Features

My next-door hangar neighbor, GlaStar builder and KITPLANES web manager, Omar Filipovic, had already cast his steely gaze upon the Titan IO-340 hanging from my GlaStar’s nose. A few days before “the event,” I had mechanic friend Will Steenrod pop over to provide another set of eyes. His expertise involves cars and motorcycles—as a factory-trained […]

While the Star Wars movie series has ended (spanning 42 years), it is alive and well at the Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport (KATL) on the JEDII TWO ARRIVAL (RNAV). There are up to 11 Star Wars movies, depending on how you count. The original movie (1977) was Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (NEW […]

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 […]

Crash Videos: Horror For The Click “Myriad unpredictable variables legislate against unyielding rules applied ahead of the fact.” Absolutely correct. As many have already pointed out, depends on airplane make and model, weight, wind, altitude, location, current pilot proficiency, the pilot’s ability to recognize and accept an engine failure/emergency, process with a fast enough reaction […]

One of the most common places Experimental airplane owners look for performance improvements is the propeller, and many homebuilts go through several props in their lifetime. This is not surprising as propeller design, like many aspects of aircraft design, is an exercise in tradeoffs, but prop design in particular is a black art to many. There […]

Experienced aircraft builders know that completing a homebuilt is all about a multitude of small steps eventually resulting in a flyable airplane. That concept is doubly true where metal aircraft are concerned: Each stage rewards patience and repetition. With that in mind, our sister publication KITPLANES has launched a 20-part video series that takes potential […]

This happened a few years ago, in the pre‑pandemic world. I was chugging along in my Piper Dakota from North Central Arkansas heading toward the busy Dallas‑Fort Worth airspace on a Friday afternoon. Fort Worth Center was talking fast, directing the arriving airline traffic, dealing with a few military training flights and a couple of […]

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 […]

Already Had My Electric Airplane, Thank You Eventually pilots flying piston aircraft will be like pilots flying taildraggers now. Some will respect the extra skill required, while many will be puzzled why people still bother with old technology when there is the magic of one switch, one handle, electric flight. My goal is to be […]

Some—perhaps even many—pilots of Experimental aircraft never operate their artfully homebuilt aircraft on any runway surface not considered “improved,” meaning asphalt or concrete. That’s certainly fine, and a lot may never desire to do so either. But that doesn’t mean they can’t. With some common sense, proper planning and following the right procedures, many homebuilts […]