The Stearman is a classic of modern aviation, which inspired MotoArt to create a series of Stearman Wing Conference Tables. Each is custom sized in length up to 24 feet. Clients can determine final colors of the wooden spruce spars and base support legs. Finishing touches include tempered glass that is custom cut to maintain […]
Aircraft
China city resuscitates Liberty Aerospace
Details of a deal announced earlier this month show that a Chinese city may be single-handedly resuscitating Liberty Aerospace with a $28 million deal that includes the purchase of 50 Liberty XL2s, according to a report at AVweb. That report notes that Liberty sold just three aircraft in 2011, all in the first quarter.
Back in formation
By RaeAnn Slaybaugh A retired military and TWA pilot trades in the big jets for his own vintage Chinese training aircraft — and rediscovers a 41-year-old passion for deceptively challenging formation flying. If you’ve ever attended the annual COPPERSTATE Fly-In & Aviation Expo, held every October at the municipal airport in Casa Grande, Ariz., the […]
Eclipse Aerospace adds anti-skid brakes as option
Eclipse Aerospace has added an Anti-Skid Braking System as a new option for the Eclipse twin-engine jet. The new Anti-Skid Braking System (ABS) is available as an option on the new production Eclipse 550 jets and will be offered as a retrofit to the existing fleet, company officials said. In-aircraft testing is complete with certification […]
LSA America breaks ground at IXA
LSA America, which produces the Allegro Light-Sport Aircraft, has broken ground on a new 16,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport (IXA) in North Carolina. According to a report at RRSpin.com, the company expects to make the move from its current location in Littleton in May.
Piper delivers 500th Meridian
Piper Aircraft recently rolled out the 500th pressurized single-engine turboprop M-Class Meridian to SouthEast Piper for delivery to the aircraft’s new Florida-based owner. “The milestone delivery of the 500th Piper Meridian, since first delivery in the year 2000, emphasizes its enduring value proposition even during recent periods of economic uncertainty around the world,” said Piper […]
The power of purple
“I’ve never seen one that color before!” That’s what people usually say when they first set eyes on the Cessna 152 owned by Mary Rosenblum of Troutdale, Ore. Unlike so many airplanes that are predominantly white with an accent color, in the sunlight Rosenblum’s aircraft appears purple, as in Barney the Dinosaur was the painter. […]
Aging aircraft researcher identifies optimal teardown process
WICHITA — Unlike most researchers at the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), Melinda Laubach-Hock doesn’t focus on new high-tech aircraft materials. That’s because she is the director of the Aging Aircraft Laboratory, where disassembling, inspecting and documenting the condition of out-of-service aircraft is the norm. Laubach-Hock’s recent doctoral dissertation, “Structural Teardown and Analysis: Evolution […]
FAA issues two Piper ADs
The FAA published two airworthiness directives this week that affect the Piper general aviation fleet. According to a report at AVweb.com, a final rule published on Monday affects 3,100 Piper Comanches, requiring inspections of the stabilator horn assembly, at a cost of about $1,000 per airplane. If the assembly needs to be replaced, it would […]