“We’ve worked really hard. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know when you are heading into one of these certification programs, and that makes it really hard to predict. Everyone falls into the trap of being maybe a little too irrationally exuberant.” Paul Schaller, president and CEO of Quest Aircraft, made that comment last […]
Fly the plane! Today’s avionics are great, but pilots still need stick and rudder skills
“Don’t forget to fly the airplane!” How many times have you heard a CFI say that? It sounds like such a simple instruction, yet when faced with a cockpit full of state-of-the-art avionics, a pilot sometimes forgets this important task. Instead, he or she is absorbed in pushing buttons and twisting knobs to program the […]
Avionics for the little guy: Dynon Avionics finds its niche in homebuilts and LSA
Selecting the right avionics package for your airplane can be almost as stressful as selecting the aircraft itself. You’ll probably ask your friends what they have and if they recommend it. It is just that kind of word-of-mouth advertising that helped Dynon Avionics expand from the homebuilt market into the realm of Light Sport Aircraft. […]
Alaska governor sponsors bill for avionics upgrade
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is trying to make flying safer by sponsoring a bill to help pilots obtain the latest in satellite-based avionics. The bill establishes a new loan program in the state’s Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development. Under the program, low interest loans will be provided for the purchase and installation of […]
Northwest Aviation Conference celebrates 25 years
The Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show celebrates its silver anniversary this month. Part trade show and part educational conference, the show is slated for Feb. 23-24 at the Puyallup Fairgrounds near Tacoma, Wash. The 25th anniversary event boasts a variety of seminars, including certificate renewal clinics and lectures on several topics, such as avionics […]
Quest makes first Kodiak delivery
Quest Aircraft delivered its first Kodiak to officials from Spirit Air on Jan. 25, in a presentation at Quest’s headquarters in Sandpoint, Idaho. Spirit Air, which plans to use the Kodiak for flights into the Alaska wilderness and Idaho back country, and for commuter and small package runs, was the lead commercial customer for the […]
Financial woes at Adam Aircraft: Company lays off 300employees as it tries to raise more capita
Adam Aircraft laid off 300 people in January in what is described by company officials as a “strategic adjustment.” The company, based in Englewood, Colo., manufactures the A500, its distinctive centerline piston twin, and is in the process of certifying its VLJ, the A700. A few days after the layoffs, Adam Aircraft President Duncan Koerbel […]
Time to upgrade? NTSB pushes pilots to put new ELTs in their plans
Have you made plans to upgrade the Emergency Locator Transmitter in your aircraft? You may want to consider it. The National Transportation Safety Board advocates replacing the 121.5 and 243.0 MHz ELTs in the country’s general aviation fleet with digital 406 MHz models. Deadline for the conversion is Feb. 1, 2009. The reason? The new […]
Pilot creates blog to celebrate airport, increase communication
One of the greatest challenges at an airport is creating open lines of communication between airport tenants and the airport sponsor. In today’s busy society it can be difficult to get the parties in the same room for a discussion, much less on the same page. One way to facilitate communication is to have conversations […]