Pia Bergqvist

Most airplanes don’t have rear view mirrors. But that doesn’t mean that you should forget what’s behind you. It’s always worth taking a second to consider where the rear of the airplane is pointed. This applies not only when the propeller is spinning and the airplane is static, but also when you’re taxiing around the […]

After decades of operating as a naval base, the Brunswick Executive Airport recently opened to the public and this weekend it celebrated its civilian opening with the first annual Brunswick International Fly-In. “We had about 300 airplanes fly in for the event, from powered parachutes to a Falcon 900 and everything in between,” said Executive […]

After several attempts at flight and 12 crash landings, the founder of Cessna Aircraft Company, Clyde Cessna, completed his first successful flight in June 1911, one hundred years ago, according to company archives. The 31-year-old Cessna had added an engine and propeller to a copy of the Blériot XI fuselage and was teaching himself to […]

(June 2011) There are good reasons that the Piper Archer is an airplane commonly found in flight school fleets. Its stable flight characteristics and simple design make it an excellent trainer. And with enough speed to get you where you want to go, but not too much to get you in trouble, as well as […]

The importance of general aviation in disaster situations was, once again, displayed in the wake of the devastating tornado in Joplin, Missouri. After the St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin was destroyed, the Missouri-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (MO-1 DMAT) quickly established a mobile emergency room and field hospital. A need for 200 doses […]

Dassault Aviation has grounded its entire fleet of 112 Falcon 7Xs after one airplane experienced a pitch trim issue during a descent. The crew was able to control the airplane and landed successfully. However, as a safety precaution, Dassault requested directives from EASA and the FAA for a temporary suspension all 7X operations until the […]

Melbourne, Florida-based Liberty Aerospace has selected the 100-horsepower Rotax 912S air- and liquid-cooled engine as an alternative to the Teledyne Continental IOF-240-B. Liberty president and CEO Keith Markley says the new engine option is a response to international demands from customers in Southeast Asia, where aviation fuel can reach prices as high as $20 per […]

(July 2011) Now that summer is in full swing, Sporty’s has a solution to hot cockpit syndrome. The company offers eight Arctic Air portable air-conditioning systems of varying sizes and prices. Since the units are portable, no STC is required for use in airplanes. The air-conditioning units are electrically operated through a 12- or 24-volt […]

__Eurocopter recently reported that flight-testing on the X3 is progressing nicely and its test pilots attained a sustained true airspeed of 232 knots. This number, which was achieved during stable, level flight on the third flight-testing mission after the X3’s gear boxes were modified, is significantly higher than the 220 knots the Marignane, France-based company […]

“Flying the Cessna Skycatcher” is a new course from King Schools designed specifically for pilots transitioning to the Skycatcher or for those who would like to know what the airplane is like to fly. The Cessna Skycatcher is a light-sport airplane, powered by a Continental O-200D engine and equipped with a Garmin G300 avionics suite, […]