AURORA, Illinois — The Glass Simulator Center has a new name: SIMPRO Flight Training. Located on Aurora Municipal Airport (KARR), 35 miles west of Chicago, SIMPRO Flight Training center was recently remodeled with an updated pilot lounge and new classroom with the latest audio-visual equipment. SIMPRO pilots arriving for training have access to discounts on […]
Free iPad Proficiency Check webinar slated
Sporty’s will hold an iPad Proficiency Check webinar Nov. 30, 2017, at 8 p.m. Eastern. “The iPad is practically required equipment for many pilots and there’s no question it has improved safety and reduced the costs associated with flying,” Sporty’s officials say. “iPad Proficiency Check will include a series of insightful recommendations, strategies and other […]
Thorp’s canopy disconnects during takeoff
The pilot departed on a flight around Independence, Oregon. During the initial climb, the canopy on the Thorp T-18 partially disconnected and the airplane vibrated violently. He made a precautionary landing in a field, and the right wing hit a fence post. Post-accident examination revealed that the mechanism that allowed the canopy to move fore and aft […]
Picture of the day: A mother hen and her chick
Captain William Brady sent in this photo, taken in Fairview, Alberta, as he was preparing to take the PBY5A C-FNJE, which is owned by the Fairview Aircraft Restoration Society, to an air show in Fort St. John, British Columbia. The flight engineers’ granddaughter parked the Super Cub under the PBY’s wing. “It makes me think […]
Bücker Jungmeisters, times two
What could be nicer than building and flying your own Jungmeister? Why, having a buddy who’s doing the same! That’s precisely what Hank Galpin and Jay Billmayer have been up to for more than a decade. The two are longtime friends and hangar neighbors at Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, Montana. But first there […]
Homebuilt accidents drop to historic lows
Fatal accidents in experimental category aircraft, particularly amateur-built aircraft, continued their decline during the FAA‘s 2017 fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, falling to historic lows. For the 12-month period from Oct. 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2017, fatal accident totals in amateur-built aircraft were down 18% to just 27, compared with 33 during the […]
Retrofit market boosts avionics sales
According to the latest figures from the Aircraft Electronics Association avionics sales topped $1.73 billion in the first nine months of 2017. The third-quarter 2017 Avionics Market Report shows that worldwide business and general aviation avionics sales were up 4.1% compared to the first nine months of 2016, which saw sales of $1.66 billion. Sales during the third-quarter […]
Lancair Builder Assistance Center takes off
UVALDE, Texas — Lancair’s first production Mako customer was welcomed last week to the newly-launched Builder Assistance Center at the company’s Texas headquarters. Housed in a 10,000-square-foot climate-controlled hangar, the Builder Assistance Center provides a dedicated work environment for Lancair kit owners to complete critical aircraft assemblies or the entire aircraft. In-house factory support, including […]
FAA WINGs seminar to be streamed live online
ORONO, Maine – WINGsReality EDU will host a blended (classroom and online) WINGs seminar titled, “Becoming a Snowbird” on Tuesday, Nov. 28, from 6:30-8:30 pm EST. Does the thought of snow, ice, freezing precipitation, contaminated slippery runways, obscured airport signage and markings, short days, cold engines and airframes, fewer emergency landing spots, cold weather survival […]