Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

When pilots think about stepping up to a high performance aircraft, the Beechcraft Bonanza, is often on their short list. And for most pilots who rent or own a complex aircraft, such as the Bonanza that one of the best ways to remain safe in these aircraft is to become a member of an aircraft type club, like the American Bonanza Society, which is in the news because it's celebrating its 50th anniversary. We sit down with down with Tom Turner, Executive Director of the American Bonanza Society's Air Safety Foundation, and ask him to talk in general about the many the services and benefits pilots typically get when they join a Aircraft Type Clubs, of which there are more than 100, and then we drill down and talk about the specifics of the American Bonanza Society and the services they provide for Beechcraft Bonanza owners and pilots. Click here for the listener survey. Tell us which plane you fly most often. Please visit my new Patreon page and help me with my goal of funding the creation of two apps for my show, one for Apple and one for Google Play, so that non-techie pilots can find the show in the app store. You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I'll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

Air Canada flight 759 had a near miss last week, when it inadvertently lined up to land on a taxiway instead of on the runway. The FlightAware online tracking service showed the Air Canada Airbus 320 dropping to as low as 175 feet before increasing altitude above Taxiway C, flying over three fully loaded United Airlines and one Philippine Airlines airliners. At 11:55 p.m., the time of the incident, Runway 28L was closed with its lights dark, according to the FAA. It's possible that shifted the Air Canada pilot's orientation to the right, leading him to think that Taxiway C was actually runway 28R. We talk about the key reason that a disaster was narrowly averted, and how that applies to pilots flying general aviation aircraft. We also talk about the poorly understood squelch controls on radios and intercoms and how to set them properly. And about how to operate the switches on older audio panels found in 1960s through 1980s Cessnas and Pipers. Plus listener questions: Should you Dive and Drive on an instrument approach? How should a future CFI learn to land from the right seat? What should you do if you violate the minimum altitudes over a wildlife or marine sanctuary? Click here for the survey. Tell us which plane you fly most often. Please visit my new Patreon page and help me with my goal of funding the creation of two apps for my show, one for Apple and one for Google Play, so that non-techie pilots can find the show in the app store. You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I'll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email. News Stories Air Canada Near Miss a near disaster at SFO FAA Opens Short Window For ATC Hiring Armed Man Shot and Killed after Failed Helicopter Theft Privatization Update Volvo parent company in China acquires flying-car maker Terrafugia You can now buy the Moller Skycar Van's New Secret Project FAA TO ACTIVATE TEMPORARY RESTRICTED AREAS DESPITE OBJECTIONS Canadian heavy lift Solar Ship has Fossil Fuel Free Flight 1,500th PC-12 Delivered To Royal Flying Doctor Service Of Australia Teachers field test aviation curriculum

Please take the Aviation News Talk podcast July 2017 Listener survey! Click here for the survey. Tell us which plane you fly most often. Please visit my new Patreon page and help me with my goal of funding the creation of two apps for my show, one for Apple and one for Google Play, so that non-techie pilots can find the show in the app store. You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I'll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email. In this podcast, I pass along over 20 tips for student pilots and private pilots that CFIs thought would be so obvious that they didn't need to tell their students. Of course they were all obvious in hindsight! For example, for a first solo, the CFI hops out, the student taxies away, and then flies the around the pattern. You'd think it would be obvious that they need to lock the door after the CFI hops out. But it wasn't obvious to one student, who had the door open in flight….on his first solo. Plus listener email: We talk about how to prevent a jet-fuel aircraft, like the DA42 from being accidentally fueled with Avgas, which would destroy the engines. And, someone asks via Twitter, do people usually do flight training in only one type of aircraft when going for a private pilot certificate? Links Can You Be A Pilot With Diabetes? Teterboro Circling Conundrum News Stories Wheels Up to buy 17 more King Airs Kent State Holds Aviation Hackathon Video of first flight of Belite Chipper A Cessna 172 flew from Nome to Russia New Mufflers for Cessna 150, 152, and 172 All-Electric Eviation Makes Debut at Paris Air Show Airbus Unveils Hybrid Helicopter Design First flight: Sonaca 200 Belgium drops fee for Permit aircraft flights CAA exempts holders of FAA private pilot licences FAA has certified the new GA10 Airvan, turboprop Airservices Australia rolls out online weather cameras Aircraft owners and operators fear higher insurance premiums Long Beach Bids Adieu to DC-3s STC approved for night vision Air Tractor Stockholm Is Turning Its Original Control Tower Into a Vacation Rental

