WICHITA — Belite has made changes to its UltraCub cabin design, making it quicker and easier to build and also less expensive, according to company officials. The side and bottom panels that form the major outline of the cabin are now CNC cut from single pieces of aluminum. This makes it easier for the builder to […]
Experimental Aircraft
Retrofit parachutes now available for CubCrafters
YAKIMA, Wash. — Now available for the existing fleet of CubCrafters airplanes are new airframe parachute systems. In May 2016, the company introduced systems for new production Carbon Cubs. Now, retrofit parachutes may be installed at CubCrafters and at select Authorized Service Centers. The airframe parachute systems were developed in partnership with BRS Aerospace. “The extraordinarily slow stall speed, […]
As cute as a bug: The Stits Flut-R-Bug
There doesn’t seem to be a great number of Stits Flut-R-Bugs flitting about the skies today, but one did join the field of flying machines this past Labor Day at the Antique Airplane Association fly-in at Blakesburg, Iowa. At age 85, owner/builder John Banes of Fairfax, Iowa, no longer flies, so his private pilot/homebuilder son, […]
Work begins on homebuilt for disabled pilots
On Sept. 10, 2016, members of Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1083 in Salisbury, N.C., began building a Zenith CH 750 Cruzer at the chapter’s hangar at Rowan County Airport (KRUQ). Joining the build was John Robinson, the founder of AV84All, a non-profit dedicated to providing access to general aviation airplanes for everyone. The Cruzer will […]
Lancair Evolution vs. Piper M350
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 […]
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 […]