Ownership

Blackhawk Modifications has announced that its subsidiary, Vector-Hawk Aerospace, will be offering the company’s Blackhawk XP67A Engine+ Upgrade STC kit for the Beechcraft King Air 350ER. The kit is aimed at special mission applications and was recently approved by the FAA for aircraft at up to 17,500 pounds maximum allowable takeoff weight. Blackhawk is offering […]

As the FAA’s leaded avgas replacement effort grinds to a temporary halt, General Aviation Modifications Inc. says it’s close to completing testing on its own 100-octane unleaded fuel. GAMI sidestepped the FAA’s Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative in favor of a more streamlined STC approval process that’s now within a few steps of being completed. GAMI’s […]

At around $180,000, the 2018 Flight Design CTLSi is about as modern as any LSA on the market, with a Rotax 912iS Sport engine, a three-display Dynon glass cockpit, a BRS whole-airplane parachute and a high-end leather interior. But if you’re looking to save some money but don’t want to sacrifice performance, a pre-owned late-model […]

I have my own little axe to grind here and so let the sparks fly. Last month, as part of routine newsgathering duties, I tried to compile a how-goes-it on the FAA’s Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative, or PAFI. This yielded nothing but a waste of time and mounting frustration for me because everyone I spoke […]

When I drive around town, I never fail to see some kind of hybrid car, say a Toyota Prius or maybe a Ford Fusion and the occasional Nissan Leaf. This tells me that hybrids and electric vehicles are now dominating the automotive market and airplanes are soon to follow. And here, let me welcome you […]

Researchers in France have developed a drone that can reorient its arms in flight to alter its profile, enabling it to reduce its wingspan and navigate in tight spaces. The “quad-morphing” design comprises two rotating arms, each equipped with two propellers, for helicopter-like flight. A system of elastic and rigid wires allows the robot to […]

Diamond’s special-mission version of its DA62 light twin, the MPP (multi-purpose platform), which was introduced last year at the Paris Air Show, has been delivered to its first customer, the company said this week. DEA Specialised Airborne Operations, based in the UK, will use the aircraft to provide airborne-sensing services, such as surveillance and surveys. […]

How electric airplanes fit into GA is an open question but as the first few get delivered in the real world, some insights are emerging. Pipistrel Alpha Electro owner James Douma, of Pitt Meadows, B.C., in Canada says the aircraft, which is Transport Canada approved under its advanced ultralight category, fits his lifestyle, ethics and […]

The FAA has issued a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) that will allow pilots to fly two larger Piper aircraft under BasicMed medical certificates. Under BasicMed, pilots are restricted to aircraft certified to carry six or fewer people. Senecas and most Cherokee Six aircraft and their derivatives are certified as seven-seat aircraft although few actually have […]

A young pilot who some sources say is a student ducked power lines, dodged cars, buildings and pedestrians and put her Cessna 172 down without a scratch on a busy Huntington Beach, California, street on Friday. Dash cam and surveillance video showed the unidentified woman maneuvering the aircraft in gusty conditions to avoid obstacles (the […]