Maintenance

No matter how you slice it, aircraft ownership is expensive. Required inspections, airworthiness directive compliance and regular replacement of wear items can gang up on us to make the total cost of ownership a somewhat breathtaking experience. There are almost as many ways to manage these expenses as there are people flying, but one consistent […]

Airlines are employing tactics used by professional sports teams to find and attract new talent for their businesses, according to a South Carolina technical college. While the pilot shortage tends to hog the headlines, an equally crippling deficit of maintenance techs is forcing airlines to be much more proactive in keeping their hangars humming, according […]

McFarlane Aviation, which provides a host of replacement parts for Cessna aircraft, has released Service Bulletin SB-10, Revision A, warning that there might be “material defects” in the extruded-aluminum hinges the company sells for Cessna ailerons. These defects could lead to cracking of the hinge. McFarlane says the hinges were produced between Feb. 22, 2019, […]

The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Apprenticeship has approved an avionics technician apprenticeship program created by the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA). AEA’s program provides a competency-based occupational framework (CBOF) and covers “job titles and occupational pathways, related functions and performance criteria, as well as academic, workplace and personal competencies.” The […]

The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) and ten other aviation organizations have come out in opposition of a recently introduced bill aimed at increasing FAA oversight of repair stations located outside of the United States. The Safe Aircraft Maintenance Standards Act (H.R. 5119) was introduced by U.S. House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman […]

Phillips 66’s new Victory AW 20W-50 oil combines the multi-viscosity, ashless-dispersant oil pilots are familiar with (as Phillips X/C) with the Lycoming LW-16702 additive. Previously, only Shell offered a multi-weight oil with the additive already in place. “Our product development is the direct result of pilot requests for a multi-grade engine oil that requires no […]

California-based Ampaire reports that it flew its electric hybrid aircraft this week for the first time and plans an aggressive test program toward commercialization in 2021. The hybrid drive is installed in a Cessna 337 airframe. The company flew the airplane from Camarillo, California, on Thursday, but has offered little detail on the flight parameters […]

The FAA’s FAASTeam published a safety notification this week echoing concerns outlined by the American Bonanza Society in January. The intention was to ensure all Bonanza owners were aware of the potential problem.  In short, ABS reported that control cables were failing at the swaged ends where they meet with adjusting turnbuckles. These turnbuckles can […]

A young Canadian inventor has come up with what he says is a low-cost flight data recorder for light aircraft that requires no special installation. Ephraim Nowak, 26, says the video-based SkyVU system doesn’t need to be wired into the aircraft’s panel and systems. Instead, it uses 4K video cameras to record gauges on the […]

This week, AVweb’s news roundup uncovered reports of an aviation safety day to be held in New York, a Father’s Day celebration at a helicopter museum, new service routes in New England, a sales territory expansion for Cutter Aviation and the relocation of H.E.R.O.S. The 4th Annual Westchester Aviation Association’s (WAA) General Aviation safety conference […]