Ownership

Having survived a crash, it’s easy to recommend shoulder harness upgrades in aircraft that still sport old-school lap belts. Without a shoulder belt, I’m convinced my flailing noggin would have smacked a panel full of new Garmin avionics—and it wouldn’t have been pretty. But taking that safety net one step further are airbag seatbelts, which […]

Engines, exhaust systems, propellers, cabin vents and aging door and window seals are just a handful of sources that can make the typical aircraft cabin a miserable place to spend hours on end. It’s also a path to irreversible hearing damage. How do you know if your cabin is too noisy? Fly in a comparably […]

Eager to get pilots and aircraft owners to try the new Parmetheus G3 landing light, WAT (who you may know better as Whelen) has introduced a trade-in and trade-up program that offers a rebate of as much as $70 toward the new G3. The program includes both PAR-36 and PAR-46 lights in 14-volt or 28-volt versions from […]

Let’s see—we’ve got avgas in the tanks and air containing oxygen all around us. Somehow that air and avgas have to combine in a roughly 15 to 1 ratio—by weight—in the engine’s cylinders. Then they can do their suck, squeeze, bang and blow thing to make the prop go whirling around. Enter the humble carburetor, […]

One way to tell if a pilot is serious about his responsibility to conduct a thorough preflight is if he looks at a propeller, notes that it’s still attached and walks right by it to the other wing’s fuel drains. Even if it’s a relatively simple all-metal, one-piece, fixed-pitch affair, things can go wrong with […]

Pratt & Whitney Canada announced last week that its engines have now logged one billion flying hours since the company was founded in 1928. According to Pratt & Whitney, it has produced more than 110,000 engines to date with over 66,000 currently in service. The company makes products for segments including business aviation, general aviation, […]

Idaho-based aerospace lighting company AeroLEDs announced on Monday that it has added a new landing light series to its lineup. A 75-watt version of the company’s SunSpot line, the SunSpot 36-4000 lights were designed as drop-in replacements for legacy 4509 and 4591 bulbs. According to the company, the SunSpot 36-4509 and 36-4591 offer more than […]

The FAA has at least temporarily stopped its investigation into whether Santa Clara County in California is violating its grants agreement by refusing to sell leaded gasoline at county-owned Reid Hillview and San Martin Airport. In exchange, the county has agreed to consider taking part in a study into the transition process from leaded to […]

Moving up out of a Baron or even a Bonanza, buyers might eyeball the Beech Duke. A step below the King Air, this good-looking pressurized piston twin impresses with its business airplane passenger cabin. Powered by Lycoming TIO-541 engines, a stock Duke isn’t a runway star, but it moves along once it’s flying. With major […]

Yes, we’ve heard all of the disparaging remarks: Magnetos have been around since there was dirt; they’re the trailing edge of technology and general aviation would proceed into broad, sunlit uplands if mags were to be consigned to the scrap heap and replaced with electronic ignition.  Nevertheless, while we think that electronic ignition is great […]