the U.S. However, turkeys don’t really glide when they fly. They take off straight up, more like a helicopter than an airplane. And if they do fly laterally, turkeys stay close to the ground.
This Thanksgiving, enjoy your turkey and your holiday! Now you have a little turkey trivia for the kids’ table!
James Bond fever is setting in. Oct. 5 marked the 50th anniversary of the movie franchise, and Bond fans are counting down to the premiere of Skyfall, the newest addition to the 007 collection. The movie opens Nov. 9 in the U.S.
The James Bond series has so many iconic features: gorgeous Bond girls, Aston Martins, shaken Martinis, imaginative gadgets, and, of course, sweet jets!
In 2008, the Smithsonian’s Air and Space magazine reviewed all of the aircraft in the until-then 22 Bond movies. They came up with more than 150 both real and fictional aircraft. That’s about six per movie! (This list does include Connery’s experimental jet pack from 1965’s Thunderball.)
The aircraft in 007 movies generally have some noteworthy characteristic:
- Goldfinger’s private jet, a Lockheed JetStar, in Goldfinger had peepholes into the lavatory so the crew could keep tabs on the occupant.
- Bond flew in the world’s smallest jet, the Bede BD-5J in Octopussy.
- In Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig as James Bond flies to Austria in a Bombardier Challenger 605.This jet was owned by Ocean Sky, and its involvement in the film was valued around €600,000.
Hopefully, Skyfall will feature some scintillating scenes in the air. In the trailer, I saw a helicopter, trains, motorcycles, sailboat, and a beautiful Aston Martin DB5. With a name like Skyfall, we can only assume some cutting-edge aircraft will appear. However, if Bond starts drinking Heineken instead of Martinis, anything is possible.
I was actually kind of surprised at how many search results came up for “very best airport food.” Considering myself somewhat of a foodie, I felt like I’d missed the boat. But then I looked a little closer and realized that all of these sites are talking about major airports. Yeah, so what? How hard is it to pull off sushi in San Francisco or Chik-Fil-A in Atlanta? Chain restaurants were not what I had in mind.
I wanted to find out about the hidden gems in the small, more rural airports spread throughout the U.S. Like Charlie’s Restaurant at Bolingbrook’s Clow International Airport, where you can eat Charlie’s Garbage Omelet and watch planes and helicopters take off.
Or the Southern Flyer Diner in Brenham, Texas. The waitresses wear poodle skirts, and the burgers and malts are homemade. It’s always a good sign when locals drive to the airport for the food! Sweet tea and fried pickles, anyone?
Of course, $100 Hamburger is considered the authority on fly-in food. But restaurants change quickly, and this book hasn’t been updated since 2006. Where to look? If you’re in the Midwest, Charlie Ventura reviews airport restaurants near there. In fact, I’d like to try some chile rellenos at Mi Tierra in the Griffith airport, just south of Gary, Indiana.
I’m hungry! Tell us about your favorite airport restaurant!
Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end to summer, is here. Perhaps you’re tired of the cocktails of summer — Gin and Tonic, Mint Julep, and Margarita — but you aren’t quite ready to turn to the Manhattans and neat scotches typical of the long nights of fall and winter.
The Aviation is the perfect cocktail for aviation enthusiasts looking for a new drink for this long, relaxing Labor Day weekend. This pre-Prohibition cocktail was invented by Hugo Ensslin in New York City in 1911, but the Aviation didn’t appear in print until his 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks.
Nobody really knows how the cocktail got its name. Some say it was an homage to the growing popularity of aviation at the time. Others claim that the blue hue of the drink serves as a reminder of the friendly skies. Blogger palatejack offers a different explanation for the name: “With its faint robin-egg blue color, it is a cocktail that evokes the jeopardy between the perils of early flight and the wonder of a bird’s eye view.”
While it has never been as popular as other classic cocktails, like the Martini, Sidecar, or Tom Collins, it’s unique and delicious. If you’re looking for a classy, distinctive cocktail for your party or jet this weekend, try an Aviation.
Here’s the original recipe:
Aviation
- 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 ounce maraschino liqueur
- 1/6 ounce crème de violette
- Maraschino cherry for garnish
Combine liquid ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake until cold, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
