Features

My Fleeting But Memorable Fling With The AN-225 My then-young son Peter and I were attending the Paris Air Show in 1989. We were walking down a fence line in the parking lot abutting runway 03. It was a plane spotter’s paradise. Everything on short final was passing overhead and touching down a few dozen […]

Most existing round-gauge airplanes have instrument panels that simply weren’t designed for big-screen displays. That means your shop will likely be tasked with cutting a new metal panel to make it all fit. And even if your proposed upgrade doesn’t require lots of cutting, an avionics project is the opportunity to upgrade the panel’s aesthetics […]

A while back we were transitioning Omaha’s airspace, and heard the following: Omaha: “American 123, climb and maintain 10,000, one zero thousand.” American 123: “One zero thousand. Your timing was stupendous, I was just picking up the mic to ask for higher.” Omaha: “Actually, the clearance just came in from Center.” After several unrelated calls, […]

Though often overshadowed by its big-brother SR22, Cirrus’ SR20 is a reasonable airplane for newer pilots, or for those looking to later step up to the faster SR22. Pick your engine and avionics. Earlier models have Avidyne suites and later ones have Garmin’s G1000. In 2017, Cirrus re-engined the six-cylinder Continental-powered aircraft with a four-cylinder […]

Radar, whether we’re talking air traffic control, thunderstorm detection, navigation, or even air combat, is a technology that has shaped the history of flight in countless ways. The word “radar” is an acronym (RAdio Detection And Ranging) and was coined in 1939 by the United States Army Signal Corps as it worked on these systems […]

The takeoff and departure flight phase can be one of the more risky among instrument procedures, especially at night in IMC. On one hand, the pilot is abruptly transitioning from a presumably well-lit runway and airport environment to flying on instruments near terrain. On another hand, the airplane may not be up to the task, […]

Plane Swap Gone Half Bad; FAA Not Amused Back when aviation was nascent and exploring boundaries there could be some acceptance of the dare devil, the showman, because just getting up in one was seen as a risk. It can also be noted that even if filmed, the number of people who (1) watched it […]

Rounding out our Classic Aircraft Showcase, this final installment displays seven more beautiful vintage airplanes owned and loved by AVweb readers. You can find the first two parts at Classic Aircraft Showcase: Part 1 and Classic Aircraft Showcase: Part 2. 1940 Ryan STM 2 I found this Ryan STM 2 in the weeds behind the […]

When you write about kitbuilt airplanes, every now and then a unique opportunity pops up. I recently heard a rumor that after 30 years in the aircraft manufacturing business, Darryl Murphy had sold Murphy Aircraft Manufacturing LTD and was now able to spend time fishing the lakes around Vancouver, British Columbia, with one of his […]

A VFR Saturday morning this past December was a good time to exercise my Mooney 201. I decided to visit York, Pennsylvania, (KTHV) since it was close to my home base and I never had the pleasure of visiting there before. About 10 miles out I made my first call. Me: “York, Mooney 10 miles […]