Ownership

At AirVenture 2017, Massachusetts-based Approach Aviation announced FAA approval and production shipment of its FlexAlert multifunction panel annunciator. The LED display, compatible with both land and seaplanes, gives pilot warnings for engine, oil pressure, fuel pressure, low fuel, pitot heat, low voltage, over voltage, alternator failure, doors, starter engaged, vacuum failure and autopilot glideslope capture, […]

The FAA has reorganized its certification division, scrapping the familiar Transport, Small Airplane, Engine and Propeller and Rotorcraft Directorates in favor of a new “functionally-aligned organizational structure.” Effective July 23 all certifications, whether on airliners or light aircraft, will flow, as is appropriate, through new organizations named Organizational Performance, International, Policy and Innovation, Compliance and […]

Cessna’s JTA is a 155-HP 172 that runs on Jet-A. The modification was recently approved by the FAA and EASA. It also features the G1000 NXi avionics suite. We took a look at one at AirVenture. view on YouTube

Owners impacted by the recently announced Lycoming connecting rod bushing service bulletin will be on their own to pay labor charges, the company told AVweb this week. However, Lycoming will provide the necessary parts. Customers who bought factory engines still covered under warranty will be afforded a labor allowance, according to Lycoming. As we reported […]

TruTrak Flight Systems announced that it—together with EAA— has earned STC approval for the Vizion autopilot system in Cessna 172 and 177 models. This is the first autopilot manufactured by experimental autopilot maker TruTrak to be approved for a certified aircraft. The company was targeting AirVenture 2017 for a completed STC and it achieved it. […]

Lycoming issued a Mandatory Service Bulletin on Monday that requires owners and operators of its engines to check them for connecting rods that contain bushings that do not meet Lycoming Engine’s specifications. The bushings were manufactured between specified date ranges from November 2015 to as late as February 2017. The service bulletin specifies the dates […]

Nothing says Cub like the iconic yellow-with-lightning-bolt paint scheme of the J-3 but some buyers of Cub derivatives are looking for something a little more distinctive. CubCrafters’ John Whitish showed an especially dynamic design at Sun ‘n Fun earlier this year. view on YouTube

With minimal fanfare, composite propellers have been appearing as original equipment on more and more airplanes and more and more owners are finding that they are an option for their airplanes when it comes time for an overhaul or replacement. Composite props are more expensive than their aluminum counterparts, so we were curious why owners […]

The FAA issued a final Airworthiness Directive on Tuesday that will affect 23,643 airplanes in the Piper fleet, mainly PA-28 and PA-32 models in the Cherokee line. The AD, which was issued to clarify the requirements of an earlier AD issued in 1995, takes effect Aug. 15. It requires that owners or operators of airplanes […]

The Falcon 5X, an all-new widebody business jet by Dassault Aviation, has flown for the first time, the company has announced. The flight lasted for two hours. The Safran Silvercrest engines installed on the test plane are a “preliminary version,” Dassault said. According to the company, “design issues” have delayed the engine’s development four years […]