Ownership

Over they years whenever I’ve had a chance to talk to folks who worked at Beech and Cessna and the other aircraft companies, I always asked them what time frame they designed these single-engine planes and light twins for. Of course they always tend to not want to be specific, probably since they didn’t really […]

FreeFlight Systems will offer an ADS-B-Out system with a price tag of under $2,000. The company will officially launch its Equip-It 2020 packages on April 8, the opening day of this year’s Aircraft Electronics Association Convention in Dallas. Equip-It 2020 will include FreeFlight’s RANGR Lite in two options, ADS-B Out, which will meet the 2020 […]

While it may be a shallow measuring gauge, the most popular indicator of the success of an aircraft refurb is the paint job. A good one can be used to disguise many ills while a bad one can overwhelm the perfection of the new leather interior and top-of-the-line glass panel. So, in the process of […]

Speed matters. Ask any pilot. Frustratingly, speed costs money and lots of speed, as the warbird set says, costs cubic money. In the single-engine piston world, we’d each love to blast across the sky over 230 knots in a Cessna TTX, yet for most, the exchequer doesn’t quite stretch to the nearly three-quarters of a […]

FreeFlight Systems is expanding its line of radar altimeters for rotorcraft, announcing on Wednesday the FRA-5500 system for transport-category helicopters. The system is similar to its RA-4000 series of radar altimeters, certified for Part 29 rotorcraft to comply with equipment mandates related to a 2014 FAA rule that targets helicopter air ambulance operations. FreeFlight says […]

Diamond Aircraft has certified the Continental Diesel CD-155 engine for retrofit in its DA42 fleet, the company said on Monday. The new option is now available in Europe and Canada, with FAA approval still pending. “Including the CD-155 to the type certificate adds a nice upgrade option for current DA42 TDI owners and operators,” said […]

Garmin will soon have helicopter versions of its ADS-B boxes available for installation, unveiling on Thursday the GDL 84H and GDL 88H. The equipment meets the 2020 ADS-B Out mandate while receiving ADS-B In traffic and weather on a mobile device. Garmin expects to receive STC approvals for several helicopter models in the second quarter […]

It seems there’s always a Piper Arrow on the ramp as well as a good selection of them on the used market. Flight schools have long sworn by them as relatively economical complex trainers, and owners report happy relationships with their combination of useful load and range. Through longevity and numbers, it may have replaced […]

Piper’s venerable J-3 Cub and the Aeronca Champion are classic ragwing taildraggers that are becoming popular as LSA choices. In this nose-to-nose comparison, AVweb’s Elaine Kauh and Paul Bertorelli take a close look at both aircraft. view on YouTube

We began our occasional series on aircraft refurbs last month with an article discussing the benefits and costs. There were twin bottom lines: If refurbishing your airplane makes sense for you, the next question becomes selecting a shop to do the work-how do you make the choice? We’re certainly aware of aviation maintenance horror stories, […]