Aviation History at Warrenton from Mary Dominiak
These days, when we drive, we barely give a thought to figuring out how we’re going to get where we’re going; we just program our GPS. Some of us still like to have physical maps to back up the satellite navigation service, especially in remote areas with spotty service, but GPS has become our primary navigation aid. Pilots still need to give it more thought, but GPS entered their tool bag beginning in 1994 and has now become the dominant navigation aid. Back in the early days of aviation, however, navigation was a huge challenge. There were no maps designed for pilots; the first airmail pilotsfollowed the “iron compass” – railroad tracks – to find their way from city to
Bomber Tour & Dance at KHWY from Mary Dominiak
Are you jonesing for the power and grace of a B-17? Do you want to marvel at a twin-engine WWII B-25 bomber being louder on board than a four-engine B-17? I have good news for you! No, our beautiful B-17 Aluminum Overcast isn’t coming; she’s still down for more repair work. And EAA’s B-25 Berlin Express is staying close to home in Wisconsin and Illinois this summer. But the Commemorative Air Force’s Airbase Arizona is bringing their “Flying Legends of Victory” tour to Warrenton-Fauquier Airport June 9-14, 2026, featuring rides and ground tours on their lovely B-17G Sentimental Journey and B-25J Maid in the Shade. If you want to book rides or learn more about their schedule on site, their
Ray Aviation Scholarship from Bob Prange
We have chosen Rori Ross as our Ch 186 Ray Scholar for 2026 and EAA recently approved our selection. Rori has been on several Young Eagles flights and has been volunteering on the ground crew at our Young Eagles rallies. She soloed at the USAF Aim High Academy, a three week introductory flight academy. Rori is now taking flight instruction at Elevation Aviation on the east side of the field at Manassas. She will graduate this June and plans to attend Oklahoma State University’s aviation program. The Ray Scholarship pays $12,000 toward the flight training costs of obtaining a Private Pilot Certificate. Note that total costs will most likely exceed $12,000. It is funded in three installments: $4,800 up front,
Young Eagles Academy from Bob Prange
For the 2026 Air Academy we have spent our credits available to help with the tuition for two campers that are going in June and July. One is going to the Explore Camp Session 1 in late June and one is going to Session 2 in early July. The EAA Air Academy offers away-from-home aviation themed camps. For 2026 there were two separate camps: Explore Aviation Camp and Navigating Horizons Camp for either of two age groups, 14 to 15 and 16 to 18. The information (dates, course content, ages, tuition costs) for the 2026 camps is available at https://www.eaa.org/eaa/youth/eaa-aviation-and-flight-summer-camps and the info for the 2027 camps and on-line registration will be posted there in September 2026. Parents: Info for
Young Eagles from Bob Prange
The May 9 Young Eagles rally at Warrenton Airport was canceled. We had 30 kids plus 15 on the waitlist but the pilot/aircraft list shrank in the days leading up to the event to the point that we could not have held a successful rally. Pilots: In an effort to push the total of Young Eagles flown to 2.5 million kids, EAA has announced Mission 2.5 where Young Eagle Pilots have an incentive to fly 25 kids between 10/1/2025 to 7/31/2026. Any volunteer pilot that rises to the challenge and flies 25 Young Eagles or more from October 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026, will be issued a limited-edition commemorative hat courtesy of Sporty’s. Below are our current totals through
Membership Gathering, tomorrow, 5/23!!!
Saturday May 23 Member Gathering1000 Guest SpeakerCoffee and Doughnuts at 0920 Please join us Saturday. This month our speaker is Phil Soucy. Phil is a retired Air Force Officer and former SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO). Phil is a graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School as well as the Air Force Fighter Weapons School. He is also a docent at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. Phil is Co-Founder and Chairman of MTSI, an Alexandria VA based Aerospace Engineering company. He is an aircraft owner and general aviation pilot. His presentation will be about the SR-71 and his experiences flying the world’s fastest aircraft. The presentation will also talk about the technical attributes of the
Young Eagle Rally for 5/9 Cancelled!
Due to a handful of aircraft cancellations, our 5/9 Young Eagles rally has been cancelled. Please join us for our next Young Eagles rally on June 13 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm in Manassas. Registration for the event begins June 1.