Aircraft

Piqua, Ohio-based Hartzell Propeller has announced the development of a new two-blade Top Prop conversion kit for Piper PA-23-250 Aztec twins. The scimitar-shape, 77-inch propeller blades incorporate blade-mounted counterweights, offering greater redundancy for pitch control and feathering, compared with the original-equipment propellers that relied on air pressure. The shape of the blades is more efficient, […]

Five manufacturers of Light Sport Aircraft (LSAs) will launch a statewide “roadshow” tour following the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, which opens today in Sebring, Florida. Bill Canino of SportairUSA said, “We wanted to create an intimate atmosphere for purchasers to see planes, without the noise of a show.” Jim Julius of Sport Planes Florida said, […]

(January 2011) — It happened nearly seven years ago, but the accident remains a shining example of a confluence of unlikely circumstances causing a catastrophe when none of them, by itself, would have amounted to more than a nuisance. Five airplanes belonging to Pan Am International Flight Academy were flying from Deer Valley Airport in […]

The European Aviation Safety Association (EASA) has approved Garmin’s G1000 retrofit package for Hawker Beechcraft King Air 200 and B200 models. The retrofit package has already been approved by the U.S. FAA for C90, 200 and B200 King Air models, with approval for the 300 and 350 Series expected later this year. Garmin vice president […]

Two safety systems announced at last year’s EAA AirVenture for Cirrus models have been approved by the FAA. The systems work within the Garmin Perspective avionics suite and use the avionics technology to enhance safety. The Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP) system provides control pressure when it perceives excessive pitch, bank or airspeed. It is […]

While most people start flight training because they’ve had a lifelong desire to learn to fly, some start training to overcome their fear of flying. During initial training, future pilots of both categories seem to have, if not a fear, a healthy respect for slow flight and stalls. Their bodies naturally feel that there is […]

While at the 2010 NBAA convention, I stopped by the booth of Stratos Aircraft to check up on the progress the company was making with its eponymous single-engine jet. What I discovered was pretty much exactly what I expected to discover. The company was exceedingly optimistic about the prospects for its jet while admitting there […]

Chris Esposito is co-founder of First Landings Aviation, a central Florida sport pilot flight school, and holds both CFI-ASEL and CFI/CFII-H ratings. Chris has given more than 1,200 hours of flight instruction, 600 of which have been in light-sport aircraft. “Flying both the PiperSport and Remos, two fairly well-known light-sport aircraft, I am often approached […]

At the end of each year, Flying editors review the year’s significant aviation developments in search of remarkable accomplishments that represent innovation, determination and vision. Along the way we consider only those aircraft, avionics, pilot services and equipment that have been fully certified and have entered service during the year. For 2010, we chose five: […]

When I was recently asked to fly from my home in Los Angeles to Paso Robles, I experienced an unfamiliar nervousness. Flying used to be second nature. It didn’t feel much more challenging than stepping into my car to drive to the grocery store. But I gave birth to a son in the summer of […]