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Aviat Aircraft has improved its standard of short field heavy hauling utility — the Aviat Husky will soon (June-ish) be available with a 200-hp engine behind a composite prop. It also has longer span (but still) semi-Fowler slotted flaps that give an extra 300-fpm down when circumstance or desires conspire and will roll better (50-percent […]

Four Winds Aircraft (craftsmanship required), the NewGlasair (craftsmanship required) company, and Canadian Foundair (the company has been around since 1996 and you can buy its FAR 23 certified product, finished) are all offering aircraft designed to get you from here to some remote paradise in high-winged piston powered glory. The Four Winds kit mates a […]

Exploring The Flying SUV… While petroleum pundits forecast $3.00 per gallon at the pumps, headlines claim demand and immediate gratification have outpaced production of hybrid autos (used models are selling for more than spots on a waiting list). In aviation, we have fuel-sipping and generally less-expensive to operate LSA aircraft spilling over the horizon — […]

Klapmeier said he believes Cirrus aircraft are safe but he also acknowledged that the full airplane parachute might give pilots the confidence to fly in conditions that would otherwise keep them on the ground. However, he said, the same could be said for any number of other safety innovations like TAWS or cockpit weather and […]

Klapmeier said the whole training system needs to be revamped and new pilots should be trained to fly the aircraft they intend to fly in the real world. “I think the SR22 should be a training aircraft,” he said. “I think we should stop talking about getting your license and start talking about learning how […]

GA Needs To Be More Friendly General aviation needs to be less intimidating, more accessible and stop shooting itself in the foot to help fuel the growth needed to return it to strength according to the CEO of a company that’s defied convention on the way to becoming the second largest builder of single-engine piston […]

General aviation advocacy groups are growing weary of the TSA revolving door. “We need consistent and steady leadership by the individuals that shape our fragile flight environment,” said AOPA President Phil Boyer. Each new leader needs to be convinced that GA aircraft are not a threat and educated about the nature and needs of small […]

Stone To Leave After Brief Term Admiral David M. Stone, the third person to head the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the three years of its (somewhat rocky) existence, announced Friday he will step down in June. Officials were mum on the reasons for the departure and plans for a successor. The move could reflect […]

Plenty of the established certified airplane manufacturers and kitplane companies will be in Lakeland this week also, with new aircraft to show and product updates to boast about. Aviat Aircraft is bringing several new Huskies, showing off the recently STC’d weight-saving MT propeller and a newly modified aileron/flap combination. Lancair President Bing Lantis will announce […]

Among the S-LSAs expected to be on display are the Flight Design CT, an all-composite, high-wing airplane built in Germany and sold in the U.S. by Flight Design of Connecticut. Two Evektor SportStars, a low-wing, all-metal airplane from the Czech Republic, will be there, the ink still wet on their airworthiness certificates. Sport Aircraft International, […]