April 2008

“We Own the Night”…But Not For Much Longer
Pacific Wings’ UK correspondent, Peter Cooper, visited Holloman Air Force Base on the eve of the F-117A’s retirement from active service. He profiles the aircraft and says farewell to a true modern classic.

Lords of the Cub—a Personal Account of the Journey to a PPL in the Cub
A long family association with the much-loved type led to Trevor Lord’s decision to learn to fly in a Piper Cub. Fifty years after his first Cub flight with his father in 1958, he obtained his PPL through Canterbury Aero Club in their Cub, ZK-BNL. Trevor Lord tells his story.

Head in the Clouds. Part 2—First Officer
In her first article, Natalie Bos summarised her story of her journey to command an airliner. This article details the first stage of that journey—the occasionally rocky road to the co-pilot’s seat of her first turboprop job.

The Good Old Days? The Formative Days of an Airline Pilot
Sixty years ago, an airline pilot’s job was very different from what it is today. Bill Rainbow describes how he began his airline career in de Havilland Dominies crossing Cook Strait, operating to and from the notorious Rongotai airfield.

Recovery From Unusual Attitudes—Is It Possible?
Pat Scotter is a well-known name in New Zealand aviation. Beginning as an engineer, he retired from Air New Zealand as a Boeing 747 Captain. He now operates a maintenance facility at Rangiora. Pat shares his well-qualified views on the “wrong stuff” in aviation.