Stephen Pope

Embry-Riddle flight students will continue training in Cessna 172s for years to come after the university signed a long-term purchase agreement for 57 Skyhawks as part of a multi-year agreement. Cessna said 29 aircraft will be delivered to ERAU this year and the remaining 28 next year. The fleet will replace the Cessna 172s currently […]

Redbird Flight Simulations unveiled a full-motion helicopter skills trainer at Sun ‘n Fun called the Redbird VTO that is designed to help new students learn the art of hovering and autorotation before transitioning to the real thing. The idea behind the simulator is to provide the visual and motion cues necessary for improving helicopter-specific skills, […]

Despite experiencing two in-flight engine failures during the months-long test program, Cessna says all development issues related to the Safran SMA diesel engine in the 182 JT-A have been resolved and certification is “weeks away.” The 182 JT-A test airplane with the new jet-A-burning SMA compression-ignition engine suffered an emergency engine failure in August that […]

Before it has even sold its first diesel Cessna 172 conversion, Premier Aircraft Sales announced a vast expansion of the program to cover all Skyhawks from the 172F model first built in 1965 to modern 172R and S models. Earlier this year Premier announced the diesel upgrade program, which replaces the Lycoming engine in a […]

Sun ‘n Fun president John “Lites” Leenhouts started the 2014 edition of Sun ‘n Fun with a shocking announcement. Because Sun ‘n Fun had been unable to reach an agreement with the FAA for air traffic control services, all air operations were suspended. He quickly followed up with, “April Fools’.” In all seriousness, the 40th […]

Flying magazine and Redbird Flight Simulations have teamed up to create the Flying Challenge Cup, a stick-and-rudder skills competition that pits contenders from across the country against each other in a virtual fly-off in Redbird’s full-motion flight simulators. The competition officially starts today at Sun ‘n Fun and wraps up this summer at EAA AirVenture […]

Rotax today introduced a new version of its popular 912 series engine for light aircraft, the 912 iS Sport. The big change from the current 912 iS engine is a bigger airbox that ups the torque curve for shorter takeoff runs and steeper climbs while also providing improved fuel efficiency and higher top-end cruise speed. […]

Continental Motors plans to bring the Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II back into production after acquiring the type certificate, inventory and manufacturing rights for the twin from Reims Aviation of France. Continental says it is partnering with ASI Innovation in France on the unpressurized, 14-passenger twin, first introduced by Reims Aviation in 1983. Once production resumes, […]

“This is absolutely a temporary measure.” That was the response from the FAA manager in charge when asked about a draft proposal that would prohibit electric airplanes from carrying passengers, flying over congested areas or operating at night — as you might have guessed, it’s all being done in the name of safety. Craig Holmes […]

When I turned 15 and started taking flying lessons, my dad gave me a copy of one of the true bibles of piloting technique: “Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators.” First published in 1960, it remains the definitive text on applied aerodynamics for pilots — and at 15, I could barely understand a word of it. It […]