Experimental Aircraft

Van’s Aircraft dropped a bomb at EAA’s AirVenture last week, announcing a—wait for it—high wing backcountry airplane. The company didn’t make a big deal of the major news and there was no official announcement. But Van’s vice president and COO Greg Hughes confirmed that the company is in the process of building an all-metal, high-wing […]

In a move that has caused aviation associations across the board to band together in protest, on July 12 the FAA released a “clarification” on flight training in experimental aircraft that puts into formal policy a letter of guidance issued in June. In effect, the new policy adds a requirement that AOPA’s president and CEO […]

The full breadth of general aviation aircraft offers something to suit every potential pilot—and that includes those that fall under special airworthiness categories. The rising popularity of experimental aircraft, such as the RV series from Van’s Aircraft, turns upon their high performance-to-cost ratio and a serious fun factor driven by models that range from fabric-covered […]

Let’s get this straight from the beginning: The Van’s Aircraft RV-14A is not an off-the-shelf airplane. Every one of them out in the wild is custom-built. Even its recommended 210 hp Lycoming Thunderbolt XIO-390 engine is hand-assembled, polished and ported by a select team of Lycoming employees. And the “A” denotes a nosewheel version, with […]

My friend Longbridge has been working for years—these things always take far longer than you think they will—on a Lancair 320 with a lot of airframe mods, the most conspicuous of which are a double-slotted Fowler flap, enlarged empennage surfaces, and leading-edge cuffs on the outer panels of the wings. And then there are the […]

The Oshkosh, Wisconsin-based Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)—parent organization to the annual AirVenture aviation extravaganza each summer—is inviting enthusiasts from around the world to logon for next month’s EAA Homebuilders Week online that will run from January 26 to 30, 2021. EAA said in a news release, “The weeklong online event coincides with the 68th anniversary […]

Back in 1971, Sonex Aircraft founder and president John Monnett began designing and building the first Sonerai 1 for $1,200—including a new engine—to compete in the newly-conceived Formula Vee air racing class. It wasn’t long before other builders began requesting plans for the aircraft, and John was in business, eventually offering the Sonerai in several […]

On October 14, 1947, the Bell X-1 “Glamorous Glennis” launched from the bomb bay of a Boeing B-29 at 7,000 feet, piloted by Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager, to become the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound. As we mark the 72nd anniversary of that flight today, NASA adds another “X-plane” to […]

What fuels a start-up company? Money, of course—more important than actual fuel, even for one specializing in finding an alternative way to power aircraft. ZeroAvia aims to develop a commuter aircraft that will be powered by hydrogen. Now it has announced a significant source of fuel for the enterprise as it continues flight testing. ZeroAvia […]