Adding airbags to your airplane is really a no-brainer. So says Yvonne Tillyer, director of sales for AmSafe Aviation, which produces seat belts and inflatable restraints for GA, commercial and military customers. “The technology is there for our cars, so why wouldn’t you want it in your airplane?” she asks. “It should be standard practice […]
Is your life worth $500?
Back in 1996, Ash Vij was a student pilot on a solo flight, heading his Cessna 172 to the practice area. But something just didn’t feel right. “I started feeling uncomfortable,” he remembers. “So I turned around and headed back to the airport.”After landing, he took the plane to the mechanic. “It was due for […]
Has saving lives become old hat?
Have deployments of whole-airplane parachutes become old hat? That’s what Larry Williams, president of Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS), a leader in the industry, is wondering. The company just learned about saves 189 and 190 a few months ago. Good news to report, right? Except company officials were a little puzzled about how to report the […]
Can your airplane save your life?
Could your airplane save your life? Long-time test pilot Jim Stewart is convinced the design of the prototype Sport-Jet, a composite and aluminum four-place single-engine jet, saved his life. The prototype crashed June 22 on takeoff from Colorado Springs Airport. Preliminary reports from the NTSB point to wake turbulence as the cause of the accident. […]
Air Georgia takes off
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue has launched AirGeorgia, an airport infrastructure improvement program aimed at rural GA airports across the Peach State. Perdue, a pilot who owns a Bellanca, is a staunch supporter of aviation. His latest effort is a financing program aimed at completing critical infrastruture improvements necessary to upgrade many of Georgia’s rural GA […]
Micco Aircraft back in business
A new Micco Aircraft Co. is back in business and there are some familiar faces at the new company. Dewitt Beckett, who ran the original Micco Aircraft in Florida from 1996 to 2002, has entered into an agreement to acquire the type certificate, tooling, fixtures and inventory for the Micco SP26 aerobatic sport aircraft. The […]
New Jacksonville law targets homebuilders in Florida city
Are you one of the thousands of people building an aircraft at home? How would you like it if your city council passed an ordinance outlawing this activity? Brian Kraut, a pilot and aircraft builder in Jacksonville, Fla., says that’s what happened in his town. According to Kraut, a new law, Ordinance 2006-543-E, bans the […]
Wisconsin couple’s plane becomes a canvas
You may spend hundreds of hours constructing the airframe of your homebuilt and dozens of days tinkering with the engine for the best performance, but it will most likely be the paint job that people remember. That is certainly the case for Randy and Sandy Effinger of Watertown, Wis. The Effingers’ amphibious float-mounted Zenith 701 […]
Cessna owners told to get torqued
The owners of certain Cessna 172 and 206 models will be taking their planes into the shop soon to comply with a new Airworthiness Directive concerning torque tension on fittings of the fuel line attachment. According to the FAA summary, the AD, for Cessna Models 172R, 172S, 182T, T182T, 206H, and T206H airplanes, requires inspection […]