AVweb Insider

AVweb Insider offers a curated collection of opinion pieces, personal narratives, and expert analyses that delve into the nuances of aviation. From firsthand pilot experiences to in-depth discussions on industry trends and safety considerations, this section provides readers with thoughtful perspectives that go beyond standard news reporting. Ideal for aviation professionals and enthusiasts seeking deeper insights into the flying world.

Beechcraft Execs Want Bonuses

I try to avoid going through life in a state of being constantly torqued off but being a journalist and all, that’s sometimes difficult. Fortunately, my always-sunny personality sees me through. Still, there are daily tests.One of my e-mail correspondents sent along this news link describing how Hawker Beechcraft executives, having piloted the company into […]

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Lithium-ion For Airplanes: No Thanks

Now that the world is once again swimming in oil and gagged with shale gas, it’s hard to imagine that in 1976, no less an august energy player than Exxon thought the world was running out of oil. So it wanted to get into the next big energy thing, which would be rechargeable lithium batteries […]

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Ash Scattering Done Right

Scattering the ashes of human remains from airplanes is hardly a novel idea. Although aviation people probably think of it more often than the typical man in the street, when the survivors hunt for a way to memorialize their loved ones, airplanes just naturally come to mind. When I was instructing regularly, our flight school […]

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Jordan Gets His Wings

In today’s vlog, Paul Bertorelli talks with his student, Jordan Nations, whose Private Pilot Certificate is less than 24 hours old. Jordan had the rare opportunity to learn flying in both a vintage Piper J-3 Cub and a Cessna 150. Paul and Jordan took a victory lap around the Florida beaches savoring the unique satisfaction […]

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Why So Few Partnerships?

I get a steady stream of e-mail from subscribers complaining about the cost of flying. Imagine that. If there’s a common theme, it’s that “they” have ruined flying with usurious gas prices, unaffordable new airplanes, ever more regulation and…well, pick one complaint from Column A and one from B. The LSA rule was supposed to […]

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China Airborne

When the sale of Cirrus to the Chinese-based China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. closed exactly a year ago, there was much hand wringing in the aviation industry. It was just another example of how the Chinese were relentlessly hollowing out the U.S. industrial base. I was less concerned about that than how this fit […]

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FAA’s LSA Crackdown

So now comes the FAA to crack down on the light sport aircraft industry. (PDF) Just what’s needed. Sales are in the tank, few companies are doing much volume and fewer yet are making any money in this oversaturated market. I’ve written about this before, questioning the reasoning behind the theory that additional regulation will […]

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The FAA Knowledge Test Under Review

Should FAA test questions be published for the public, so students and instructors know what to expect? That’s how it used to be, back when many of us learned to fly, but now a proposal to return to that system from today’s lockbox method is under debate. To publish the questions would encourage students to […]

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Roush Accident Take Away

With AirVenture just weeks away, it’s worth reading over our report on NASCAR owner Jack Roush’s 2010 landing accident at Oshkosh. I discussed this topic in a previous blog, but I think it probably bears repeating before every AirVenture. Roush crashed his Premier jet while aborting a landing try, but stalled the airplane and impacted […]

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What Now For Hawker Beechcraft?

So now what happens with Hawker Beechcraft? This week, we published the company’s three plans for digging itself out of bankruptcy and surviving in one piece. But judging by what I’ve heard from a few people in the industry, it’s going to be a tough slog to pull this off. The company is just not […]

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