Pilots, aircraft, and the family connection to flight. Collected from the family archive's Hobbies/Aviation category.
154 archive items
Newspaper clipping reporting that Alma Tharp of Folly Beach, South Carolina, qualified for her private pilot license at Carolina Skyways Airport. William S. Scott was president of Carolina Skyways.
Engagement announcement for Alma Edythe Tharp, and William Burnett McDowell Jr., of Shelton, South Carolina. The article notes that both Alma and William were devoted to flying, held private pilot licenses, and were working toward commercial and instructor licenses. She did not show up to the wedding. Her family and everyone else were there. She ran off to Annie Bell's home and hid out there.
Alma Tharp flies to Carolinas Ninety-Nines convention, Spartanburg, S.C, for a two-day annual convention of the Carolinas Chapter of the Ninety-Nines. Alma Tharp flew from Charleston to Spartanburg in her nearly new Ercoupe.
Spartanburg, South Carolina. Newspaper announcement of the annual meeting of the Carolinas Chapter of the Ninety-Nines, the international organization of women pilots. Members were scheduled to gather in Spartanburg for a weekend meeting, including a buffet supper and the chapter's annual business meeting at the Cleveland Hotel. The article lists “Alma Thorpe” of Charleston, apparently a newspaper misspelling of Alma Tharp, along with fellow Charleston pilot Jewell Bailey.
Circa 1948. Alma Tharp, at left, with another woman beside an Ercoupe aircraft. Alma was an active member of the Carolinas Chapter of the Ninety-Nines and a licensed private pilot. A contemporary newspaper account records Alma flying her nearly new Ercoupe from Charleston to Spartanburg for a Carolinas Ninety-Nines convention. Exact date and location of this photograph have not yet been confirmed.
Collection of May 1949 newspaper clippings documenting Alma Tharp's aviation activities and involvement with the Carolinas Chapter of The Ninety-Nines, the international organization of licensed women pilots. A May 21, 1949 News and Courier article records Alma receiving her private pilot license at Carolina Skyways Airport. That same weekend, Alma flew her trim Ercoupe from Charleston to Spartanburg for the Carolinas Chapter's annual meeting. Other clippings identify her alongside fellow women pilots including Jewell Bailey. The chapter meetings included planning for the upcoming All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race, scheduled to begin in San Diego on June 11 and finish in Greenville, South Carolina. Charleston was selected as the race's eastern continental marker, requiring competitors to fly through Charleston before proceeding to Greenville. Dates represented: May 21 and May 25, 1949.
People: Alma Tharp; Jewell Bailey; Kathleen O'Brien Organization: Carolinas Chapter, The Ninety-Nines Event: Quarterly Ninety-Nines meeting / planning for the 1950 All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race ending in Greenville, SC.
March 1, 1950 newspaper article featuring 17-year-old John J. Tharp Jr. of Folly Beach after earning his pilot’s license. The photograph shows his sister, aviatrix Alma Tharp, giving him some last-minute advice before he takes off in the family airplane. The article describes John as the youngest member of the Breakfast Club and notes the family’s strong connection to aviation.
Newspaper coverage of Charleston’s Azalea Festival parade notes Alma Tharp as “Miss Folly Beach,” riding aboard the Folly Beach float with other local representatives. The article is another glimpse into Alma’s life beyond aviation, showing her involvement in Charleston-area social and community events during the early 1950s.
1950 — Charleston, South Carolina. Alma Tharp of Folly Beach attended a quarterly meeting of the Carolinas Chapter of the Ninety-Nines at Charleston Municipal Airport. Members discussed plans for the annual All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race, scheduled to begin in San Diego on June 11 and finish in Greenville, South Carolina, with Charleston serving as the eastern continental marker. The article lists Alma among the Carolinas Ninety-Nines members attending the meeting.
Newspaper clippings and a Carolinas Chapter newsletter document Alma Tharp of Folly Beach, South Carolina, as an active member of The Ninety-Nines, the international organization of licensed women pilots. In 1950, Alma was described as the youngest member of the Southeastern section of the two Carolinas. She and fellow Charleston pilot Jewell Bailey represented the organization at aviation events and conventions, including the Southeastern convention in Brunswick, Georgia, and had previously served as hostesses at the national Ninety-Nines convention in Greenville. The Carolinas Chapter newsletter also identifies Alma as a “99er from Charleston” and reports that she won a prize at an S.C. Breakfast Club meeting at Newberry for flying the greatest distance to attend. Together, the items document Alma's active participation in South Carolina aviation and the organized community of women pilots during 1950. Dates visible on the archive page: May 31, 1950 and September 5, 1950.
