The FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin concerning fatigue cracks showing up in some ECi cylinders on Continental engines. The bulletin recommends inspecting ECi cylinder assemblies that have logged more than 500 hours on Continental 520 and 550 series engines. It suggests inspecting them every 50 hours, looking for cylinder wall fatigue cracks […]
Garmin’s GNS 400W/500W Series receives WAAS certification
Garmin’s GNS 400/500 series has earned TSO C146a Gamma-3 certification, which enables pilots to fly Lateral-Precision with Vertical (LPV) guidance approaches and receive GPS navigation via the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). The FAA also granted AML (approved model list) STC approval allowing the 400W/500W equipment to be installed on more than 980 makes and […]
Taylorcraft’s bankruptcy case thrown out of court
Bankrupt Taylorcraft Aviation LLC lost protection from its creditors Nov. 3 when U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Richard S. Schmidt dismissed its case because the company did not have legal counsel, which is required when filing Chapter 11. The judge made the decision after one of the company’s creditors objected to the Chapter 11 filing claiming that […]
Changes in Congress change user fee fight
The power shift in Washington could mean good news for pilots. “This shift in power in the House changes the picture for us on the user fee fight,” said Phil Boyer, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, “but it doesn’t mean we’ve won the battle. However, now we can be assured of a […]
Diamond’s D-Jet and hondaJet wins sports on Popular Science’s 2006 “Best of What’s New”
Both planes are in development. The D-JET, which graced the cover of our last issue, is expected to reach certification in 2008. Diamond officials call the D-JET a “personal light jet,” as opposed to a Very Light Jet. The single-engine jet is designed for the owner pilot who has about 500-700 hours and now flies […]
Aviation Technology Group update
Aviation Technology Group (ATG), which is developing the Javelin jet, reports it has hit several milestones, including completion of a Preliminary Design Review, construction of cockpit and wing mockups, transonic wind tunnel testing, and initial tooling fabrication to support production of the conforming aircraft.
FAA updates free, on-line course
The FAA has just updated its free, on-line course, “A Pilot’s Guide to Ground Icing.” The course was created by a public-private partnership including U.S. and foreign government aviation agencies, companies, and educational institutions. Also available is “A Pilot’s Guide to In-Flight Icing.” Both courses are available on-line.
Mooney goes private, announces merger
Mooney Aerospace Group, Ltd. is going private. The company, parent of the Mooney Airplane Co. in Kerrville, Texas, recently announced a merger with MAG Holding Corp, the holder of more than 90% of the outstanding stock of Mooney Aerospace. The remaining outstanding stock will be cancelled, with shareholders receiving 35 cents a share.
NTSB investiagtors site 13-knot easterly crosswind as factor in Cory Lidle fatal crash
Investigators with the NTSB say that a 13-knot easterly crosswind may have been a factor in the accident that killed Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, Oct. 11 when they crashed into a luxury high-rise apartment building in New York City. According to the NTSB, Lidle’s Cirrus SR20 was flying over […]