Ownership

There is no piece of luggage closer to the heart of any pilot than his or her flight bag. The one I use at work is your basic black, square model with little combination locks on the clasps. It is standard airline issue – something that every airline pilot you see will have some version […]

In the aftermath of Part One of this two-part series on installing and flying with Unison Industries’ Limited Authority Spark Advance Regulator ignition system, or LASAR, for short, many readers wrote me, complimentary and kind, inquisitive about various points and, ultimately, impatient for the appearance of this Part Two. Patience may not be its own […]

I‘m really glad that using the latest version of Unison Industries’ Limited Authority Spark Advance Regulator (LASAR) is far easier than installing it. Through no fault of the Unison’s LASAR hardware itself, a team comprised of one aircraft owner, one experienced IA, and one factory field representative from Unison managed to take six or seven […]

I recently returned from Mobile, Ala., where I spent a full week at the Teledyne Continental Motors factory going through TCM’s Aviation Technician Advanced Training Program (ATATP). I attended the course with AVweb Executive Editor Jeb Burnside (who owns a TCM-powered C33A Debonair) and my good friend Chris Wrather (who owns a TCM-powered V35 Bonanza). […]

The Malibu Mirage has the rare distinction of being in a class by itself. No other plane currently in production can claim to be a six-place cabin-class pressurized piston single. In spite of a complicated history, the aircraft ultimately lives up to its reputation as a full-capability IFR platform providing comfort and reliability in the […]

If Benjamin Braddock paid more attention to his future – and less to Mrs. Robinson- he might today hold an executive position at a young, new airplane company.All Ben, the central character in the classic film, “The Graduate,”had to do was heed that “one word” of advice he received during theopening reel of the movie: […]

Maybe it would be easier to just bury our heads in the sand and ignore the coming aviation-gasoline crisis. This is what I believe most of us in aviation are doing. I am referring to the possibility of the demise of both the aviation and auto gasoline that we currently use in our aircraft. The […]

I‘m often asked to sum up an airplane in one word. The problem is that most airplanes resist such a simple label. As a result, my responses usually trend toward “neat,” “cool” and “fast,” to “impressive,” “heavy” and “demanding” or to “slick,” “nimble” and “comfy.” Of course, these choices explain next to nothing about the […]

In many ways, watching Cirrus Design Corp. evolve into the two-model company it is today felt similar to watching a child mature from adolescence into adulthood. From its roots in the experimental community, Cirrus evolved from a niche airplane-kit maker into an advanced manufacturing firm. From serious airplanes for people with money and building ambitions, […]

Books reviewed for this article: Violation, by Howard Fried Paper; 184 pp; Kindred Spirit Press Inc.; 1999; U.S. $29.95 Flying & Learning: Basics For Every Pilot, by William “Phil” Heitman Paper; 156 pp; Dreamflyer Publications; 1997; U.S. $14.95 TRACON, by Paul McElroy Paper; 493 pp; Japphire Productions LLC, 2000; U.S. $7.50 So, You Want To […]