Aircraft

A DAHER-SOCATA TB20 Trinidad was on display at the Euro-Avia Cannes (France) International General Aviation Exhibition last week — but with a new twist on the decades-old design. This Trinidad was retrofitted with Garmin’s G500 aftermarket glass avionics suite (the G600 includes XM satellite weather, which is not available in Europe). The retrofit package, which […]

Air show spectators have been enjoying the Super Salto jet-powered sailplane since 2008, when the aerobatic aircraft first appeared on the circuit. Now, its manufacturer Desert Aerospace of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is marketing a two-seat sport version known as the BonusJet. Flight testing has been completed on the 56-foot-wingspan derivative of the Czech-designed Bonus sailplane. […]

Operators of Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21-equipped Hawker Beechcraft King Air 200/300-series turboprop twins are now eligible for upgrades to include Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capability. Hawker Beechcraft is currently working on a similar upgrade for Premier 1A and Hawker 400XP/Beechjet400A-series jets.

When NetJets introduced large-cabin Gulfstream jets to its fleet, it set up a separate business entity to accommodate the new level of service. Though the fractional ownership model was essentially the same as for its smaller jets, there were significant differences — for example, fractional owners could specify pilots they wanted to fly with. The […]

The FAA has granted a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to Kelly Aerospace Thermal Systems to install a dual 95-amp alternator kit in Lycoming-powered Cessna 182 and Turbo 182 singles. The system provides redundant electrical power for a weight increase of only 23 pounds. For more info, go to www.kellyaerospace.com.

June 2010 — BACK IN 1998 FLYING sent ace photographer Paul Bowen to Chicago to photograph a revolutionary new airplane, the Cirrus SR20. Editor-in-chief Mac McClellan flew the airplane and weighed in on such eye-opening new features as the BRS whole-airplane recovery parachute system, the down-and-welded landing gear (unusual at the time for such a […]

With enhanced features galore, Cirrus’ original airplane is faster, more sophisticated and even more luxurious than ever.

A lot has changed with my training since my last blog. I had a successful Lesson 8, which was inspiring after the Lesson 7 letdown, and I was eager for the next flight. But my subsequent lessons kept getting canceled due to weather or last-minute work-related issues and the weeks between flights just kept ticking […]

Scott Miller, a Lycoming spokesman, said, “Now we don’t have to worry if there is a supplier out there to fill our needs. We can fill our own needs.” He referred to an announcement last week that the engine maker has begun to produce pistons for its engines in-house for the first time in more […]

Most pilots are aware of the danger of wingtip vortices from heavy fixed-wing aircraft. And they understand the wisdom of avoiding the mini-tornadoes that flow invisibly outward and down. And intuitively, we all can easily imagine that a helicopter’s rotor wash stirs up the air in the immediate vicinity — picture a turbine-powered ceiling fan. […]