Ownership

Discovery Aviation has started production of a new version of the XL-2, a two-seat trainer first FAA-certified in 2004, the company announced last week. The IFR-certified XL-2 features a Garmin G500 dual-screen flight display, as well as DME, ADF and an option to add an autopilot. The XL-2 runs an IOF-240 engine from Teledyne Continental, […]

Dynon effectively stirred the avionics-for-certified-airplanes pot at EAA AirVenture 2017 when it announced that its experimental-only Skyview HDX glass suite would be available for certified aircraft—with the first STCs expected by the end of the year. As an integral part of the program, it was launching an entire product line called Dynon Certified. The first […]

Some financial analysts predict that the tax reform recently enacted will see corporate earnings grow in the 8 to 12 percent range in 2018. As all of us in the general aviation industry know, this projected growth could have a positive trickle-down effect for our market. In my segment of the industry – avionics manufacturing, […]

Garmin’s G1000 NXi integrated flight deck is now included as standard equipment in Piper’s Meridian M500 single-engine turboprop and the Mirage M350 piston single, Piper announced on Monday. The company also plans to offer the system as a retrofit option (via STC) for both airplanes, as well as the Matrix, that are currently equipped with […]

Some years ago, I had one of those “what in the world are they thinking?” conversations with a pilot who was towing gliders as a volunteer for the Civil Air Patrol. While he thought it was important to volunteer for a good group, he was ready to quit because of a screwy power reduction procedure […]

There is now more competition in the growing retrofit autopilot market as Garmin announced it has earned an STC (supplemental type certificate) for its GFC500 entry-level autopilot. With roots planted in the experimental aircraft market, the GFC500 joins other experimental autopilot models (including TruTrak’s Vision and Trio’s Pro Pilot) that have been awarded an STC […]

GE Aviation announced Thursday it had successfully test run its partially 3-D printed Advanced Turboprop engine, which is set to power the Textron Denali single turboprop. Details of the test were scant in the GE press release but “early indications show that we will meet or exceed all the performance numbers we have quoted for […]

The FAA has approved Levil Aviation’s Broadcasting Outer Module (BOM) avionics pod for installation on certified aircraft as a secondary source of flight data under the Non-Required Safety Enhancing Equipment program. The BOM is a fully wireless avionics system; its battery is charged by a slipstream-powered generator and it transmits flight data to the pilot’s […]

The new federal tax regulations that will take effect on Jan. 1 are mainly good news for aviation, according to AOPA and NBAA. The legislation passed this week will “directly lead to growth for the general aviation industry,” said NBAA President Ed Bolen. For example, the new rules allow for “immediate expensing,” Bolen said, which […]

With all the new avionics we reported on here at AVweb and at sister publication Aviation Consumer magazine the past year, some readers have asked for my market predictions for the new year. Will there be more growth? Less expensive new products? Will 2018 be a bust? During my 27 years of work in the […]