Weather Services International (WSI), a division of The Weather Company, recently launched a new version of Pilotbrief Optima for iPad, which includes weather enhancements, as well as usability and performance fixes. Now available as an in-flight briefing experience, the latest release — version 2.10 — runs faster and smoother while continuing to provide the weather, airport, and flight information that […]
Raisbeck now taking orders for King Air 350 props
SEATTLE — Both of Raisbeck Engineering’s newly designed propeller models for the King Air 350 have been released for customer orders. Both propellers, manufactured by Hartzell Propeller, incorporate swept-blade technology, so important in quieting cabin and cockpit noise levels, according to Raisbeck officials. The Aluminum Swept 4-Blade Propellers (above, left) will begin deliveries in January 2016, and […]
Hole in runway creates rough stop
The Aviat Aircraft A1B pilot reported that after touchdown on a grass airstrip in LaGrange, Wyo., the landing roll was normal for about 100 feet, but then the plane came to an abrupt stop, like it had hit something. It nosed over, substantially damaging the rudder and wings and minor injuries to the pilot. The […]
Send us your pictures
Our December issues will feature The Year in Pictures and we want to run the best shots from 2015 from our readers. Email your photo — and be sure to include specifics like where it was taken, the plane description, and the full name of anyone in the photo — to Editor Janice Wood. Note: Please send the largest file size […]
Pictures of the day: Flying low and slow to track wildlife
GALLATIN VALLEY, Mont. — Jim Ortman takes off frequently with a government biologist in an Aviat Husky for the kind of flights most pilots only get to dream about. An ATP rated pilot with nearly 19,000 hours logged in everything from bush planes to 747s, Ortman is comfortable flying low and slow over the Rocky […]
Can I have your autograph?
Hanging just above the desk in my office is a lithograph called “The Dealer.” The artist’s signature is included just below his mustachioed nose. It’s a self-portrait of Kurt Vonnegut, a profoundly influential writer who did more than anyone else to push me in the direction of the literary arts. Beside it is a thank-you […]
GA advocates urge Congress to support medical reform
On the eve of a U.S. Senate committee’s consideration of the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2, 17 aviation groups, including the Experimental Aircraft Association, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and those representing medical professionals and airline pilots — have signed a letter urging passage of the bill that would bring significant aeromedical reform.The bipartisan legislation, […]
Living with your plane — in a star
Making the best use of space in a hangar is a challenge. Tom Green of Marcelona, Mich., found the best solution for his two-plane hangar at his Lakes of the North Airport home, which is in the shape of a star. “The whole hangar part of the house has no walls more than a foot,” […]
International Drone Expo slated for Dec. 11-12
LOS ANGELES – With drones expected to be a holiday season must-have, a new interest in aviation is emerging from the hobbyist to professional pilots. Industry leaders and enthusiasts will gather at the International Drone Expo (IDE), to discuss the future of this developing drone economy at the Los Angeles Convention Center Dec. 11-12. “Less […]