There are many men who will tell you that buying an airplane very nearly resulted in divorce because their wives were dead-set against its purchase. Kenneth Spivey Jr., from Vestavia, Ala., says he had a completely different experience: “My wife actually MADE me go buy this airplane!” he said, gesturing to his 1952 Cessna 170B. […]
Aircraft
GRS Whole-Plane Rescue Systems wins patent
The rocket-assisted GRS airframe rescue systems manufactured by Galaxy High Technology of the Czech Republic has been awarded a U.S. patent for the deployment system incorporated in GRS parachute devices. “Galaxy builds the world’s fastest deploying whole-plane parachute in either high-speed or low-speed events,” said Bill Canino, President of SportairUSA, the American distributor of the […]
Icon releases spin-resistance video
Earlier this year, Icon Aircraft revealed that it had successfully completed spin-resistance testing of its A5 amphibious Light-Sport Aircraft to the standard specified by the FAA for Part 23 certified aircraft. This achievement will make the A5 the first conventional production aircraft to be designed to and fully meet this standard once it enters production, […]
Piper Seminoles get air conditioning upgrades
Piper Aircraft is adding the Kelly Aerospace ThermaCool air conditioning system to new 2012 twin-engine Piper Seminoles as an option, and making the system available via retrofit for the Seminole fleet. Kelly Aerospace Thermal Systems and Piper worked collaboratively on the FAA-approved Supplemental Type Certificate, company officials said. “The field-installable kit will be available for […]
What’s wrong with Cirrus pilots?
Despite all the safety features it has, from a glass cockpit to a whole airframe parachute, the Cirrus SR-22 has a higher fatal accident rate than most similar airplanes from other manufacturers. “Why, with every safety advantage, has this come to be true?” asks Richard Collins in his blog at Air Facts. “It can only […]
NTSB: First flight of experimentals prone to accidents
WASHINGTON, DC – A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) study found that in 2011, of the 102 crashes of experimental amateur-built aircraft built by their owners, 10 crashed on their first flights. The report also found that 14 of 125 aircraft that had been bought used and involved in accidents crashed on the new owner’s […]
Wanna go for a ride?
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Whenever someone asks…”Do you wanna go for a ride?”… I hope your default answer is yes. AeroMark‘s Thomas Hoff grabbed my elbow, pointed at Addison Pemberton’s Boeing Model 40C on his ramp and asked, “You wanna go for a ride?”. Uh, YEAH… Five minutes later, me, Tom and Ivy and Ginny […]
Dornier Seastar CD2 on world tour
Dornier Seaplane Co. recently landed its Seastar CD2 seaplane in Germany after a U.S. and Canadian demo tour. The tour encompassed more than 220 flight hours, 184 landings on land, and 154 water landings. The CD2 is currently undergoing a C-check at RUAG at Oberpfaffenhofen Airfield in Germany, before embarking on the second half of […]
The resurrection of ‘Weisse Eins’
By J. DOUGLAS HINTON Prologue: Luftwaffe Unteroffizier (Corporal) Heinz Orlowski was shot down Feb. 9, 1945, over Nazi-occupied Norway’s Fordefjord during an Allied raid of 32 Beaufighters, 10 Mustangs, and two search and rescue aircraft intent on destroying the German destroyer Z33 and support ships holed up in the fjord. Pitting his Focke Wulf 190F-8 […]