When David Porter took his first flight in his RV-7 on Nov. 24, 2017, he probably didn’t know he was making history. The Martinsburg, W.Va., pilot’s plane became the official 10,000th Van’s RV aircraft to transition from a collection of parts and take to the skies. “We say ‘official’ because there are certainly more than […]
Experimental Aircraft
New Carbon Cub unveiled
CubCrafters has introduced two new variants of the Carbon Cub model: The Carbon Cub EX-3 and FX-3. The Carbon Cub EX-3 is an experimental amateur built (E-AB) kit, and the Carbon Cub FX-3 is the company’s FX (Factory eXperimental) builder assist version. Both feature a more powerful, fuel-injected engine, constant-speed propeller, and higher 2,000 pound […]
Homebuilt accidents drop to historic lows
Fatal accidents in experimental category aircraft, particularly amateur-built aircraft, continued their decline during the FAA‘s 2017 fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, falling to historic lows. For the 12-month period from Oct. 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2017, fatal accident totals in amateur-built aircraft were down 18% to just 27, compared with 33 during the […]
Lancair Builder Assistance Center takes off
UVALDE, Texas — Lancair’s first production Mako customer was welcomed last week to the newly-launched Builder Assistance Center at the company’s Texas headquarters. Housed in a 10,000-square-foot climate-controlled hangar, the Builder Assistance Center provides a dedicated work environment for Lancair kit owners to complete critical aircraft assemblies or the entire aircraft. In-house factory support, including […]
First flights of Bearhawk Patrols
AUSTIN, Texas – Bearhawk Aircraft reported the recent first flights of five amateur-built Bearhawk Patrol aircraft. These builder-pilots join several others who completed their Bearhawks in 2017 and include a Bearhawk LSA completion and a couple who built matching aircraft. Additionally, the company released a new video showcasing the Bearhawk Aircraft kit factory. First Flights […]
Advanced Aero Components buys Glasair II and III assets
REDDING, Calif. – Advanced Aero Components (AAC) has bought the assets of both the Glasair II and III from Glasair Aviation. The acquisition includes all tooling, parts inventory, and intellectual property related to both models. “Customer support to more than 2,000 existing builders and owners will continue into the future for all existing aircraft,” said […]
What’s wrong with experimental pilots?
That’s the question Richard Collins asks in a new blog post at Air Facts. He notes: “The higher incidence of accidents in experimental aircraft is just as logical as the fact that the fatal accident rate in private (general) aviation is almost infinitely higher than it is in airline flying. When more freedom is granted […]
First flight: Scaled Composites experimental jet
Scaled Composites‘ most recent project, an experimental jet known as Model 401, made its first flight Oct. 11, 2017. Officials with Scaled report they worked with a customer to build two vehicles to demonstrate advanced, low-cost manufacturing techniques and to provide aircraft for research flight services to the aviation industry and the United States government. […]
Fun flying in the Kitfox Speedster
On Wednesday of AirVenture 2017, air show star Kyle Franklin took to the skies in a new airplane: The 2017 Kitfox Speedster. The performance and plane got so much attention that he flew it again in Sunday’s closing day airshow. What many people don’t know is that Sunday’s performance was “25 years to the day” […]