One you build, the other you buy. Both have a long lineage. The Evolution is designed atop three-and-a-half decades of Lancair’s homebuilding experience. Piper’s M350 is a direct descendent of the original Malibu of the early 1980s. Both are pressurized. Both are fast. While many pilots prefer the flexibility and customization of a homebuilt, others prefer the […]
Experimental Aircraft
Giving disabled pilots wings
Two groups have banded together for a common goal to help disabled pilots fly. EAA Chapter 1083 and John Robinson, the founder of AV84all.org, will build a Zenith CH 750 Cruzer in Salisbury, North Carolina. The EAA chapter members will launch the build Sept. 10, 2016, at Rowan County Airport (KRUQ). “When I was first contacted by Zenith about […]
Whole-plane parachute system now available for Sportsmans
Glasair Aviation, in partnership with BRS Aerospace, now offers whole-plane parachute recovery systems for the company’s Sportsman line of aircraft. The BRS system is available immediately on new Sportsman planes as a purchase upgrade and on previously built aircraft as a retrofit. BRS Aerospace leads the industry with its aircraft ballistic recovery systems, which are credited […]
Honeywell chosen to power TriFan 600 prototype
DENVER — XTI Aircraft Company (XTI) has entered into a preliminary agreement with Honeywell International for the HTS900 engine to power XTI’s first prototype, a two-thirds piloted subscale of the TriFan 600 vertical takeoff airplane. Honeywell will also provide an additional engine for use in XTI’s Ground Propulsion Test System. XTI officials had said earlier that […]
Production begins on Commuter Craft Innovator
ATLANTA — Commuter Craft has successfully completed pre-production flight tests of Innovator ShipOne and plans to start production with six “AlphaShips” this fall. These first production aircraft will be customer built in the Commuter Craft Facility under the Experimental aircraft category. This will be followed by construction of eight “BetaShip” aircraft, leading to full general production […]
Bearhawk Bravo debuts
Bearhawk Aircraft has unveiled the Bearhawk Bravo, a refinement of the four-place Bearhawk design that established the family of Bearhawk aircraft. The Bearhawk Bravo, referred to internally as the model “B,” will be available as both a plans-built design and a Quick-Build kit. The original design and modifications are by aviator, mechanic and engineer Bob Barrows. […]
RANS introduces OUTBOUND
RANS Aircraft has unveiled its latest mode, the S-21 OUTBOUND, an all-metal airplane with STOL capability, 800+ pounds of useful load and a 500+ mile range. “This is exciting for us,” says designer Randy Schlitter, “building a big two-seater with a lot of power and aerodynamics that allow both a 150+ cruise and STOL credentials, […]
Epic Aircraft launches inaugural Odyssey World Tour
BEND, Ore. — Epic Aircraft has successfully launched its inaugural Epic Odyssey World Tour, an around-the-world journey traversing nine countries and 20 cities in 21 days, covering 15,000 nautical miles in 50 flight hours. A 26-person team comprising Epic owners, Epic Aircraft staff, pilots, guests, and photographers arrived in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 6 in six […]
NASA research plane gets X number, new name
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With 14 electric motors turning propellers and all of them integrated into a uniquely-designed wing, NASA will test new propulsion technology using an experimental airplane now designated the X-57 and nicknamed “Maxwell.” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden highlighted the agency’s first X-plane designation in a decade during a keynote speech at the American Institute […]