briefs

_______COLUMNS The Pilot’s Lounge #73: A Test Pilot’s StoryAs the WWII generation ages, we begin to lose details from the days when flying turned from novelty to a true industry. Among many recent books of dubious value, a gem is found in a self-published memoir by Al White, one of the most self-effacing test pilots […]

Our story about Superior Aircraft Parts’ new engine in the April 16 edition needs some qualification. The Vantage may be the first U.S.-built GA engine to be certified for unleaded automotive fuel but it’s certainly not the first overall. We believe Rotax claimed that title years ago.

There might be a use (besides fire practice) for all those old Boeing 727-100s out there. A Guadalajara, Mexico, company has stripped the wings from one and turned it into a 50-seat luxury limousine. For about $300 an hour, Limousines de Guadalajar Vaca Meters will whisk you and your closest 49 friends around Mexico (a […]

In what can only be described as a last-ditch effort, a Naples, Fla., FBO is appealing to the FAA to grant it the right to sell fuel at the airport (and restore competition on the field). Whether the FAA feels like trying to overrule a court decision that stopped the fuel from flowing at Jet […]

At the far end of the field, near the woods, the little village of Choppertown hosts an assortment of ultralight and experimental rotorcraft. Attracting attention this year was the Monarch-Butterfly kit gyrocopter, with new “g-force” landing gear. The hydraulic gear offers a wide stance for more stable landings, and high energy-absorption that is “friendly to […]

As flying jobs go, Steve Earsom must have one of the best around — as a pilot-biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, he flies out of Puerto Rico in a twin VulcanAir with a big glass nose built for wildlife-watching. “We monitor endangered species like whales, pelicans, and manatees, work airborne ATC to […]

Insulin-dependent pilot Michael Hunter and two other pilots launched from Sun ‘n Fun in a Cirrus SR22 last week in an effort to set a record for the fastest time to land in each of the 48 contiguous states. To beat the record, the team needed to complete the flight in less than five and […]

Bruce Bohannon and his Flyin’ Tiger launched from Lakeland Linder at noon on Saturday and returned to Earth about a half-hour later. “We were aiming at 10 minutes, but we didn’t quite hit that,” he said. “We got 9 minutes and 51 seconds.” That’s time-to-climb to 9,000 meters, or almost 30,000 feet, a new record […]

_______COLUMNS The Savvy Aviator #4: Debunking TBOEngine TBO (time between overhauls) seems to be one of the most misunderstood concepts in aviation maintenance. There are lots of TBO-related old wives tales that are widely believed by owners and mechanic alike, and they can cost owners a great deal of money. Mike Busch endeavors to clear […]

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