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Those attending this week’s Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla., can catch a glimpse of Cessna’s possible future. The Wichita-based airplane manufacturer is displaying its Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) and Next Generation Piston (NGP) “proof-of-concept” airplanes at the show, though a white picket fence prevents attendees from getting too close to the NGP prototype. […]

Aviat Aircraft says FAA approval is imminent for a 200-lb. increase in gross weight for its popular Husky bush planes. The extra weight required beefing up landing gear and changing the angle of incidence for the horizontal stabilizer, but the extra utility it will bring is considerable. A full 192 lbs. of the weight increase […]

Cirrus introduced its third-generation SR22 at a media conference at Sun ‘n Fun on Tuesday. There are three of the new models on display at the company’s sprawling booth at Lakeland Linder Airport, Fla. The new aircraft, under development for about a year, doesn’t appear much different from earlier models, but CEO Alan Klapmeier told […]

They were the last of the pressurized, piston, 400-series airplanes Cessna developed, and pilots and mechanics will tell you that Cessna got it right with the Models 414 and 414A. Combining spacious cabins and relatively small, efficient engines, the 414 series can carry lots of fuel or a small crowd with their belongings-but not both. […]

One person was killed when an unidentified light plane crashed just east of the arrival runway at Lakeland Linder Airport Monday. It hasn’t been confirmed, but it seems likely the aircraft was on final for one of the two parallel runways recovering aircraft attending the annual fly-in. The sole-occupant pilot of the plane hasn’t been […]

The latest U.S.-built entry in the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) market, called American Flyer, is being launched this week at the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla. The aircraft is built by Mountain Aircraft, of Nampa, Idaho, but will be marketed in North America by Sportsplanes.com. The aircraft is not yet in production a […]

Embraer trucked in its Phenom 300 mock-up to this week’s Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla. According to the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, visitors will be able to experience the “premium comfort, space and luxury” of a full-scale mock-up of the companys light business jet at booth SNF-5. “We are thrilled to participate, once again, […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, Feb. 2005. The NTSB has several (too many, actually …) categories it uses to classify aviation incidents and accidents. Among them is the catch-all phrase “improper IFR,” which the Board usually uses to describe a pilot executing procedures you won’t find in the Aeronautical Information Manual. But there […]

This article originally appeared in IFR magazine, Jan. 2005. Gather ’round, boys and girls. It’s time for your annual smug fix, wherein we harvest the perplexing and peculiar from a year’s worth of NTSB accident reports.For the new folks who haven’t trod this well-worn path with us before, a bit of preamble. None of these […]

The Cessna 340 had just leveled off at its requested cruising altitude of FL240 when all of a sudden the left engine started running rough. The engine was rough enough to really get the attention of the airplane’s seasoned owner-pilot.Being a maintenance-savvy sort, the pilot attempted to troubleshoot the problem. His first thought was that […]