Recently in Air shows Category

NBAA show was renamed in 1997 from the Corporation Aircraft Owners Association as it had always been known since its formation in 1947. Flight reported that the new name was said to reflect the safety, efficiency and acceptance of business aviation.

In 1947 it had 19 member companies, 50 years later it had 4,700, and according to the NBAA website it has in excess of 8,000 members.

Here are a few entries I found in the archive...

1971 - NBAA Convention guide

1978 - The Great St Louis Meeting

1988 - Breaking records

1993 - Making history

1997 - Dallas hosts No. 50

1999 - Millennium fever

I'd like to introduce you to Stefan the Pilot. He loves everything to do with aviation and as you can see, he fancies himself as a bit of a lady's man.

He tells me that apart from the ladies, my other loves are travelling about the globe. So much so, he's currently on a whistlestop tour of 2009's Autumn/Winter aviation highlights with his buddies, the Flightglobal team.

While they are busy gathering all the latest news, he gets to do all the fun stuff. In the past he has been seen out with Sir Richard Branson on Virgin Atlantic's "around the world in 8 days" journey and he was also there at the launch of V Australia. He came with Flightglobal's web team to the Paris air show this year and he mingles with with airline CEO's at various conferences and cruises around the biggest aerospace shows.

Follow him on Twitter and watch out for his clues to guess which where he is.

He says: "Correctly guess where I am and you could win some great merchandise like a #wheresstefan t-shirt. This game I'm playing is a bit like "Where's Wally" but I don't wear a red and white stripey hat, and unlike Wally, I'll actually be there."

Don't forget to use #wheresstefan when guessing Stefan the Pilot's location on twitter. 

Stefan is always contactable:

T: www.twitter.com/stefanthepilot

E: stefanthepilot@flightglobal.com

W: www.stefanthepilot.com

PS Check out his own video channel to see him in action with more to come so stay tuned... 

This week marks the centenary of the La Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne held at the current site of the Reims Airbase BA112, according to Flightglobal user Stephen Wolf on 22-29 August 1909.

Flight wrote a pre-show report it in its 14 August issue, in which it said: "The Grand Semaine de Champagne will commence [22 August], and in view of the long list of prominent aviators who have promised to take part in the various contests, this will go down to history as the first great meeting of aeroplanes. Its most prominent event will be the first contest for the Gordon-Bennett Aviation Trophy."

There was to be a race in which competitors must cover two circuits of the 10km course. "The one who covers it in the fastest time wins a £500 trophy for his club and £1000 for himself."

Great Britain was to be represented by Mr. G. B. Cockburn on a Farman biplane, and America by Mr. Glenn Curtiss on a machine of his own design.

In Flight's 28 August issue, its leader piece said: "The Rheims meeting marks an epoch in the history of mechanical aerial locomotion. It is the first occasion on which a wide variety of machines has been brought together, and on which one has been pitted against the other day after day..."

Mr Wolf said: "The joy of flying was captured in the displays, and was a fitting tribute to those brave pioneers of 100 years ago, where every flight was an adventure destined for the record books.....

"I hope this centenary will get a mention on the FlightGlobal website, particularly as there are some great articles on the event in the annals of Flight."

Pictures of the Rheims 1909 aviators

Flightglobal-ers were invited to the Preview Day at this year's Biggin Hill Air Show - one of the UK's big calendar events for air display fans.

Flightglobal's Defence Editor, Craig Hoyle spoke to David "Monty" Montenegro who flies with the Red Arrows display team as Red 3; and Jamie Hunter, aviation photographer and reporter.