“The administration’s proposed funding scheme is not about modernization. It is shifting costs from the airlines onto general aviation.” — Pete Bunce, General Aviation Manufacturers Association “Our future is being held hostage to the FAA funding decision.” — Phil Boyer, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association “When I come to work in the morning, I don’t […]
News
For kids of all ages…New DVD inspires the love of flight
Want to inspire the love of aviation in kids? Let kids tell the story. That’s just what the producers of a new DVD, “All About Airplanes and Flying Machines for Kids,” did. Licensed by Boeing, the DVD is narrated by 14-year-old aviation enthusiast Garrett Hultgren. Viewers ride along on Garrett’s first flying lesson, as well […]
Seawind begins certified production
After years of delays, the Seawind has been granted approval by Transport Canada to manufacture the first five customer aircraft, as well as two flight test articles. Flight testing for VFR certification of the amphibian is nearing completion, according to Richard Silva, president. Following VFR certification, the Seawind is scheduled to continue with IFR certification […]
Southwest Regional Fly-Inwins Air Force-size facilities
The Southwest Regional Fly In (SWRFI) recently won a long-term lease on the old U.S. Air Force hangar at Hondo Airport (HDO) in Texas. SWRFI now has use of the huge hangar, which measures 120 feet by 110 feet, for exhibitors as well as classrooms and forums, for years to come, according to organizers. The […]
Eclipse problems “a perfect storm”
Eclipse Aviation has had “far more challenges than we anticipated,” wrote the company’s CEO Vern Raburn in a letter to customers at the end of February. Raburn called the company’s cumulative problems, which have plagued everything from tip tanks to avionics to production certification, “a perfect storm.” The letter came on the heels of successive […]
Relief in sight for vintage aircraft owners: Proposal would release dataneeded to maintain airworthiness
One of the challenges of owning a vintage aircraft is getting the information needed to do required maintenance. This is especially true of so-called “orphaned” aircraft — those no longer in production or supported by a factory. For years, aviation advocacy groups, such as the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and the Vintage Aircraft Association (VAA), […]
SPECIAL REPORT: Restorations
There is a special fascination to old machinery, and particularly that which has been restored to its original working condition. Unlike static displays, working machines let us hear, smell, touch and feel the strength, the beauty, the inventiveness of mechanical things that did the work of the nation in bygone times. Aircraft restorers know the […]
Restoring a legend: Lost for decades, this Boeing 40 will take to the air next year
Aviation is filled with legends about airplane crashes. One of the more enduring tales out of southern Oregon is the one about a Boeing 40C, loaded with diamonds, that crashed on a mountain. Allegedly, the wreckage was never found. The story has been told for generations around campfires, kitchen tables and in tree houses. But […]
Sport-Jet redux: Second prototype in theworks to replace onelost in last year’s crash
A second Sport-Jet prototype is being built to replace the one lost last June in a spectacular, but remarkably injury-free, crash. Bob Bornhofen, Sport-Jet founder, says the new fuselage is being built now and should be flying early next year. The original proof-of-concept Sport-Jet crashed during takeoff on June 22, 2006, after 25 hours of […]