Looking for something you can turn upside down? The MX2, a two-place all carbon fiber Unlimited aerobatic airplane, is now on the market. You can see the MX2 in action at the 2005 U.S. National Aerobatic Championships in Denison, Texas, Sept. 25-30.
AMD enters LSA fray
Aircraft Manufacturing & Development Co. has entered the ready to fly Light Sport Aircraft realm with the Zodiac CH 601 XL. The aircraft is the factory built version of the company’s popular kitplane, fitted with a Continental engine. The factory-built Zodiacs will roll off the assembly line in Eastman, Ga., next door to the facility […]
Icarus and Breezer now certicated
A slew of Light Sport Aircraft earned FAA certification right before AirVenture, including the Ikarus C42 and Breezer. Sportsplanes.com imports both from Germany. The C42 is a high-wing model already popular in Europe. The low-wing Breezer was developed specifically for the Light Sport Aircraft category. Hansen AirGroup, which imports the LSA-eligible Tecnam, also had two more […]
British pilot sues DHS and TSA
A British pilot is suing the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, asking them to reveal why they think he’s a possible “threat to aviation or national security.” Robert Gray has been flying for Cape Air, a regional airline based in Massachusetts, for eight years. When offered a job with a charter […]
Pilots lie to keep, get certificates
The credibility of pilots took another hit when news media revealed that 46 California pilots had been charged with lying to get or keep their certificates. Newspapers and television stations across the nation told how the pilots – 14 of them active, seven of them holding commercial tickets – either hid medical conditions that would […]
Lancair changes name to Columbia
The Lancair Co., builder of Columbia certified aircraft, has changed its name to Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. The change should help eliminate any confusion between the company, which builds certified airplanes such as the slick Columbia 350 and 400, and Lancair International, the kit company from which the Columbia line sprang in 1998. The kit […]
A rose by any other name…
It’s rare to find a pilot who doesn’t have an aviation-related nickname. If your best buddy is named “Snake” you, by default, become “Mongoose.” If you insist on chair flying and visualizing instrument approaches before you execute them, your witty CFI might bestow the moniker “Zen” upon completion of the check ride. For the members […]
Talk about a bad landing!
Have you ever mistaken a taxiway for a runway? Even the guys that drive the big iron can make that mistake – especially at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. In the last four years eight airline crews have mistaken Taxiway Tango, which measures 9,500 feet x 100 feet and runs parallel to the runways, for a runway. […]
Love is in the air
For Mike Nass and Wendy Forseen, finding the perfect place for their June 18 wedding involved some flight planning. The couple got married aboard a historic DC-3 owned by Prairie Aviation Museum in Bloomington, Ill. The ceremony took place in the air as the DC-3 flew over the couple’s hometown of Clinton, Iowa. “It was […]