Features

By Ron Wanttaja This story originally appeared in our sister publication KITPLANES. There’s only one thing wrong with “homebuilt” (Experimental/Amateur-Built) aircraft: They take so gosh-darn long to build. But a lot of people have found the ultimate “quickbuild” alternative: They buy homebuilts that are already flying. No rivets to pound, no burned clothing from welding […]

Air Traffic Controllers can be very diplomatic in nudging us toward use of proper phraseology. I overheard this recently transiting NorCal airspace: Controller: “Coast Guard 123, traffic 11 o’clock, westbound, altitude indicates 3500 feet.” Coast Guard 123: “NorCal, Coast Guard 123, we have eyeballs on traffic.” (Pause) Controller: “Sorry, Coast Guard 123, I missed that. […]

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 […]

Of Mice And Men Who Hate Them My solution to the rodent problem: 1. Own taildraggers only for personal airplanes, 2. Store the airplane with the tailwheel on top of a 2-foot-tall overturned plastic bucket, 3. Fly the airplane regularly. If 1 and 2 don’t keep mice away, 1 will at least give you a […]

The idea behind the light sport aircraft rule was to stimulate new designs at affordable prices. “Affordable” is arguable, but the new designs are out there in such volume that few models have been able to rise above the noise as standouts. The latest effort comes from a new company called Texas Aircraft with a […]

I recently heard this exchange between ATC and a Southwest flight. SWA: “Any shortcuts today would be appreciated.” ATC: “Unless you want a personal escort by the U.S. Air Force, I will be unable.” Stephen P. Bobko‑Hillenaar Alpine, WY

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 […]

Common Sense vs. E-Everything My impression is that nearly all discussions of electric propulsion omit the fundamental problems of physics that limit the whole enterprise: the energy density of batteries. Of the three obstacles standing in the way of electric propulsion (energy storage, efficient electric motors, motor controllers) two have been solved. Small, lightweight, three-phase […]

Thunderstorms are the nemesis of general aviation. We can’t penetrate them nor fly over them. Fortunately, we have several sophisticated tools at our disposal to help in the preflight planning to make that all important go/no go decision before we head into the murk. Their sophistication is remarkable, and we need to choose those that […]

Editor’s Note: Lycoming has changed its on-site program after author Paul Dye took the course in 2016. “We combined the historical classroom and hands on portions; it is now a hybrid of the two in one fast paced, weeklong class. Students will have the opportunity to talk about the parts in the classroom and handle […]