Photos

The results are in on a study looking at the safety of so-called “technically advanced airplanes” (TAAs). Conducted by a panel of industry experts assembled as part of the FAA’s Safer Skies Initiative, the study examined airplanes that have technologically advanced features that are intended to make flying safer. The rather startling conclusion was that, […]

Every pilot wants more useful load, and Piper provides 242 more pounds of it in its new Piper Meridian single-engine turboprop, thanks to an increase in maximum takeoff weight. And the company also switched to the new Meggitt Magic 1500 autopilot that offers the performance and features a pilot expects in a turbine airplane. When […]

In February’s Flying I described the first flight of Melmoth 2 on November 1, 2002. To tell the truth, however, that wasn’t really the first flight. It was the first up-and-away flight. The airplane had actually lifted off the ground for the first time the day before. Blustery winds blew through Mojave for three days […]

It’s odd that we measure most things aeronautical in time, not distance or even speed. The relationship of time to aviation regulation is fundamental and is the basis for nearly all rules that govern pilots and the operation of aircraft. Log the time and you’re legal to fly, but don’t forget to check the calendar […]

The instructors from the FlightSafety International Academy at Vero Beach, Florida, obvious in their crisp epauleted uniforms, fanned out through the Orlando Convention Center exhibit hall during the National Business Aviation Association meeting. They were bright eyed and enthusiastic, particularly considering their early, pre-dawn wheels-up departure for the bus trip from their Vero Beach campus. […]

When I heard a few years back that the folks behind the Europa two-seat kitplane were in the process of making what amounted to a certified version, I was excited but, frankly, a bit skeptical too. The Europa, a popular kit made in the United Kingdom, is a terrific little kitplane, but I wondered if […]