features_old

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are scheduled for integration into the national airspace system (NAS) in 2015, spurring job growth and a forecast economic impact of $13.6 billion by 2019. But while the growing industry will be adding to the overall workforce, the segment might also be changing the employment landscape for people seeking professional pilot […]

Handling in-flight electrical failures requires knowing the affected systems and where good weather is. Radio silence: that’s what most pilots say got their attention and made them realize they had encountered an in-flight electrical failure. Too bad, because by the time the radios no longer worked, odds are that your electrical system had sucked all […]

Each week, we run a sampling of the letters received to our editorial inbox here in AVmail. One letter that’s particularly relevant, informative, or otherwise compelling will headline this section as our “Letter of the Week,” and we’ll send the author an official AVweb baseball cap as a “thank you” for interacting with us (and […]

Tecnam USA CEO Phil Solomon thinks he sees the beginnings of a problem for general aviation, and we may all be a part of it. Solomon believes he’s watching a transformation take place in aviation. It’s starting at the grass roots level and extending all the way to the FAA. And each level plays off […]

Like every other aircraft manufacturer, Tecnam has heard complaints about the high cost of new airplanes and its Tecnam North America arm has developed new programs to attack the problem. According to Tecnam North America’s Phil Solomon, one new program would offer an affordable five-year lease on the company’s basic-priced Echo Classic Light light sport […]

With new aircraft prices closer to the million dollar mark than not, many would-be owners pass on purchases not because they can’t afford it, but because they can’t justify the large investment for minimal yearly usage. At least that’s the theory behind DiamondShare, an innovative marketing plan developed by Diamond dealer John Armstrong. He told […]

Wounded military veterans — even those with wounds that aren’t visible — get far less attention than they deserve and their families get even less. Jack Howell, a retired Marine colonel, is actively doing something about that. He’s established a non-profit called Teens-N-Flight whose sole goal is to offer cost-free flight training to the children […]

The weather in Lakeland wasn’t perfect every day during Sun ‘n Fun — Friday was blustery, keeping most aircraft on the ground, and a few clouds and showers passed by — but it was close, with temperatures in the breezy 80s and no tornadoes or mud-storms, and on Sunday morning CEO John Leenhouts was enthused […]

As everyone packs up and prepares to head home from Sun ‘n Fun, we serve up a few last photos snapped during AVweb contributor Mariano Rosales’s air-to-air sessions yesterday. Special thanks to Mariano for all the great shots this week. Be sure to check out more of his work at 12OClockLevel.com. This image gallery requires […]

We can’t think of many high-performance retractable kits on the market these days — really any — but that’s where a Brazilian company called Wega wants to go with its products. The company made a surprise appearance at Sun ‘n Fun with a pair of Wega 180s whose performance (and looks) are real head-turners. These […]