Ownership

Piper’s Twin Comanche–affectionately known as the Twinkie by many owners–is one of the most efficient twin-engine aircraft ever manufactured, eclipsed only Diamond’s diesel-powered DA42. The Twin Comanche is a popular refurb platform because the airframe performs well and is reasonably priced on the used market. For this month’s refurb of the month, we’ve picked Ron […]

Belite Aircraft has developed an amphibious floatplane that doesn’t require a pilot’s certificate to fly. The single-seat Sealite weighs less than 338 pounds empty and meets FAR 103 requirements for ultralight float-equipped “vehicles,” as the FAA calls them. The Sealite, however, looks every inch an airplane and flew on Tuesday, the 110th anniversary of the […]

In an emerging aircraft refurbishment market, Smithville, Ohio-based Aircraft Sales Inc. stands out with a comprehensive and highly customized rebuild process. In this AVweb video, Aviation Consumer‘s Larry Anglisano presents an inside look at the company’s Pristine Airplane refurbishment process. view on YouTube

Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), testified before a House subcommittee Thursday to promote industry growth through cooperation. Bunce told the subcommittee that the FAA should partner with the industry to streamline the certification process, cutting costs for both the government and manufacturers while increasing safety. Actions should prioritize […]

The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) Wednesday joined the NTSB, AOPA, EAA, the National Air Transportation Association and others in requesting that the FAA reconsider proposed rulemaking regarding ECi cylinders used in Continental engines. ARSA wrote in electronic comments submitted to the FAA that the agency disregarded the most basic requirements for promulgating a regulation, […]

Shells announcement of an unleaded replacement for 100LL last week has drawn lots of attention, deservedly. At this weeks ASTM meeting in Tampa, I spent time buttonholing the worlds fuel experts about what this means for the world of GA. The fuel guys are mostly curious-intensely so-about what formulation Shell has cooked up, but the […]

If you do your own airplane maintenance, that work will include checking spark plugs. Tempest says checks should include resistance measurements and they’ve developed a little gadget to do that. view on YouTube

There will be owners who say they have aircraft batteries that are five or more years old and it still cranks just fine. Chances are they live in a warm climate, dont ever worry about having an alternator failure and have some good luck. Some use proper aviation battery chargers, but probably not. Hopefully, these […]

Does general aviation need new piston engines? Well, sure, it always does, but thats not the same as saying it can sustain new engine designs. Nor does it stop companies from telling the R&D department to push around some ideas. In business in general, we call this progress, while in general aviation, its known as […]

GE is researching whether cold-spray technology can be deployed to build or repair aircraft engine parts and possibly extend the lifespan of those parts (and others) by years or, more optimistically, decades. GE believes that engine parts made by cold-spray processes, also known as 3D painting, will be less expensive to produce and will be […]