Maintenance

A $35 million lawsuit filed against Van’s Aircraft, characterized by Van’s as an attack on the kitplane industry as a whole, was settled by the parties late last year. In a press release issued Wednesday, Van’s said the case was dismissed, which is accurate, though it omitted the reason for the dismissal. Van’s Aircraft told […]

We’ll cut to the chase. The typical basic ground-up IFR avionics upgrade is going to approach, if not exceed, $20,000 (in 2015 dollars). This won’t buy an autopilot or primary flight display, so you’re stuck with steam gauges unless you can spend around $35,000.Sadly, we’ve witnessed enough buyer remorse over the years when owners upgrade […]

NBAA and four businesses have petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals to review the FAA’s deal with the City of Santa Monica to shorten the airport’s runway. Under the deal, the runway would be cut immediately to 3,500 feet from almost 5,000, limiting its use and likely forcing some of the current tenants to immediately […]

Hawker Pacific has solidified its position in Australia with the acquisition of Adagold FBOs in Brisbane and Cairns. Hawker Pacific has operations throughout Australia, the Middle East, Pacific and Asia. The acquisition is a strategic one as opportunities for business aviation expand in Queensland. “The acquisition comes as Queensland gears up for the 2018 Commonwealth […]

In the years since Savvy Aircraft Maintenance Management (SAMM) (see the January 2009 issue of our sister publication Aviation Consumer) brought managed aircraft maintenance from the turbine to the owner-flown piston world, the company’s practice of analyzing the engine monitor data of its clients has resulted in the collection of a massive database. According to […]

Swift Fuels says it’s pushing hard to market its 94UL unleaded aviation fuel to more airports and that the infrastructure is in place to refine and distribute it virtually anywhere in the U.S. At this week’s Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Swift’s Chris D’Acosta told AVweb that UL94 can be burned by about 65 percent […]

EAA and the FAA are building on the STC awarded to EAA allowing installation of experimental Dynon avionics in certified aircraft. EAA’s Sean Elliott spoke with AVweb’s Russ Niles on a Jan. 17 meeting that could set the course for more affordable access to new technology by certified aircraft owners. Duration: 7:30 File Size: 6 […]

Owners of certified aircraft could soon have affordable access to a wide range of cutting-edge technology now reserved for the amateur built market thanks to an emerging joint effort by EAA and the FAA. FAA officials from Washington, Oklahoma City and Chicago went to Oshkosh last week to discuss ways to expand on the success […]

The avionics industry will rise to the challenge of equipping the U.S. aircraft fleet with ADS-B Out by the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline says an industry leader. Ric Peri, the VP of government and industry affairs for the Aircraft Electronics Association, told AVweb in a podcast interview that as demand warrants, the industry will respond […]

It’s probably a journalistic pretense to imply that there’s anything practical about light sport airplanes. Few of them are used for travel and even fewer are flown in the kind of weather that a utilitarian airplane like a Bonanza or Cirrus has to tackle to earn its keep. So in reviewing LSAs, we’re talking about […]