Features

Did You Do That Safety Wiring? Several years ago when I bought my airplane, my then mechanic told me that if I was going to do any work on the plane I needed to get a pair of safety wire pliers. So, when the Snap-On tool guy came around the mechanic led me to his […]

These days, I seem to be associated mostly with metal airplanes, RVs in particular. Just take a look at that byline down there—I have been flying my RV-8 since 2005, the RV-3 was finished late in 2011, and it doesn’t even mention the RV-6 my wife brought to the marriage. (We fly together on trips […]

By LeRoy Cook If you’re looking for a light, fun-flying airplane, you’ll almost certainly want to consider the Kitfox. This iconic little taildragger has been around since 1984, when the original versions were introduced as a step-up from the Part 103 ultralight “vehicles” whose popularity had already begun to fade by the mid 1980s. Providing […]

A while ago I had the following exchange with Kansas City Center as I first checked in. Me: “Kansas City Center, Conquest 425 Delta Delta, at 5000 feet, looking at the weather ahead.” Center: “425 Delta Delta climb and maintain 15,000. Salina altimeter 29.90.” Me: “15,000, 29.90. Request current heading for 15 miles for weather. […]

AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the […]

Pipistrel Earns First Electric Aircraft Type Certificate Congratulations to Pipistrel on achieving the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) qualification from EASA for the Velis Electro in much of Europe (the EU). They have worked hard to achieve this electric aircraft milestone and are a true pioneer in advancing this important technology. Well done. George B. The […]

Sure as the BRS Save‑O’‑The‑Month calendar flips to a new year, we here at the Department of Self‑Righteous Finger Pointing present the best of the dumbest ways pilots have contributed to keeping the skies safe by rendering as many aircraft as possible unairworthy. Today, we review the year 2016, which reflected a modest improvement in […]

Before Chicago’s O’Hare airport joined the rest of ICAO in the early 90s by identifying all their taxiways with alphanumeric designations, they used local street names and cute references for various taxiways and surface features. They had Wolf Road, North‑South, Stub, and Cargo taxiways, and a Penalty Box (holding area). Suffering from an often‑severe winter […]

AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the […]

The Future Will Be A Little Late This Year Loss of the brain—mouth connection is certainly embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as loss of the brain—pilot connection. Even though he had probably never heard of Socrates, one of my favorite old flight instructors frequently employed the Socratic method in the airplane as a way to […]