Pia Bergqvist

(April 2011) InspecTech Aero Service’s electrically dimmable iShade uses a light-control film that is laminated between structural aircraft windows and dust covers to manage the amount of light coming into the passenger cabin of turboprops, business jets, helicopters and transport category aircraft. Various degrees of tint, from zero to 99.96 percent of light blockage, can […]

(April 2011) Dr. Michael Bliss holds an ATP certificate and a CFIA, CFI-I and CFMEI. He has been a pilot for more than 40 years and an active instructor for 30 years. He oversees curriculum standards and development for American Flyers and is the chairman of its safety board. He says: Whether it is better […]

Finally, Beechcraft G36 Bonanza pilots can fly with the peace of mind of having ice protection. The FAA has awarded a new Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the G36 to CAV Aerospace in Salina, Kansas, for its TKS Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI) system. The G36 STC is an amendment to CAV’s STC for the […]

Contracts designed to make greener, quieter airplanes awarded to industry and academic teams. Research teams from Boeing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cessna Aircraft Company and Northrop Grumman Systems have received a total of $16.5 million to develop technologies for quiet, more fuel efficient airplanes to enter service between 2030 and 2035. The time period […]

My flight in Fat Albert at the recent Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In ranks up there as one of the most bizarre flying experiences I’ve had in my more than decade long aviation career. Strapped to a couch in the cockpit of a highly modified C-130 next to another aviation journalist, I watched crewmembers become airborne […]

We’ve all seen the images from last week’s Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In. Broken wings, crunched elevators and rudders, and crushed windshields resulted from an EF-1 tornado that hit the Lakeland Linder Airport on Thursday, March 31. Nothing can prevent an airplane from being damaged from the force of a tornado, but there are ways to […]

The 2011 Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In and Expo was characterized by extreme highs and lows. Thunderstorms lining the northern end of Florida during the beginning of the week kept the crowds away for the beginning of the show. But that ended up being a blessing when the much reported EF1 tornado touched down on Thursday. […]

Ever since Hal Shevers started working as a flight instructor and began selling a modular radio out of his car in 1961, Sporty’s has emerged as the leader in aviation products and pilot training. And most recently, the company has been on the cutting edge of mobile technology. No longer focused on selling its products […]

Tecnam has announced a new 11-seat, twin-engine airplane at Sun ‘n Fun to be unveiled at AERO Friedrichshafen on April 13. The Tecnam P2012 Traveller will concurrently undergo FAA Part 23 and EASA CS-23 certification expected to be completed by the end of 2014. Two six-cylinder, 350 horsepower Lycoming TEO-540-A1A piston engines, specifically designed for […]

Lightspeed Aviation announced a new, next-generation version of its Zulu headset with several patent pending innovations. Lightspeed claims the Zulu’s new Microport Vent technology provides greater ANR consistency and an improvement in ANR by two to 12 decibels in the low frequency range, Lightcomfort design reduces the clamping force by 15 percent, and Dual Aperture […]