Mark Phelps

One of the biggest problems with home PC-based flight simulators is replicating the real-world panel the pilot flies. Real-world airplane panels have a wide range of available equipment, and almost never match up with the simulator program’s configuration. A lot of training time goes to waste learning the panel that’s on the computer screen, or […]

Eleven weeks after the fleet of 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners was grounded due to lithium-ion battery malfunctions, the company announced it has completed tests on its proposed fix. FAA approval of the fix is expected, but could involve some more “back and forth” discussion. Even after the OK from the agency, it could still be […]

Sagetech is not among the household names in avionics, but the Washington state company is marketing its own “Clarity” ADS-B solution for light aircraft. Priced at $1,150, the 5.5-ounce box is about the size of a travel alarm clock and delivers traffic and weather information to an iPad or other tablet via a dedicated wireless […]

A group named the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC), co-chaired by the FAA and AOPA, released a detailed 148-page report in September that addresses loss of control (LOC) accidents in the approach and landing phase. LOC was responsible for 40.2 percent of fatal GA accidents in the time frame from 2001 through 2010. The […]

If you have thoughts of launching a flying club, the time to act is now. The experts at Chicago-area-based Ground Effect Advisors want to help you out, and they have more than words to offer. They’ve hit up AOPA for a $1,000 scholarship, seed money to help get your club up and running — into […]

Almost inexplicably, neither the instructor nor the experienced owner-pilot of a Zodiac 601-XL (N999NA) was wearing his seat belt on an instructional flight in the newly-acquired aircraft. Following an unexplained “malfunction” that caused a severe pitch-down, the forward-hinged canopy flew open and the student pilot was thrown from the two-seat, side-by-side cockpit. He fell 2,500 […]

Avidyne announced on Tuesday that it supports and will participate in the industry standardization agenda for ADS-B display commonality. Avidyne has made interfacing with other companies’ equipment a priority in the design of its own avionics, and the announcement at the Aircraft Electronics Association show in Las Vegas comes as no surprise. The Capstone Data […]

Cessna yesterday rolled out the 400th Citation CJ3 light jet. In its ninth year of production, the CJ3 outsells its competition by 70 percent, according to Cessna. Powered by a pair of fadec-controlled Williams FJ44-3A fanjets, the single-pilot-certified CJ3 is largely owner-flown. The Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 flight deck is common among all CJs, […]

In his most recent blog, Fantasy of Flight founder Kermit Weeks has elaborated on how he believes Howard Hughes helped arrange for him to acquire the deceased aviation legend’s Sikorsky S-43. Weeks bought the airplane from the estate of well known car collector Ron Van Kregten, the man who bought it from Hughes, and he […]

With the Chinese government expected to announce a lifting of the ban on flying below 1,000 meters (3,281 feet), Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC) is looking at building “reliable general aviation aircraft,” said company chairman Xu Heyi. The company did not specify what category or class of aircraft it is planning to build. BAIC sold 1.7 […]