Flight Safety

CubCrafters has taken the unusual step of certifying its X-Cub in the primary category, even though it’s already certified under Part 23. The primary category is a more restrictive regime that requires most of the Part 23 testing and engineering but limits engine type, weight and performance. CubCrafters officials attending Sun ‘n Fun declined to […]

The pilots of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 that crashed on March 10 appear to have inconsistently applied Boeing recommendations to disable the MCAS stall-protection system. But they failed to recover the aircraft for reasons still unclear. The Wall Street Journal, relying on sources who have seen the flight data recorder readout, reported that […]

The Lightspeed Aviation Foundation announced at Sun ‘n Fun 2019 that it will be providing Lightspeed Zulu 3 headsets to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) Ray Aviation Scholarship recipients. According to EAA, the headsets will be awarded to each scholar upon completion of their first solo flight and ground school requirements. “The Lightspeed Aviation Foundation, […]

Piper opened up Sun ‘n Fun with a bang this week when it announced two new aircraft models, the Piper Pilot 100 and 100i. See the details in Kate O’Connor’s news story and video. These are essentially retools to the venerable Piper PA-28 platform, of which Piper has sold about a gazillion. It’s also a […]

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has begun offering new chapter-run flight training scholarships funded by the Ray Foundation. EAA’s Rick Larsen and David Leiting shared the details with AVweb at Sun ‘n Fun 2019. Duration: 7:30 File Size: 6.9 MB download here

The pilot who died in the crash of a Piper Navajo in Madeira, Ohio, had previously snagged a persistent fuel leak in the aircraft but flew it again a week later before the leak had been diagnosed and repaired. It’s not clear from the report whether pilot David Sapp was aware the aircraft had not […]

L3 Commercial Aviation has placed an order with options for up to 240 new Pipers over the next ten years, the company announced at Sun ‘n Fun this year. The new aircraft, a mix of single-engine Archers and twin-engine Seminoles, will be going to “expand and modernize” fleets at the company’s Airline Academy pilot training […]

Adding to the FAA’s look-see into Boeing and an ongoing FBI investigation into the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, the Senate Transportation Committee is launching its own investigation. This time is has to do with whistleblower complaints claiming the FAA improperly trained its safety inspectors to review the MAX 8 design and certification. […]

Emma Hutchinson, a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman, has won the inaugural Richard L. Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots, according to Sporty’s Pilot Shop. The company established the award last year under the banner of its Air Facts Journal, an online resurrection of the publication Richard L. Collins’ father, Leighton, launched in 1938. Midshipman Hutchinson […]

Piper Aircraft announced the addition of a new PA-28-based trainer aircraft on Tuesday at Sun ‘n Fun 2019 in Lakeland, Florida. According to Piper, the VFR-only Pilot 100 and the IFR-capable Pilot 100i version were designed to meet “the need for a new trainer aircraft at a price point that could support the growing demand […]