Ownership

Calling it a “new paradigm in aviation propulsion,” test pilot Dick Rutan completed the first flight of the quiet new Graflight V-8 diesel engine from the Mojave airport, on May 2. The engine was installed in a modified Cirrus SR22. The test flight took about 20 minutes, staying at altitudes 5,000 feet and less. The […]

I was looking through the archives the other day to see when we did our first serious coverage of electric aircraft. It was 2009; five years ago this summer. We imagined then that production versions would be trickling to market in a few years. They arent. But thats not to say theres not interesting progress […]

Corporate buyouts, mergers and acquisitions are frequent features on the global business landscape. When one is announced, the press releases babble on about how market synergies and leveraged branding will soon make the customer experience a veritable orgasmic cornucopia of products and services and competitive prices. The reality is that when big companies buy little […]

I hear it consistently, Yeah, Ill do the ADS-B bit later, once there are more boxes to chose from and the price comes down, Ive got lots of time. Maybe not. While the sky is not falling, pilots are notorious for procrastinating when it comes to compliance with regs-ask any AME whether the demand for […]

Finding a reliable and skilled paint shop is a daunting challenge for many aircraft owners. If you’ve had your aircraft painted within the past few years, the editors at Aviation Consumer magazine want to know about your experience. Please take this brief survey, and the staff will report on the results in an upcoming issue […]

Avidyne’s IFD540 navigator has been stalled in certification for a couple of years, but the company said it plans to begin deliveries at the end of June 2014. Aviation Consumer’s Larry Anglisano had a look at the IFD540 during a flight demo at Sun ‘n Fun 2014 and got an update on the project from […]

Our survey of the news of the week uncovered two new releases, Conklin and de Deckers latest Aircraft Cost Evaluator and ASAs upgraded aviation dictionary app, as well as the identity of this years winners of the EAA/Daher-Socata scholarships and details of the first California Pilot Safety Tour. Conklin & de Decker has published the […]

When Cessna introduced the Cardinal in 1968, it was, by the standards of the day, quite leap. Sans the familiar struts of the 172/182 line and with its rakish windshield, the Cardinal could fairly be called sleek. It was large doors that allowed easy access to the both the front and rear seats, the Cardinal […]

Piper chose the Aero show two weeks ago to unveil its new diesel-powered Archer DX for good reason. The work on the conversion was done at Continental/Technifys skunk works at the Altenburg airport, a former East German military base where Thielert did all of the original test flying for its initial certification of the Centurion […]

We Americans like our stuff. We accumulate it madly and take it with us when we go places. We happily buy and jam our highways with SUVs, minivans and gigantic pickup trucks, each able to comfortably swallow several people and their stuff. Yet, when it comes to airplanes, it’s tough to fulfill the deep-seated desire […]