On Monday evening a Southwest Airlines flight from Nashville to New York touched down at LaGuardia. Then the sparks flew. The nose gear collapsed on roll-out, the airplane skidded to a stop, and all hell did not break loose. I repeat, nothing much happened. That same evening the ABC affiliate in the city reported that […]
Aviation News
Oil companies demand end to ethanol mandates
As described in our March 10 article, it is generally accepted that fuel companies hit the so-called blending wall this past winter, a situation where EPA blending mandates cannot be fulfilled, even if every drop of gasoline contains 10% ethanol by volume. This has unleashed the unintended consequence of RIN (Renewable Identification Number) speculation, as […]
Continental’s Chinese parent company buys Thielert assets
AVIC International Holding Corp. (AVIC International), the Chinese-based company that purchased Continental Motors in 2011, has purchased the diesel aircraft engine and manufacturing assets of the former Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH (Thielert). The acquisition, through the company’s subsidiary, Technify Motors GmbH, adds the Centurion line of electronically controlled Jet-A (diesel/kerosene) piston engines to its portfolio […]
Archer flown on autogas makes its way to Oshkosh
A Piper Archer, powered by a 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360 fueled with Airworthy AutoGas 93 Premium unleaded, was successfully flown from Vero Beach, Florida — Piper Aircraft’s home base — to Oshkosh, Wis., and will be on display at Airventure next week. Departing Vero Beach on Friday, July 19, the experimental aircraft, piloted by David Athay […]
Pilots warned of dangers of prescription, OTC drugs
The heads of general aviation’s advocacy groups recently joined FAA Administrator Michael Huerta in signing a letter to pilots reminding them of the dangers of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. According to a report at Rotor.com, an analysis shows drug impairment to be a causal or contributing factor in 12 fatal general aviation accidents over the […]
Helicopter Pilots Model Code of Conduct released
The Helicopter Pilots Model Code of Conduct (HMCC) was released last week by the project’s Permanent Editorial Board. The HMCC offers recommendations to advance helicopter flight safety, airmanship, and professionalism. Developed by a team of helicopter experts, the HMCC draws upon decades of research as well as input from key helicopter organizations in both the […]
AppStrap releases kneeboard for heavy-duty tablet cases
The AppStrap 5 has just been released for pilots using heavy-duty or military-grade iPad and tablet cases like the Otterbox Defender, Gumdrop Droptech, and Griffin Survivor. The AppStrap 5 will accommodate cases measuring less than 1 inch thick. The new kneeboard includes AppStrap’s Velcro-mating design that allows a pilot to instantly switch from portrait to […]
AvMap EKPs now compatible with iFlightPlanner
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — iFlightPlanner and AvMap have unveiled the addition of compatible technology that will allow pilots the ability to export flight routes planned using the iFlightPlanner.com Flight Wizard to their AvMap GPS navigators. iFlightPlanner features a collection of cloud-based flight planning products for the United States that are accessible via iFlightPlanner.com, mobile.iFlightPlanner.com or […]
Flight review ends in ground loop
Aircraft: Cessna 170A. Injuries: None. Location: Mulino, Oregon. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The purpose of the flight was for the private pilot to regain tailwheel currency and to complete a flight review. Following basic air-work, the CFI asked the student to perform a wheel landing. The CFI said the landing was successful, but […]