Insurance

AOPA says the FAA is about to approve more liberalization of aircraft certification by relaxing some requirements for GA aircraft. In a story on its website, AOPA says the agency is ready to adopt less stringent standards for software, electromagnetic protection and lightning strike survival for equipment in light aircraft. Current standards apply to all […]

The National Weather Service says straight-line winds, not a tornado, caused millions of dollars in damage at Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe, Kansas, last week. It estimated winds of up to 85 mph were responsible for the damage or destruction of up to nine hangars and 45 aircraft, along with other property. The wind […]

This article started with an email from a reader asking whether a Cessna 150 would be a good floatplane. It morphed from conversations with experienced floatplane pilots about the 150 on floats—okay, but not great—into what makes a good floatplane, what to look for when buying one and what’s involved in putting floats on your […]

Mother Nature hasn’t been particularly kind to general aviation airplanes this year. Not every aircraft owner was able to get away from the winds and flooding of Hurricane Matthew and a lively tornado season did its share of recycling aircraft aluminum into beer cans. The word on the street is that, in most cases, the […]

Let’s begin with the conclusion: American Champion’s decision to add 30 HP to the long-serving, 180-HP Scout, to make what it calls the Denali Scout—created the stud brute of the two-place, backcountry airplane set. It keeps the honest handling and excellent ground manners of the Scout while notching up the climb rate from very good […]

Economists have a name for things that are in daily use despite having been designed multiple decades ago: persistent technology. Biplanes fit the definition, although pilots don’t call them that; they call them fun, an even mix of nostalgia and unique performance characteristics. That more than anything explains why biplanes have been in and out […]

The Socata TB20/21 Trinidad is a stylish and spacious airplane with good performance characteristics and a surprisingly low accident rate. It may not be the fastest airplane to sport a big Lycoming, but on pure style points, it has no equal. When the so-called Caribbean line from Aerospatiale first appeared at the Paris Air Show […]

We’ve watched the evolution of the Diamond DA40 series with interest. Our first reaction to what would become the Diamond Star was to be less than impressed. We thought the canopy was a marketing ploy that would make emergency egress difficult, and the cabin looked small and uncomfortable. Then we flew it. The canopy provided […]

ICON Aircraft CEO Kirk Hawkins says the company is open to changing its controversial buyer’s agreement based on the feedback it’s receiving on the document and “doing what is ultimately right for our owners, the industry and the company.” What exactly that means isn’t clear in the open letter (PDF) sent to aviation media on […]

EAA is worried ICON Aircraft’s controversial and “onerous” buyer’s agreement will affect one of its biggest fundraisers. ICON donated the first production A5 Light Sport amphib to EAA’s Young Eagles program in a highly publicized event at the 2015 AirVenture in Oshkosh. EAA decided to auction the aircraft, which has a sticker price of about […]