It’s an iconic airplane that is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. About 17,500 Bonanzas have been produced over the past seven decades, with production still continuing, but at a much lower rate. In 2016, 25 Bonanzas were produced by Textron Aviation, which bought the Beechcraft brand in 2014. The Bonanza is also a plane […]
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The Doctor Killer
While the Beechcraft Bonanza has a loyal following, it also has an infamous moniker: The Doctor Killer. It gained that name decades ago following a spate of high-profile crashes, with many of the pilot doctors. In fact, that spate of accidents was part of the reason for the creation of the Beechcraft Pilot Proficiency Program […]
Bearhawk now flying on five continents
Bearhawk Aircraft reports its line of utility, transport and recreational aircraft are now flying on five continents. The Barrows Bearhawk was originally conceived and first built in the mid-1990s in Virginia. Today, three models are offered in both plan and kit form for amateur aircraft builders. Designer Bob Barrows originally brought the aircraft to fruition as a […]
Paper addresses non-traditional uses for GA airports
PITTSTOWN, N.J. — “Effective Outreach: Preserving General Aviation by Putting the ‘Public’ in Public-Use Airports” is a recently released paper from Up, Up, and Away. Written by SAFE members Linda Castner and Rich Stowell, the paper discusses 17 years of experimentation and research exploring non-traditional uses and alternative revenue streams for airports and their businesses. Lessons learned […]
AOPA calls for review of speculation in NTSB reports
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is calling on the National Transportation Safety Board to conduct an internal review to examine why the agency has approved “speculative probable cause reports related to general aviation accidents” despite little evidence to support the conclusions. AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Jim Coon criticized speculative practices […]
Mooney Ultras certified
The FAA has granted full certification to the two latest aircraft from Mooney International Corporation: The M20U Ovation Ultra and the M20V Acclaim Ultra. According to company officials, the newly designed Mooney Acclaim and Ovation Ultras feature a host of improvements, including: Larger and wider pilot and co-pilot entry doors, The latest Garmin NXi avionics, A composite-wrapped cabin for […]
Continental to build new factory
Continental Motors Group will remain headquartered in Mobile, Alabama, company officials said, as they unveiled a three-year global investment plan to “take its manufacturing, customer service and engineering infrastructure to the next level.” This first step is to build a new, state of the art manufacturing facility and corporate office at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, which […]
Western Aircraft celebrates 60th anniversary
BOISE, Idaho – In 1957, the Morrison-Knudsen Corporation launched its own repair station and 60 years later, the company that would be later known as Western Aircraft is still flying. Western Aircraft began as the corporate flight department for the Morrison-Knudsen Corporation (MK). In 1957, MK responded to a need for aircraft repair services by applying […]
Visiting a hangar project
Andre Nedeau wanted a retirement project, but what he found was a welcoming community at the Leesburg International Airport (KLEE) in Florida. A member of Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534, Andre recently hosted his fellow chapter members in his hangar to get an update on the project that is taking up a lot of his time. […]