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Michael Combs and the Flight for the Human Spirit continue to make their way West this week, completing stops in New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona.

The Boeing B-29 bomber "Fifi" successfully got back in the air August 5 and was ready for a glamorous concert tour in Denver this month with Aaron Tippin, but won't be able to make it.

Two indicators of tough times in the aerospace industry recently come from Hawker Beechcraft in Wichita, Kan. Property held since World War II was sold, and union talks on job locations start anew.

Orientation flights - more than 4,100 of them over the past 19 years - have earned national recognition for a flight instructor and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel. Bill Powley, of Unicoi, Tenn., conducted most of those flights himself, flying a rented Cessna 172, and initially paid all the costs out of his own pocket.

Experts from all sectors of general aviation joined state leaders Aug. 10 at the West Virginia Aviation Conference to discuss critical issues affecting aviation statewide. AOPA Vice President of Airports and State Advocacy Greg Pecoraro discussed the many ways states can encourage or damage the aviation industry through taxation, airport policies, and access restrictions.

Imagine it is 1944. Four radial engines growl as your giant Pan American Boeing 314 flying boat makes its way from San Francisco to Hawaii. Twelve crew members are required for the 16-hour flight - 18.5 hours if the winds are bad. You're the first officer - or, at least, one of them.

One of the more unusual exhibits on this year's exhibit floor at AOPA Aviation Summit in the Long Beach Convention Center is the "airplane that drives" - the Terrafugia Transition. The concept-to-reality design will be on display for you to view up close.

Customs and Border Protection announced enhancements to its Electronic Advance Passenger Information System (eAPIS) on Aug. 10. Pilots can now save up to 10 manifests indefinitely, and eAPIS will automatically save the latest five manifests for 30 days.

Former Boeing CEO Phil Condit has joined the board of advisors for light sport aircraft manufacturer Icon as it continues development of a two-seat seaplane.

Honeywell’s new FMS 6.1 software upgrade has been approved by the FAA for installation in approximately 600 older business jets, including the Falcon 900B, Hawker 800XP, and Challenger 601.

Flight schools in California could get a stay from the California Private Postsecondary Act of 2009, a law that has had unintended consequences. Assembly Bill 1140, which would give flight schools 12 months to comply with the postsecondary act, passed the Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee by a vote of 6 to 1 Aug. 9.

Visitors arriving by general aviation to the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky., Sept. 25 through Oct. 10 will be greeted at Blue Grass Airport by a new crosswind runway and a new GA terminal.

A DeHavilland DHC-3T crashed Aug. 9 near Dillingham, Alaska, killing former Sen. Ted Stevens. EADS North America CEO and former NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and his son, Kevin, were onboard and survived the accident, according to a company statement. Five of the nine people onboard, including pilot Theron "Terry" Smith, were killed. NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman traveled to Alaska with a team of investigators.

Paul Bonhomme won the 2010 Red Bull Air Race season, earning the most points during an international series that was shortened by two races. American Kirby Chambliss took fourth place while Mike Goulian came in ninth.

Chris O'Callaghan's interests and curiosity ranged as broadly as the panoramic vistas he took in from the cockpits of racing gliders he flew in record-setting flights across the United States. Astronomy and physics, literature and theater, business and technology - all were part of the repertoire for O'Callaghan, AOPA vice president of eMedia, who was killed Aug. 4 in a midair collision at the Soaring Society of America's national contest in Uvalde, Texas.

Total general aviation airplane shipments fell 9.8 percent in the first half of the year, from 1,039 units in 2009 to 937 units this year, according to figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

Thermal plumes from a proposed power plant less than three miles from Byron Municipal Airport may pose a hazard to pilots, AOPA told the airport land use commission July 29.

An Air Force proposal for reconfiguring the special-use airspace over Shaw Air Force Base would largely address concerns raised by airspace users after an earlier draft, AOPA told the agency in comments.

With aerobatics overhead and aircraft, products, and pilots on every side, the Learn to Fly Discovery Center on AeroShell Square at EAA AirVenture was an ideal spot to launch prospective pilots into training.