Newspaper clipping featuring Alma Tharp of Folly Beach, South Carolina, an aviatrix and member of the Ninety-Nines, the international organization of women pilots. The article notes that Alma was selected as one of the hostesses for the organization’s national convention and was employed by Kerrison’s department store as an assistant buyer in lingerie.
Newspaper announcement of the marriage of Alma Edythe Tharp of Folly Beach, South Carolina, to James Stewart Bell Jr. of Lancaster, South Carolina, on April 28 at Heath Springs. Alma, a graduate of Memminger High School, had been flying for six years, owned her own airplane, and held a private pilot’s license. She was a member of the Charleston Civil Air Patrol and was described as the youngest member in the Carolinas of The Ninety-Nines, an international organization of women pilots. James Stewart Bell Jr., son of Mrs. James S. Bell and the late Mr. Bell of Lancaster, had served four years in the U.S. Marines and was employed at Grace Bleachery in Lancaster, where the couple planned to live.
Newspaper article and group photograph documenting a quarterly meeting of the Carolinas Chapter of the Southeastern Section of The Ninety-Nines, the international organization of licensed women pilots. The gathering was held at Folly Beach, South Carolina, with Alma Tharp of Charleston serving as hostess at her home. The article identifies Alma as a 19-year-old private pilot who had been flying for approximately two and a half years, was working toward her commercial pilot license, and hoped to own a new Cub Cruiser. Members traveled to the meeting from across South and North Carolina, with several arriving by airplane at Carolina Skyways Airport on James Island. The accompanying photograph identifies Alma among the women pilots. Kneeling, left to right: Mrs. Burnette Spencer of High Point, N.C.; Alma Tharp, hostess; and Jewell Bailey of Charleston.
The Lancaster News profile of Alma Edythe Tharp Bell (Mrs. Buster Bell) of Lancaster, South Carolina, describing her extensive involvement in aviation. The article reports that Alma had been flying since age 14, had accumulated approximately 500 flying hours, and at age 24 was teaching her husband, James Stewart “Buster” Bell Jr., to fly in preparation for his pilot’s license. Alma owned an Ercoupe two-seat airplane and was the only Lancaster woman known to belong to The Ninety-Nines, the international organization of licensed women pilots. She had been a member for five years and also belonged to the Civil Air Patrol and the South Carolina Breakfast Club. The article recalls that Alma's father initially objected to her interest in flying but later took lessons himself, obtained his pilot's license, and bought an airplane. At the time of the article, Alma and Buster were living at 407 East Gay Street in Lancaster. Alma worked in the order department of Springs Cotton Mills and continued flying with Buster on weekends.
Newspaper clipping reporting that Marine Major John J. Tharp, husband of the former Shirley L. Snipes of Hyde Park, Lancaster, South Carolina, was serving with the First Marine Aircraft Wing in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The First Marine Aircraft Wing conducted combat and support operations including attacks on enemy forces and installations, troop airlifts, medical evacuations, resupply missions, and close air support for U.S. Marines and allied ground forces. The unit also participated in civic-action projects assisting Vietnamese communities with construction of wells, culverts, bridges, and schools.
Globe newspaper article dated Friday, March 8, 1968, documenting the return of Marine Major John J. Tharp after he was wounded while serving as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. Major Tharp had deployed to Vietnam in March 1967 and served with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron HMM-165 aboard the USS Valley Forge. During a mission supporting Marines at the Huế Citadel, Tharp was piloting a CH-46 helicopter when enemy fire struck the aircraft and a round ricocheted into his leg. Despite being wounded, he turned the controls over to his copilot and was flown to Phu Bai, then evacuated through Cam Ranh Bay and Japan for further treatment. Major Tharp returned to the United States on February 28, 1968, approximately three weeks after being wounded. The accompanying photograph shows his reunion with his wife, Mrs. John J. Tharp, and their children, John Jr., age 7, and Lori, at the Marine Corps Air Facility, New River, North Carolina. The article recounts that before leaving for Vietnam, Tharp had reassured his family that he would return. His son John Jr. reportedly greeted him by saying, “No, Daddy, we just knew you would come home.”
BQ1 is one of those airports that makes a great excuse to go flying. Located in Carthage, North Carolina, the real attraction is that you can land, park the airplane, and walk right over to the BBQ restaurant on the field. It’s a perfect fly-in destination: grab some barbecue, watch airplanes come and go, and then head back home. Sometimes the best reason for a flight is simply BBQ at the end of the runway. BQ1 – Fly in. Eat BBQ. Fly home.
