Bankrupt Taylorcraft Aviation LLC lost protection from its creditors Nov. 3 when U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Richard S. Schmidt dismissed its case because the company did not have legal counsel, which is required when filing Chapter 11. The judge made the decision after one of the company’s creditors objected to the Chapter 11 filing claiming that […]
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Garmin’s GNS 400W/500W Series receives WAAS certification
Garmin’s GNS 400/500 series has earned TSO C146a Gamma-3 certification, which enables pilots to fly Lateral-Precision with Vertical (LPV) guidance approaches and receive GPS navigation via the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). The FAA also granted AML (approved model list) STC approval allowing the 400W/500W equipment to be installed on more than 980 makes and […]
An ECi cylinder alert
The FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin concerning fatigue cracks showing up in some ECi cylinders on Continental engines. The bulletin recommends inspecting ECi cylinder assemblies that have logged more than 500 hours on Continental 520 and 550 series engines. It suggests inspecting them every 50 hours, looking for cylinder wall fatigue cracks […]
Maverick developing another light jet
Maverick Jets of Jackson, Wyoming, revealed early this month that it is working on a “next-generation Maverick” to be called the SmartJet, a certified version of the company’s current, custom (51% owner-built) Leader. According to Jim McCotter, Maverick Jets’ president and owner, the SmartJet will be a five-seat twin turbofan of all-composite construction. It will […]
Superior’s Vantage engine earns European certification
Superior Air Parts received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification for its 180 hp Vantage engine early this month. The engine, already certified by the FAA, earned Canadian certification in June. Mike Caban, Superior’s director of sales and marketing, pointed out that both current versions of the Vantage, the O-360 and fuel-injected IO-360, are […]
WANTED: Wiley Post memories
A group dedicated to relocating and rebuilding the Curtiss-Wright Wiley Post Hangar at Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City is on the hunt for memorabilia. The hangar was built in 1929 by the Curtiss-Wright Corp., in keeping with its plan of developing model airports in cities that were deemed “progressive and air-minded.” It served as […]
Put a plane on your plate
Montana pilots can support general aviation — and a local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association — by choosing a new vanity plate the next time they renew their car tags. EAA Chapter 517 in Missoula is working with the state to offer the aviation-inspired license plate. Chapter President Steve Rossiter credits newsletter editor Frank […]
Grant speeds up construction at Planes of Fame
A $68,000 grant from the Ahmanson Foundation is helping speed up construction of a hands-on education center at The Air Museum Planes of Fame at the Chino Airport (CNO) in Chino, Calif. The center will feature interactive displays and state-of-the-art technology to teach history, math and science principles as they apply to aviation. Museum officials […]
Smithsonian or bust…
Charles E. Taylor joins Smithsonian’s aviation pioneers A bronze bust of Charles E. Taylor now sits proudly at the Air & Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center. Dubbed the father of aircraft maintenance, Taylor was the Wright brothers’ mechanic. Kenneth MacTiernan, director of the Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Association, was the driving force behind raising both the awareness […]