Ownership

Seats seven, and bring all the luggage you want in the big compartment on top. There’s even a baggage loading and unloading arm for the lazy among you. Fuel burn? Block to block fuel burn is about the same as an A36 … an amazing MPG for such a big, multi-engine aircraft. If you can […]

PERFORMANCE Takeoff distance, ground roll: 0 ft Takeoff distance over 50-ft obstacle: 0 ft Maximum demonstrated crosswind component: 15 kt Rate of climb (typical ascent profile at 130,000 ft): 132,000 fpm Orbit Altitude: 185 to 643 kilometers (115 to 400 statute miles) Orbit Velocity: 27,875 kph (17,321 mph) Lift-to-drag (glide) ratio — Hypersonic: 1.05 Subsonic: […]

Also see Mike Busch’s previous reviews of LightSPEED’s QFR Solo passive headset and LightSPEED’s top-of-the-line 25XL headset. When I reviewed LightSPEED’s new $150 QFR Solo passive headset in October 2000, I mentioned how much I was looking forward to trying out the soon-to-be-released ANR-enhanced version, the QFR Cross Country, the first under-$300 aviation headset to […]

What’s in a name? Or a label? When it comes toaircraft engines, a simple label — or, more properly, a logbook notation — cancarry an impressive cache that, in reality, may not mean what you think. A casein point is the value a buyer or owner puts on a “zero-time” engine asopposed to a freshly […]

For some years now, companies like Elite and Jeppesen have sold software that can power PC training devices on which students can actually log training time. Microsoft has sold a similar product for entertainment purposes. Well, look out Elite; watch it Jeppesen. Microsoft has upped its game with the issuance of the 2002 version of […]

There are many things that you as an owner cando to extend the life of a prop, regardless of whether it’s made of wood on aCub or a fancy feathering rig on a Navajo. While inspections can be done by youas part of a normal preflight or extended routine inspection, you are limited onwhat you […]

When we’re airplane shopping, not many of us buy new models so we’re stuckmaking our picks from an increasingly older fleet. You’d think that a30-year-old airframe flown a couple of hundred hours a year would be tapped out,but most aren’t. Yet many are corroded almost to the point of being unrepairable.Increasingly, in doing annuals and […]

Part I“Broker-Of-Record Letter” What is it?..Who Requires it?…Should you sign one? Aviation Insurance can be purchased in two ways: (1) from a “direct writing”company where the insured contacts the company direct; or (2) through an independentinsurance agent who represents several companies. Occasionally, an insurance buyer is asked by an independent insurance agent to sign a”BROKER-OF-RECORD […]

It’s very frustrating when your aircraftis damaged at the hands of some other negligent party. Unknown to many pilots, however, are details of the relationship and responsibilities of your aviation insurance policy versus those of the negligent party who damages your aircraft. By looking at some imaginary claims and describing some of the difficulties that […]

Untilthe September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States, war risk insurancewas the most understated and misunderstood insurance coverage written for theaviation industry. Some insurance underwriters did not offer this coverage whileothers included it as an endorsement to the general aviation policy at little orno additional premium. You must admit this is inconsistent, but what […]