One of aviation’s oldest traditions happens after a student pilot completes their first solo flight. In the early days of flying, instructors often sat behind their students in tandem aircraft. With no radios or intercoms, the instructor would sometimes get the student’s attention by tugging on the back of their shirt. Once the student successfully flew alone, they no longer needed the instructor pulling on their shirttail. So after that first solo, the instructor cuts the tail off the student pilot’s shirt. The shirttail is usually dated and marked with the aircraft, airport, or other details from the flight and kept as a reminder of the accomplishment. For a pilot, that cut shirt represents something much bigger than an old piece of fabric—it marks the first time you took an airplane up, flew it, and brought it safely back down completely on your own. Your first solo is a flight you never forget.
A line of heavy rain was moving toward Lancaster County–McWhirter Field (KLKR), so the traffic pattern was shortened for a power-off landing in the Piper Warrior. The airplane glided through the base leg and a short final while the approaching rain line remained visible about a mile away.
Join Mike and me for a relaxed flight over Lancaster as we practice several go-arounds and put some air over the plane to help dry it out after a wash. The video features both cockpit and wing views, along with plenty of local scenery from the air. '74 Piper Warrior
Flying into Cedar Key, Florida is an adventure all by itself. The small island airport sits right along the Gulf, giving you beautiful views of the water and islands as you come in to land. After tying down the airplane, you can head into town for fresh seafood, cold drinks, and that laid-back Old Florida atmosphere Cedar Key is known for. It’s not about getting somewhere fast—it’s about enjoying the flight, the scenery, and arriving somewhere you probably wouldn't experience the same way by car. Fly in. Eat seafood. Enjoy the island. Fly home.
A quick cockpit view of a steep turn, showing the horizon rotate as the airplane banks through the maneuver before returning to level flight. The video was recorded with a GoPro and edited on an iPad.
A 360-degree cockpit clip from a 1974 Piper PA-28-151 Warrior in which the autopilot interrupted a stall maneuver as the airspeed warning sounded. The video offers a movable view around the cockpit and a reminder to keep watching the airspeed.
KSSI – Fly-In BBQ Sometimes the best flying destinations are the simple ones: an airplane, a runway, and good BBQ. A flight into KSSI – St. Simons Island Airport combines the fun of flying with one of aviation’s favorite traditions—going somewhere just because there’s something good to eat when you get there. Land the airplane, tie it down, grab some BBQ, enjoy St. Simons Island for a while, and then climb back in for the flight home. Because pilots will fly a long way for good BBQ.
A flight departing Little Farmer’s Cay Airport (MYE3) in the Exuma Cays on May 6, 2024. Cockpit views show the turquoise water, small islands, and scenery that make flying in the Bahamas memorable. The aircraft is a 1974 Piper PA-28-151 Warrior.
A scenic flight over the waters and islands of Abaco while arriving at Treasure Cay in the Bahamas. Moisture on the camera lens affected parts of the footage. During the approach, another airplane was positioned near the far end of the runway, and the pilots communicated and coordinated by radio before landing.
Cessna 150, nicknamed "Bug"
In his Cessna 150
Bixby going crazy.
Cockpit view of a partial-flap landing at Lancaster County–McWhirter Field (KLKR) on July 17, 2025, in a 1971 Piper Comanche 260TC.
Interactive 360-degree cockpit footage of landing practice in a 1971 Piper Comanche PA-24-260TC. Viewers can drag the image, use arrow keys, or move a phone in the YouTube app to look around the cockpit during the landings.
A dusk flight from Anson County Airport (KAFP) in North Carolina to Lancaster County–McWhirter Field (KLKR) in South Carolina after a fuel stop. The 1971 Piper Comanche PA-24-260TC encountered a 10–15-knot headwind before flying the RNAV 24 approach into Lancaster; the on-screen gauges and telemetry are based on GPS data.
IFR Flight plan from Nashville back to Lancaster. I think it is a hybrid of the Jools Three Arrivial.
An X-Plane 12 flight-simulator demonstration created for a friend working on instrument training. The video uses a Piper Arrow to fly a DME arc leading into an ILS approach at Ocala International Airport (KOCF) in Florida and is intended as a simulator demonstration rather than a substitute for current charts or flight instruction.
Flying the RNAV 06 instrument approach into Lancaster County–McWhirter Field (KLKR) while completing approaches for IFR currency. This flight took place on April 26, 2026, in Mike Morgan’s Piper Warrior PA-28-151. The cellphone footage was recorded on the spur of the moment and offers a look at a real-world practice instrument approach.
