AVweb Insider

Sometimes it seems to me that one of the biggest challenges facing American innovators in the pursuit of practical electric aircraft may simply be how American business works. For a long time now, I’ve been talking to some key U.S. players in this game of private electric aircraft development and one thing seems clear. If […]

This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of JFK, Jr.’s crash off Martha’s Vineyard –not only another embarrassing and public celebrity tragedy in aviation, but a milestone in industry public relations.Saturday morning, July 17, 1999: I clicked on The Weather Channel to hear of “excellent conditions for the JFK, Jr. search.” What? Over to CNN, then […]

Don’t see a video screen?Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.If that doesn’t work, click here to download the video directly. Don’t see a video screen?Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.If that doesn’t work, click here to download the video directly. You know, this space is supposed to offer some kind of […]

Earlier this week, my colleague Mary Grady stirred the pot with her blog on the prospect of technology driven green airplanes. I found it interesting that a discussion like this can’t be compartmentalized to exclude the giant, stinking elephant in the middle of the room: general aviation’s role in and relationship to carbon emissions and […]

Don’t see a video screen?Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.If that doesn’t work, click here to download the video directly. In trying to make sure we provide you with only the most interesting pertinent information, we do have to triage through a lot of junk. And, every now and then, we apparently make […]

It can be tricky sometimes to be both an aviator and an environmentalist, but it’s getting easier all the time. Every week we’re seeing more stories about biofuel research and electric-powered airplanes. The effort to fly Solar Impulse around the world may not deliver practical technology for GA right now, but it wouldn’t surprise me […]

As readers of this blog know, I am no wall flower when it comes to complaining about bad customer service. There’s a lot of it out there, which makes those rare examples of exceptional service stand out all the more. Today’s blog is about one of those.The economics of publishing and aviation being what they […]

One thing that’s most noticeable in the current economy is that everything is negotiable. Customers can expect some wiggle room on prices from businesses they buy from, vendors selling to businesses are becoming ever eager to play let’s make a deal. This is especially true in aviation, where many businesses are struggling mightily to keep […]

Kudos to Lancair International.Here’s a company that is confident in its product, proud of its abilities and honest with anyone who’s interested in what they do.Even when there’s a screwup.Last week, the company flagship Evolution Turbine prototype landed about two feet lower than it normally does. Accidental gear-up landings are always embarrassing and there is […]

When you cover aviation as we do at AVweb, a certain siege mentality sets in. The field is broad, literally and geographically, and as with every other aspect of journalism these days, we work with minimal resources and even less time. So when we venture afield to try a new airplane or shoot a video […]