Tires/Brakes

Longtime general-aviation wheel and brake provider Matco Manufacturing has been purchased by NMG Aerospace, a large aerospace design and manufacturing conglomerate that builds parts for everything from Airbus A380s to Apache tailwheels. For the immediate future, Matco will remain in Woods Cross, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. George Happ, who had owned Matco […]

While generally round and black in color, that’s almost all the characteristics aircraft tires have in common with their automotive siblings. In fact, a major difference is the construction and materials used in their manufacture. Aircraft tires and tubes primarily incorporate natural rubber while automotive tires use synthetic compounds extensively. Aircraft tires are designed for […]

California-based Ampaire reports that it flew its electric hybrid aircraft this week for the first time and plans an aggressive test program toward commercialization in 2021. The hybrid drive is installed in a Cessna 337 airframe. The company flew the airplane from Camarillo, California, on Thursday, but has offered little detail on the flight parameters […]

A young Canadian inventor has come up with what he says is a low-cost flight data recorder for light aircraft that requires no special installation. Ephraim Nowak, 26, says the video-based SkyVU system doesn’t need to be wired into the aircraft’s panel and systems. Instead, it uses 4K video cameras to record gauges on the […]

The Desanctification of AoA We installed an AOA called a “Lift Reserve Indicator” in our missionary C182. It’s purpose was exactly what the name implied…at any given airspeed, weight, bank angle, and G load, you knew how close you were to a stall far more precisely than indicated airspeed, sound, feel, buffet, etc. The instructions […]

AVweb’s weekly news roundup found reports on an aviation upgrades shop expanding its autopilot offerings, a convention appearance for Click Aviation Network and a new training management system for Pobeda Airlines. Air Plains Services has announced that it is adding Genesys Aerosystems autopilots to its list of available products. The Kansas-based company offers general aviation […]

AVweb’s weekly news roundup found reports on an STC for a King Air autothrottle, FAA-PMA approval for Nicrocraft Cirrus SR22 heat exchanger and muffler, discounts for certain FlightSimExpo attendees and a simulator sponsorship for US Aviation Academy. It also uncovered announcements of a new owner for Ft. Langley Air, a sales director appointment at DAES, […]

Garmin has announced that it has received FAA Supplemental Type Certification for its GFC 500 autopilot for several Mooney M20 and 36/A36 Bonanza models. Specific aircraft approved include Mooney M20 J, K, M, R and S models and Bonanza models 36, A36 and A36TC. The GFC 500 integrates with the G5 electronic flight instrument or […]

I was sitting in a traffic jam Friday and getting ever more steamed because I was already 20 minutes late. Adding to my dismay was that the local NPR station was running its spring fundraising drive and interrupting the programming every five minutes. Piling on top of that and irritating me further is that they […]

uAvionix SkyBeacon ADS-B Installations In his article on the uAvionix SkyBeacon, Larry Anglisano said that a pilot could ask ATC if they see his ADS-B. It is true that ATC has the capability to see whether an aircraft is ADS-B equipped, we discourage pilots from asking that question. It encourages unnecessary frequency congestion and the […]