Stephen Pope

The full details are still unknown, but the FAA is investigating a bizarre April 3 incident at Denver International Airport in which controllers are heard on a tower audio recording ignoring an emergency call from a United Airlines flight with smoke in the cockpit, apparently deciding the call is a hoax. A controller is heard […]

Have you ever advanced the power, gathered momentum on the runway and pulled back on the yoke or stick at the appropriate airspeed – only to be greeted by a shaking in the controls as you lift off that makes your mind start thinking about pre-stall buffets, your uncomfortably high angle of attack and proximity […]

You can find the question posed on just about every well-trodden aviation message board on the Internet: Why can’t we just use fuel-efficient and cheap car engines in our airplanes? The answer, in a nutshell, is that the best automobile engine in the world is usually still a poor aircraft engine. Here are the reasons […]

Take an engine from a 1970s Ford, Toyota or Chevy and put it next to one built today, and the differences are easy to spot. Dig down into the performance and economy figures, and there’s no comparison between the 30-plus-year-old technology and today’s — the newer engines are better in almost every way imaginable, with […]

The ** Aircraft Electronics Assocation**‘s 55th annual convention opened its doors yesterday to avionics dealers and manufacturers who said they are finally seeing concrete signs of a turnaround after a rough few years punctuated by the global economic crisis. There were fewer new product introductions at this year’s show compared with past years, but the […]

It takes years to build a successful brand, but only a few bad decisions, or in some cases a run of bad luck, to ruin one. That’s what makes the planned revitalization of the storied Bendix/King brand name so intriguing. For the past 15 years, Bendix/King has more or less been a victim of neglect […]

As Terrafugia looks to make headlines with the debut of its Transition roadable aircraft at the upcoming New York International Auto Show, a Dutch company with an intriguing flying car is making news of its own a continent away. Startup manufacturer PAL-V Europe flew its roadable gyrocopter for the first time last week, and in […]

Italian manufacturer Tecnam announced the addition of the new Rotax 912 iS fuel-injected engine across its light sport and ultralight product line. Due to enter mass production next month, the 100 hp 912 iS will fly in the Tecnam P92, P2002 and P2008 models. Selection of the newest Rotax engine by Tecnam continues a flurry […]

Just days after announcing it has struck a deal with creditors to avoid defaulting on its loans, Hawker Beechcraft is said to be preparing for a “prearranged” bankruptcy filing, expected in the coming weeks, according to a Reuters news report. Hawker Beechcraft on Tuesday said it is negotiating with its largest lenders and has received […]

Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, marks the start of a very special journey for the airplane that spawned a homebuilding revolution. A group called Friends of the RV-1 has finished restoring Richard VanGrunsven’s original RV-1 – the progenitor of the entire Van’s Aircraft line from the RV-3 through the RV-12 – and now plans […]