By BRIAN WYNNE Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), also known as remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) or drones, have grown in the past few years from a niche tool to a must-have holiday toy and business asset. The increasing availability of this technology has led many new enthusiasts to take to the skies, sometimes in places where […]
General Aviation
San Diego pilots win Hayward Air Rally
An early summer heatwave in Northern California presented challenging flying conditions for 20 airplanes competing in the 51st annual Hayward Air Rally, held June 11-13. The longest continually-held flying event of the type in North America, this proficiency challenge offers aviators the opportunity to demonstrate their airmanship skills of fuel planning and cross-country flight without […]
Video: New accident case study released
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA) Air Safety Institute has released “Final Approach,” the latest in a series of accident case studies. This episode explores the dangers of flying in low instrument conditions with a dwindling fuel supply. The January 2013 accident involved a Piper Arrow that struck trees while attempting to make a dead-stick emergency […]
New Avidyne software removes AD
Avidyne has received FAA certification of Release 10.1 software for the IFD540 FMS/GPS/NAV/COM systems. Release 10.1 (R10.1) includes the software required to remove the Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) regarding limitations on GPS approaches with specific leg types that was issued in May to existing owners of Avidyne IFD540 systems. With the R10.1 upgrade, this AD can […]
Tailwind during flare bends Cub
The accident happened when the pilot of the CubCrafters Cub was attempting a landing at a backcountry airstrip in Payson, Ariz. During the landing flare, the plane floated longer than expected and drifted to the left. The pilot added full power to go around, but it was not soon enough to keep the left main […]
Pictures of the day: The last toy to go
John Watkins sent in this collection of a “random selection of pictures taken from my PA18 Super Cub,” he thought our readers would find interesting. The first is his 1976 PA18 that he’s owned for 33 years, what he calls “the last toy to go.”
Technology lost: A very real possibility
Modern society exists in its present form, all over the world, because humans have developed, deployed, and adapted to technologies that make our lives easier, more pleasant, and longer than ever before. Every phase of life is improved to some degree by the availability of technologies we use without the slightest thought. These technologies are […]
Carbon Cub Builder Assist program launches
YAKIMA, Wash. — Backcountry aircraft manufacturer CubCrafters has launched a new builders assist program for the Carbon Cub. The Carbon Cub FX Builder Assist immerses new owners in the construction of the aluminum, steel and composite parts that make up the Carbon Cub, allowing the customer to know their aircraft in the way only an aircraft builder can, […]
NASA picks six ‘wild ideas’ to study
It never hurts to ask. In that spirit, six teams of NASA’s aeronautical innovators are about to take the plunge and ask if the novel ideas they have come up with have the potential to transform aviation as we know it, extending the frontier of what’s possible with flight. Imagine an electrically-propelled airliner whose fuselage […]