Ownership

Reuters has reported that the U.S. Treasury will release guidance by the end of this week on the issue of subsidies for using corn-based ethanol for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Producers of corn-based ethanol fuel see aviation applications as one of the few pathways for growing their industry with the expanding of electric vehicles stemming […]

A report published yesterday (Dec. 12) by Alaska Public Media notes that the state’s legislators are pushing back on the recent EPA endangerment finding on leaded aviation gasoline. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan have filed a resolution to reverse the EPA finding. Murkowski said, “This EPA decision could have a deeply negative impact on […]

After an extensive trial, the University of North Dakota’s flight school has dropped Swift UL94 fuel and resumed use of 100LL. The school said ongoing maintenance monitoring of aircraft using UL94—almost exclusively Lycoming-powered Piper Archers and Seminoles—resulted in measurable exhaust valve recession. The school made the switch back to 100LL on Oct. 27. Partly because […]

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) posted in its Oct. 31 newsletter that President and CEO Curt Castagna, who is also president and CEO of Aeroplex Group Partners, has taken over co-chair duties at the industry-government Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) initiative. He replaces Mark Baker, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. […]

The EPA is expected to formally issue an endangerment finding on leaded aviation fuel as early as Wednesday. In response, the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) initiative will be briefing the aviation media Wednesday on what life might be like in the wake of the finding. An endangerment finding gets the ball rolling on […]

Rolls-Royce says it has run a modified version of a standard jet engine at takeoff power using hydrogen for fuel. The company said it’s a key accomplishment in developing future carbon-free designs that can power future aircraft. “This involved overcoming significant engineering challenges as hydrogen burns far hotter and more rapidly than kerosene,” Rolls-Royce said. […]

Diamond Aircraft said one of its DA42-VI light twins recently flew for the first time using sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, at the Bremen Airport (EDDW) in Germany. The company reports that the airplane, which is part of the training fleet of the European Flight Academy—an operation under Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT)—flew circuits around the […]

Aircraft audio system pioneer PS Engineering is doing what a good avionics manufacturer should do to survive in the current chip-shortage supply chain, and that’s tweak an already good product to save component supply. The way we see it, the PMA450C—priced $300 less than the flagship PMA450B—is a win for dealers and customers. In an […]

A deterrent for using supplemental oxygen—especially in tight cabins—is having to deal with the hardware, including the bottle and oxygen lines strung every which way. Aithre, which has been cranking out decent portable solutions, has developed a hard-mounted system called the AVI C. I took a look at the system at AirVenture 2022 where it was […]

During routine inspections, good technicians dig deep into the airframe looking for structural cracks. And if you’re doing even a causal preflight walkaround it’s not uncommon to find cracks around cowlings, windows and fairings. None of them should be ignored. Surface cracking doesn’t usually mean a cowling or control surface will come apart, but it’s […]