Ownership

Although the venerable GE 4509 remains the most popular landing light, LED and HID technology are proving popular alternatives for many owners. In this video, AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli compares the technologies. view on YouTube

Engine overhauls give even the most experienced aircraft owners a case of the willies. Beyond the “it’s going to be really expensive,” there are numerous issues to face and decisions to make—choosing a shop; deciding on the type of overhaul, or a factory reman, and what to do about the engine accessories are some that […]

It wasn’t long ago that an entry-level, two-axis autopilot was priced around 10 grand—including installation. Today, that price is double. Add some options and the bottom line could soar toward $30,000. These big proposals have many owners repairing older autopilots. But as service parts for older systems become obsolete, repair costs are high, downtime is […]

Occupational hazards come in all shapes and sizes: Nuclear technicians have to worry about ionizing radiation; Amtrak engineers, we’ve just learned, have to dodge cinderblocks hurled at their heads. For journalists—and consumers of news, I hasten to add—the risk is being spun up like a dime-store top with so many incomplete facts, half truths and […]

The FAA says if airlines get a break on the timing of ADS-B compliance, it won’t spread to GA. In a statement issued to AVweb late Thursday, the agency confirmed it’s considering an application from Airlines for America (A4A) to allow an extra five years for full compliance by the operators of up to 6,000 […]

The FAA may be considering some kind of extension on the 2020 deadline for equipage with ADS-B-Out but it’s not been confirmed by the FAA whether it’s in fact being considered and what form it might take. If some relief is in the works, it will be at the request of the airlines. Aviation Week […]

The Super Legend HP, the new top-of-the-line model for American Legend’s stable of Cub aircraft, now is available with a 180-hp Titan O-340 engine, the company said on Tuesday. The engine expands the Cub’s performance, producing a ground roll on takeoff of 35 feet and climbout at 2,000 feet per minute. Distance to clear a […]

Cessna’s admission this week that it now has no definite timeline for its diesel 182 JT-A invites speculation. Or maybe I’m the only one who can’t resist asking what’s going on in Wichita. Earlier this week, we got an email from a reader trying to snag some hangar space at Independence, Kansas, where Cessna builds […]

Pawing back through the archives, I can confidently declare that 2002 was the summer of the VLJ—the very light jet. Some were practically swooning over the notion of sub-$1 million jets and there was a thundering herd of them, led by the rock star of VLJs, the Eclipse. During a round of interviewing that year […]

Is nosewheel shimmy bugging you? It’s a continuing problem for many aircraft owners. With the following, we offer suggestions to minimize the effects of, or even solve this annoying problem. In order to correct nose wheel shimmy problems we must understand what causes the nose wheel to shimmy in the first place. Without getting too […]