Aircraft Upgrades

Space Race: Virgin Vs. Blue Origin The “race” between Blue Origin and Virgin seems to come down to sales hype. Branson, the ultimate showman, has the charisma to make his rocket powered shuttlecock look inviting while Bezos’ more mundane capsule has some actual historical experience to draw upon. Only recently has Blue Origin allowed real-time […]

Vertical Aerospace, based in the United Kingdom, has built a full-scale eVTOL technology demonstrator and recently announced the aircraft began flight testing in June. It’s the first of its type to complete a flight test in the U.K. The single-seat aircraft, which weighs about 1600 pounds, is controlled by a remote pilot. It has a […]

Britten-Norman’s BN2T Islander is now type certified by Transport Canada, the company announced this week. The aircraft is powered by two Rolls-Royce B17 turboprops with Hartzell three-bladed props, and the cockpit is equipped with Garmin’s G600TXi avionics. Other upgrades to the classic model include low-drag fairings and an updated interior with ergonomic leather club seats. […]

Responding to recent concerns from environmental groups about potential pollution from supersonic jets, Spike Aerospace says the jet they are working on will “minimize emissions, maximize fuel efficiency and economy, as well as reduce noise around airport zones.” The jet also will have to meet “stringent requirements” set by both the FAA and ICAO. “Our […]

uAvionix announced that it has received Technical Standard Order Authorization (TSOA) for its skyBeacon integrated ADS-B Out solution on Tuesday. The skyBeacon was designed to replace the wingtip navigation or nav/strobe lights found on many aircraft including the Cessna 172 and Piper PA-28. It includes TSOs for the ADS-B, GPS, barometric altitude sensor, position light […]

With its Certified SkyView HDX line, Dynon is seeking to effectively upend the established way of doing business in the world of avionics upgrades. Rather than only building dealer relationships with avionics shops who act as sales agents, Dynon will push the idea of any shop with a qualified A&P/IA installing this equipment. Some readers […]

Engineers from NASA and Boeing have successfully used “shape memory alloys” to fold a full-sized wing section from an F/A-18 Hornet jet, NASA has reported. The technology enabled the team to fold the wing section in the lab 90 degrees, with very precise control enabling them to select any position within that sweep. The ability […]

With a measure to lift the ban on supersonic flight above the U.S. in play in the Senate, a coalition of 38 environmental and health advocacy groups issued a news release this week urging lawmakers to uphold the current restrictions. The new jet designs would burn up to “seven times more fuel per passenger” compared […]

The Dynon Certified HDX retrofit flight display has an STC for installation in Cessna 172 models, but Dynon announced that it is expanding the upgrade to include Beech V35B Bonanza and Piper Seneca aircraft. Looking ahead further into 2019, Dynon is targeting the Cessna 182, Mooney M20, Cirrus SR20 and the Piper PA28 for STC […]

uAvionix says the $1999 tailBeacon is nearly a carbon copy of the wingtip-mounted skyBeacon ADS-B Out system, which is priced at $1849. The repackaged device for mounting on the tail includes both mandate-compliant ADS-B Out and a WAAS GPS (TSO is pending for the end of September 2018, uAvionix said), a pressure altitude sensor and […]