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Doctors in Bonanzas Will we never hear the last of the Doctors/Bonanzas myth (Short Final, Apr. 29)?When the FAA finally set about testing the Bonanza more thoroughly, they found that the v-tails were prone to structural damage. Essentially, the tails had been failing due to high-speed twisting forces through a fault in the basic design. […]

The company had issued a call, asking that employees bring in ancient artifacts of an airline gone by — ours. The company’s museum was expanding. Now that we were almost out of bankruptcy it was time to start spending money irresponsibly again before we forgot how.The museum is a wonderful place, situated in a corner […]

This article originally appeared in IFR Refresher, Mar. 2006. Sometimes as the day grows longer we may become impatient to get home. If we are in an automobile and forget to close a door or discover a fault related to maintenance that was just completed, we can pull over and fix the problem or return […]

Question of the Week: A Toyota Airplane? AVweb wrote (QOTW, Apr. 18): Now that Honda is firmly committed to the general aviation market, it stands to reason that arch-rival Toyota will follow. Which GA market segment would you like to see Toyota enter? One potential answer should be: “None.” Why? If you examine the Japanese […]

Many years ago I flew a turbocharged Beech Bonanza from Wichita, Kan., to Springfield, Mo., and return. The roughly one-hour flight to Springfield was uneventful above a building base of puffy cumulus clouds. I dropped off a passenger at his airplane, the mission for our flight, and took off again for home.On departure the skies […]

Recommend a Video |VOTW Archive AVweb (and you) ride along with Michael Mancuso as he flies his precision formation routine with Matt Chapman. The video includes narration by Mancuso, who briefed us after the show. Don’t see a video screen?Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.If that doesn’t work, click here to download the […]

General aviation faces many challenges at the beginning of the 21st century. There is increased security and airspace regulation as a result of the war on terror. The recession in the ’90s temporarily slowed the progress of general aviation. As a result, the traditional small- to medium-FBO infrastructure is challenged to survive. Part of this […]

Following last month’s item on Hjelcmo Oil’s green developments, I’m delighted to report even more eco-friendly innovation from the east side of the Atlantic. A British-designed and -built, non-combusting, hydrogen fuel-cell is set to power a manned light aircraft. Tests begin in Europe later this year. The cell will power a highly modified, two-seat, Diamond […]

As we pack up and head home from the 33rd Annual Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Florida, let’s take a moment to recap the six exclusive audio interviews we turned into webcasts during the show. Here’s the checklist, in case there are any you’ve missed.

“You can turn a plain window into a plane window,” Flying Colors Glass owner and artisan Gary Elshoff told AVweb this week at the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla. The Grafton, Wis.-based company allows Elshoff to combine his love of aviation with his skills to create custom-designed stained glass to replace an existing […]