Cessna Aircraft Co. observed the 20th anniversary of the maiden flight of the CitationJet prototype April 29. On April 29, 1991, pilots Bob Leonard and Bob Carnahan took off from Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport, reached an altitude of 10,000 feet and checked handling and trim characteristics, engine response and more. Powered by two Williams-Rolls FJ44 advanced […]
Aspen Avionics wins technology award
John Uczekaj, Aspen Avionic’s president and CEO, and Peter Lyons, Aspen’s co-founder and vice president of product management, have been recognized by New Mexico Business Weekly’s annual Who’s Who in Technology award. “At Aspen we work hard to stay on the cutting edge of avionics technology,” says Uczekaj, “and these efforts are fueled by the […]
Great Plains Air Expo to feature Altaire mockup
Piper Aircraft’s single-engine Altaire jet mockup, along with a dozen other aircraft, will be on display at the Great Plains Air Expo May 11 at America Jet at Salina Airport (SLN) in Kansas. The mockup of the high performance very light business jet has been making its way around North America. At the end of […]
Plane crashes into porta-potties
This May 2009 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: Puyallup, Wash. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The airplane had just undergone maintenance, including replacement of the […]
Lack of sleep = bad decisions
Meg Godlewski is GAN’s staff reporter and a Master CFI. Americans are sleep deprived. We work too much. We watch too much television. We spend too much time playing computer games and engaging in social media. It cuts into the time we allot for sleep. And we pay for it. Lately, control tower operators who […]
More LSAs powered by Lycoming
Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, is an expert on Light Sport Aircraft. While the Continental O-200 engine — used in several LSA — attains Chinese ownership, Lycoming appears to be making a stronger push to enlist LSA manufacturers. One example at AERO 2011 was the upgraded Tecnam Eaglet, which airshow visitors […]
Autogas returns to Norridgewock
The GAfuels Blog is written by two private pilots concerned about the future availability of fuels for piston-engine aircraft: Dean Billing, Sisters, Ore., an expert on autogas and ethanol, and Kent Misegades, Cary, N.C., an aerospace engineer, aviation sales rep for U-Fuel, and president of EAA1114. The popular Central Maine Airport of Norridgewock (OWK) in […]
Foley takes ‘wait and see’ approach to Cirrus-China deal
In March, industry consultant and investment banker Brian Foley published a report exploring the buying up of US general-aviation companies by foreign entities. In doing so, he discovered a widespread penchant for getting one particular company, Cirrus Aircraft, back under US control. A Chinese company, China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., is in the process […]
FAA administrator expresses concern about reauthorization bill
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt cautioned that he is “concerned” the level of agency funding called for in the reauthorization bill recently passed by the House of Representatives would be too low and, if enacted, could “degrade” safety and efficiency, according to an Air Transport World report.