OSHKOSH — More than 600 single-engine turboprop TBM700 and TBM850 (pictured below) in the global fleet have amassed nearly 1 million flight hours, Daher-Socata‘s Senior Vice President Nicholas Chabbert said Tuesday at AirVenture. In addition to the fleet milestone, officials reported the TBM850 Elite was certified. The Elite, which took just six months of certification work, is […]
RV-1 #1 donated to EAA
OSHKOSH — Richard “Van” VanGrunsven’s first RV-1 was donated to the EAA at a ceremony on Phillips 66 Plaza on Monday at AirVenture. “The RV-1 had a tremendous impact on the industry,” said Rod Hightower, EAA President. “It and subsequent models became the most successful kit aircraft in the country.” The community of Van’s Aircraft […]
Xtreme Decathlon unveiled at Oshkosh
OSHKOSH — Powered by the new 210-horse Lycoming AEIO-390-A1B6, American Champion Aircraft‘s Xtreme Decathlon was unveiled on opening day of AirVenture 2012. Still tagged with an experimental sticker, flight testing will begin immediately following AirVenture. “We expect an October 2012 certification,” stated Jerry Mehlhaff, Jr. The engine is paired with a 76-inch MT Propeller. “We […]
Wipaire debuts LSA float
OSHKOSH — Wipaire rolled out its new Wipline 1450 amphibious float on opening day at AirVenture 2012. The float will be approved under ASTM standards for light-sport aircraft and eventually certified under TSO for CAR 3 and Part 23 installations. “We have invited a number of LSA manufacturers to take a look at the float,” […]
Go ahead, trust your fuel gauge
OSHKOSH – A new patented digital Fuel Level Sender from Redmond, Ore.-based CIES is now available on all new production Cirrus SR22T, SR22 and SR20 aircraft. CIES anticipates additional manufacturers and retrofit installation options later this year. Scott Philiben, CEO and counder of CIES, stated that “digital level sending technology in the Cirrus Aircraft is […]
New Aircraft Spruce catalog available
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty began distributing their new 2012 catalog at EAA’s AirVenture Fly-In. Now exceeding 920 pages in length, the Aircraft Spruce catalog is available in a print format, CD format, and a PDF format. If attending AirVenture, stop by Hangar A, Booth 1023-1029 or Hangar D, Booth 4113-4114 to pick up your free copy. To request your free copy of the new Aircraft […]
UAS operation in the homeland
“According to a recent national poll conducted by Monmouth University in New Jersey, nearly two-thirds of Americans support the use of unmanned aircraft [systems] (UAS) to protect the U.S. borders and control illegal immigration. Eighty percent of Americans support the use of unmanned aircraft to help in search and rescue missions.” The above is included in Michael Toscano’s prepared testimony for the House Committee on […]
Contract v. FAA towers a 277% difference
The average annual cost difference between a contract ($537,000) and FAA ($2.025 million) tower is $1.488 million according to testimony from Calvin Scovel, DOT Inspector General at a House Transportation and Infrastructure hearing on July 18. Scovel’s numbers came from a DOT audit of the contract tower program. The audit compared “30 contract towers and […]
Seen at 2012 Arlington Fly-In
Arlington, Wash — The July 11-15 Arlington Fly-In, despite Friday thunderstorms managed to attract a wide variety of aircraft and airshow acts. See a few of the images we took over the weekend at Flickr.