Ownership

Lamda Guard, a company based in Canada, has developed a thin film filter that could protect pilots from laser strikes when applied to airplane windows. The film is built from an array of nanoparticles. It’s quick to install, long-lasting, and cost-effective compared to other options, the company said. The metamaterial technology can block multiple laser […]

Cirrus markets the new SR20 as a dual-role aircraft – easy to manage for a newer pilot and suitable for business travel. It’s also an airplane that can make for an easier transition to the faster SR22. In this video, Aviation Consumer editor Larry Anglisano, along with Cirrus’ Cliff Allen takes a close look at […]

Velocity Aircraft introduced a twin a couple of years ago, and it’s expanding the engine options and creature comforts. We talked to John Abraham at Flying Aviation Expo in Palm Springs about the program. Editor’s Note: This video has incorrect information in the introduction. The aircraft was designed by Danny Maher, not Burt Rutan as […]

At this week’s Redbird Migration conference, I wrote a short straightnews piece quoting the proposed direct operating costs for an electric trainer of about $5 an hour. That number came from George Bye, whose Aero Electric Aircraft Corp. appears poised to bring an electric-powered trainer to market within…well, it’s on the horizon. A couple of […]

Buying or selling a used general aviation airplane is not fun. A root canal is probably more pleasant. Pilot training does not include education on airplane selection and evaluation, there are no regs on sales standards and no consumer watchdog agency to go after unscrupulous sellers. Sellers often spend hours answering telephone calls from tire […]

With a year and 1,300 hours of operation behind them, Redbird says its converted diesel Skyhawks have delivered bulletproof maintenance reliability and significant savings in direct operating costs. At a short briefing during the company’s fourth annual training conference in San Marcos, Texas, Redbird’s Darren Bien told a small group that thus far, customer response […]

When looking at the Piper Lance/Saratoga, it’s important to remember that all airplanes are compromises. Since most of us lack an unlimited budget, we’re often forced to choose between going fast in a relatively small cockpit or dragging around a larger cabin more slowly. It’s simple, really: The “go-fast” airplane will get us to our […]

AVweb’s weekly foray into all that is going on in aviation revealed news of EASA certification of a new Airbus helicopter, a free ForeFlight manual, the identity of the keynote speaker at Redbird Migration next week and availability of a free insurance review. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified the new EC135 T3/P3 by […]

At NBAA, Nextant showed off a mock-up of its new G90XT King Air C90 remanufacture. The airplane will include GE engines and a Garmin G1000 suite. view on YouTube

We get a steady trickle of press releases from the mash-up of companies that now comprise Textron Aviation-Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker. The other day, we noticed something: the press releases are coming through not with the Textron Aviation moniker but the badges of the individual companies. At the static display on Monday, I noticed the […]