I met Mary Grady at the 2011 Sun ‘n Fun Flyin in Lakeland, Florida. After that, she and I swapped tips and leads for articles. Her work at AVweb and for Belvoir Publications was professional and polished – always. I’m using AVweb’s tribute to her, especially since it shows her many facets. She will be missed. Dean Sigler Mary Grady, one of AVweb’s longest-serving, most dedicated and respected contributing editors, died at her home in Warwick, Rhode Island, on March 12 after a long illness. Mary was one of the founding members of the internet experiment that became AVweb and continued as a key staff writer until her health challenges prompted a leave of absence earlier this year. She worked for AVweb for 20 years and wrote thousands of articles. To the best of anyone’s recollection she never missed a deadline. “Mary had a quiet strength in her professional skills, but also in the way she carried herself,” said Tim Cole, AVweb’s editorial director. “When deadlines loomed or …
Kitty Hawk Flyer Shows Improvements, Limits Continue
Kitty Hawk Flyer, the Larry Page-backed “sky taxi,” seems like a great summer escape machine. One can learn to fly it in about an hour, but it will remain low and slow enough to give the thrill of flight without inordinate dangers. That’s the marketing pitch from Kitty Hawk, and it’s not a bad one. Imagine going to a beach or lake with dozens of these fluttering about over the water’s surface. It’s the same kind of lure driving go-karts on a miniature race course has for vacationers. Safety is obviously a factor for a machine meant for amateur use. John Lyon explains this in the Robb Report: “The zero-emissions Flyer is completely powered by electricity, and its propellers all operate independently, meaning that if there is a problem with one or more propellers, the entire vehicle won’t come crashing down. That said, even if it did, the aircraft is only meant for flying over water and only flies between …