Stephen Pope

Well ahead of the 2020 equipment mandate, the FAA says it has completed construction of a nationwide network of ADS-B ground stations, finishing installations of more than 600 special radio beacons from coast to coast — and beyond, in some cases — for the ongoing transition to the NextGen air traffic control system. The ADS-B […]

“Think globally, act locally.” That’s the business mantra of the newly formed Continental Motors Group, the world’s first and only truly global producer of piston aircraft engines. What does it mean to you? Well, a few things actually. And they’re all pretty important. First, Continental Motors, founded in 1929, is suddenly a part of a […]

On the opening day of Aero Friedrichshafen 2014 in Germany, Czech Sport Aircraft unveiled its latest light sport aircraft, the PS-38 Tourer. The new model is an all-metal two-seater with a high wing that Czech Sport Aircraft says shares commonality with the low-wing PS-28 Cruiser and Sport Cruiser models. All come equipped with dual Dynon […]

Piper Aircraft yesterday launched a diesel version of the Archer at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany powered by a Continental/Centurion 2.0S jet-A compression-ignition engine. Piper and Continental have already completed flight testing of the prototype in Germany, leading to an EASA STC in Europe and clearing the way for deliveries to start early next […]

The FAA has made a small but significant change to its controversial sleep apnea policy that has quelled some of the anger by overweight pilots over the proposal — but certainly not all of it. According to a draft revision of the policy, pilots who are identified by an aviation medical examiner as being at […]

Flying with a friend from Oshkosh back to New Jersey, I called up clearance delivery at our first fuel stop, a leg from Muskegon County Airport on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan to Burke Lakefront Airport on the southern shore of Lake Erie — and was pleased to hear those magic words: “Cleared as […]

Last week at Sun ‘n Fun ForeFlight co-founder and CEO Tyson Weihs gave Robert Goyer and me a preview of the latest enhancements and upgrades available for the popular mobile app. The first thing we noticed was how much crisper the VFR sectional chart on Tyson’s iPad mini looked — and it wasn’t due to […]

Ever wished you could rent your airplane to strangers? OpenAirplane, the creator of a Zipcar-style aircraft rental network, announced a new service called Collaborative Aircraft Rental that aims to let aircraft owners rent their personal airplanes to qualified OpenAirplane members. The idea is to broaden the OpenAirplane network of available aircraft while allowing owners to […]

Beechcraft celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the King Air Model 90 with cake at the company’s Sun ‘n Fun exhibit and a fly-over at the Beech factory in Wichita, Kansas. The first flight of the King Air on January 20, 1964, started a remarkable production run for a remarkable airplane that […]

Here’s an idea for a reality TV show we’d be sure to DVR: A pilot, a chef and a treasure hunter head off in an airplane to visit the coolest small airports across the country, sampling the food at the airport restaurants, meeting interesting airport characters and discovering the incredible airplanes and historic items inside […]