Maintenance

Canada’s National Research Council is doing independent ground testing of two alternatives to 100LL avgas that are undergoing tests by the FAA. The Canadian organization is comparing the performance of Swift Fuels’ and Shell’s lead-free aviation fuels to regular avgas in an altitude chamber that allows it to replicate flight conditions in the controlled environment […]

Rockwell Collins has significantly broadened its customer base with the $6.3 billion acquisition of B/E Aerospace. The iconic avionics and electronics maker is now in the cabin completion business but the two worlds are not that far apart. B/E is a Florida-based supplier of business jet cabin fittings from galleys to lavs. All those things […]

NavWorx says it expects agreement in “two to three weeks” with the FAA on the qualification of some of its ADS-B products for the $500 rebate the agency is offering early adopters of the technology. Aircraft operators who get the gear installed before next Sept. 19 or when 20,000 applications have been received (whichever comes […]

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 […]

The FAA is demanding proof from the city of Santa Monica that it will be able to legally and safely provide aviation services at Santa Monica Airport now that it has evicted the FBO and flight school on the field. The agency has subpoenaed the city to provide all the relevant documentation (certificates, ratings and […]

NavWorx says it is working to resolve an issue with the FAA, which is refusing to process $500 rebate reservations for two models of transceivers the company makes. The agency is telling those who bought ADS600-B 200-0012 and 0013 models that they don’t qualify for the rebate because they are not fully in compliance with […]

The FAA’s long-awaited ADS-B rebate program is now online, and despite a few first-day glitches with the system early Monday morning that were quickly smoothed out, it’s been getting plenty of takers. “We’re up to 1,360 applicants as of the end of the day on Tuesday,” David Gray, the FAA’s program manager for ADS-B, told […]

The FAA said on Tuesday it will launch its ADS-B $500 rebate program next Monday, Sept. 19. The program will fund 20,0000 rebates, available on a first-come, first-served basis. “We promised that we would help aircraft owners equip with ADS-B, and I am pleased to say that today we are honoring that commitment and we […]

All Nippon Airways is modifying or replacing all 100 engines on its fleet of 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners because the turbine blades are corroding and cracking. ANA, the launch customer for the 787, chose Rolls Royce engines and as the engines accumulate hours the blade problems have been getting worse. CNN reported the issue has […]

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 […]