WELLINGTON, Kansas – Air Plains Services, which provides extreme performance upgrades for a variety of general aviation aircraft, recently sold its 500th 300-horsepower 182XP engine upgrade, this one for a Cessna 182 owner in Kansas City. “This was special for us, not only as the 500th 300-horsepower upgrade, but because it ended up sparking a […]
Pressure leads to plane crash
The pilot of an experimental amateur-built airplane reported that he felt pressured by a trailing airplane while in the traffic pattern at the airport in Grass Valley, California. He further reported that this pressure caused him to turn base and then final sooner than expected, which resulted in an increased airspeed and higher than expected […]
Picture of the Day: A part of S44 will live on
Any time an airport closes is a sad day. Spanaway Airport (S44) in western Washington recently suffered such a fate. However, airline pilot and flight instructor Ryan Weir was able to rescue one small part of S44. “It’s just a shame to lose another ‘old school’ airport like this,” noted Ryan via email. “I will […]
Success starts with a good breakfast
When an idea has merit both literally and metaphorically, I tend to be intrigued. That’s certainly true of the title of this piece. Being successful at pretty much anything begins with a good breakfast. Now, when I say “good,” I don’t mean tasty. I’m not advocating a lifestyle soaked in sugar, massive quantities of carbohydrates, […]
Aircraft shipments up in first quarter
Aircraft shipments were up in the first quarter of 2018, according to the latest figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). However, GAMA officials note that while overall delivery of airplanes and rotorcraft rose compared to the same quarter of 2017, there were some mixed performance within the types. “We are pleased to see the […]
Aergility introduces ATLIS VTOL
The Aergility ATLIS unmanned aerial vehicle, according to Founder and CEO Jim Vander Mey, is designed to take off and land vertically using electrically powered rotors. Once airborne, a gas-powered engine will provide all forward thrust to push the ATLIS at speeds around 100 mph. An email reply from Jim states “the powerplant we have […]
Free DUATS replacement from iFlightPlanner
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The FAA will discontinue the Direct User Access Terminal Service (DUATS) at 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday, May 16, 2018, and for pilots in search of a DUATS replacement, an iFlightPlanner Free membership may fill the void. All single-pilot iFlightPlanner memberships include web-based flight planning, digital aeronautical charts, hi-res weather imagery, certified weather briefs, and flight plan […]
Latest edition of Aviation Weather Services released
FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 00-45H, Aviation Weather Services, has been updated to include Change 1, effective January 2018. With symbols and conversion charts, internet links and more, this book is key for pilots seeking an understanding of the weather resources available for preflight and inflight decision-making, according to ASA officials. Supported with full-color illustrations, the […]
Fuel exhaustion brings down 182
According to the FAA Aviation Safety Inspector who arrived at the scene shortly after the accident near Reno, Nevada, he located the uninjured pilot in command (PIC) and a passenger-rated pilot who were the only occupants of the airplane. The inspector reported that the PIC told him that he had fueled the Cessna 182 prior […]