Ownership

The problem with an airplane like that is you can’t really use it for travel,” said a pilot looking out the FBO window at a Cherokee 140 sitting on the ramp. That pilot was saying that an entry-level airplane—think two or four seats, fixed gear and no more than 160 hp—can’t go places. Show me […]

A typical pilot is concerned with aircraft maintenance only to a limited degree. He or she often lacks any ability to perform or approve maintenance at the same time they’re responsible for pre-flight inspections and ensuring the paperwork demonstrates airworthiness. And although the FARs make the owner/operator responsible for ensuring inspections and maintenance have been […]

United Airlines is launching an in-house apprenticeship program designed to help grow its pipeline of aircraft maintenance technicians (AMTs). Called Calibrate, the 36-month program is a “joint effort between United, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and the Federal Aviation Administration.” According to United, Calibrate was designed as a full-time, paid apprenticeship offering both on-the-job […]

Want to start a fight at a gathering of pilots? Just innocently ask, “Hey, what’s the best backcountry airplane?” Go hide. Then come back in 10 minutes and watch the chairs flying.  Backcountry flying and the airplanes designed for it have powerful allure that, combined with the adrenaline factor of STOL operations, often causes any […]

Among the many effects of the supply chain problems in the summer of 2022, aviation discovered that it was having a difficult time functioning without a simple commodity—the oil filter. Lycoming and Continental engines everywhere needed spin-on, disposable oil filters to keep flying, and the supply was extremely limited. KITPLANES research found that Champion had […]

GE Honda Aero Engines (GHAE) has completed ground testing of its HF120 engine using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the company announced at the 2022 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition. The test, which compared engine performance using 100 percent SAF to performance with Jet A/A1, took place at GE’s Peebles Test Operations facility […]

Blackhawk Aerospace has completed baseline flight testing for its new Pilatus PC-12 engine upgrade program, the company announced at the 2022 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). The XP67P Engine+ Upgrade program will replace the PC-12’s stock Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67B engine with a factory-new PT6A-67P, which offers higher internal turbine temperature (ITT) […]

Bombardier has signed a multiyear deal with aviation services company Signature Aviation for the purchase of enough sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to cover all of its flight operations. The agreement was signed at the 2022 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition and is slated to begin on Jan. 1, 2023. It will use the Signature […]

For those with the skill and budget, a Cessna 425 Conquest I may still be one of the least expensive ways to get into the world of turboprop twins. Its direct competitors might be the Piper Cheyenne I, a Beech King Air 90 and even some turboprop singles. And for those with a goal of eventually […]

ATR has received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certificates for its ATR 72 and 42 regional turboprop aircraft outfitted with Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW127XT-M engine. Purpose-built for the ATR turboprops, the engine earned its Transport Canada type certification in August 2022 and was certified by EASA last September. The PW127XT-M is expected to […]