ATC Privatization On June 22, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives released H.R. 2997, the AIRR Act, calling for the privatization of Air Traffic Control in the U.S. Later, both EAA, the Experimental Aircraft Association, and NBAA, the National Business Aviation Association, issued an urgent call for members to contact their representatives in Congress to oppose ATC privatization. AOPA, the Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association, also sent a call for their members to contact their representations just before we published this show, which is why we weren't able to mention them in the podcast. Please take action by going to govt.eaa.org to generate a letter to your representatives in Congress. Please support my show by checking out my new Patreon Page. You will ultimately find lots of free posts on the page. To kick things off, I just posted a pdf of the Delta Airlines study on privatization, which you can download and read for free now. I've also posted results of an ATC Privatization survey of US pilots conducted of Airplane Geeks podcast listeners in February 2017. Please consider supporting my show with contributions of as little as $2 per month, also at my Patreon page. Today, I'm devoting this entire episode to privatization. I'll be playing audio clips from the President, members of Congress, Airline CEOs, EAA CEO Jack Pelton, and from pilots in other countries that have privatized their air traffic control system. I'll also share results of a survey of pilot podcast listeners on privatizing ATC. And to help me, I'm joined by Senior Editor of Flying Magazine, Rob Mark. You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I'll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email. Audio Clip sources Review of Air Traffic Control Reform Proposals - Hearing Before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure House of Representatives. February 10, 2016. Video Hearing Transcript Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: Federal Aviation Administration Authorization - Hearing Before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure House of Representatives June 8, 2017. Video Full Committee Markup - Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure House of Representatives. June 27, 2017. Video

Please take the Aviation News Talk podcast 2017 Listener survey! Click here for the survey. In this podcast, I explain the effects of hot weather on the general aviation airplanes and pilots. We talk about how to calculated density altitude, which is altitude compensated for non-standard pressure and temperature. We also talk about how humidity can also affect density altitude by as much as 32%, especially at lower altitudes. We also discuss the effects on human physiology and give tips for what pilots can do to minimize the effects of heat on themselves while preflighting and flying general aviation aircraft. Plus listener email: we also discuss the new rules under which you can use an IFR-certified GPS when flying a VOR instrument approach, and how fuel pumps meters are certified by local counties to assure that you get the exact amount of fuel that you pay for. You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I'll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email. News Stories Heat Wave Sweeping the Southwest Affects the Airlines Flight 3407 families may face off against top Air Force general on ATP Requirements FAA Privatization Debate Presents Problem for Smaller Airports AOPA Working on PIREP Procedures French Pilot Bruno Vezzoli Crosses English Channel in a Flying Car AeroMobil Unveils Flying Car E-Volo Announces Test Flights of Autonomous Air Taxis in Dubai SureFly electric helicopter at Paris Air Show FlyHonda Program Allows Owners to Fly Their Fractional Jets AOPA offers ADS-B selector tool Cirrus Aircraft will outfit Lufthansa training fleet with 25 planes

Please take the Aviation News Talk podcast 2017 Listener survey! Click here for the survey. In this podcast, I explain how to properly do a magneto ground check before engine shutdown, to assure you won't have a hot prop if you move the propeller by hand. This is a followup to a much longer discussion on magneto and hot props in episode 13. You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I'll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email. News Stories Diesel Cessna Skyhawk JT-A Awarded FAA Certification Saturday's Beechjet Flameout Marks Fifth in Type Alternative bill to ATC Privatization introduced NTSB Pilot shuts off one engine before fatal plane crash near Haines New cataract-correcting replacement lens approved Paris Airshow Preview Lancair Brings Back Mako Merlin PSA Quick-Build Kit Earns FAA 51% Approval Navajo Strikes Gator In Orlando Plus listener email: We explain static electricity and how static wicks work to dissipate it from an aircraft, a listener asks why flying in IMC seems so different from flying under a hood, two pilots asks about which ADS-B alternative to install in their aircraft, a pilot asks how to stay current flying in four different airplanes, and a listener from Belgium ask why in the U.S. the FAA refers to pilot certificates instead of pilot licenses and flyers are called airmen and not pilots. In Flight Problems If an engine becomes rough during flight, it could be because one magneto has developed a timing problem. In that case, switch to the L and R positions to see if the engine runs better in one of those positions. If it does, leave the magneto switches or key in that position for the rest of the flight and report the problem to your mechanic. Shutdown Mag Check Some checklists say to switch the mag switches or key very briefly to the Off position, so you can hear if the engine is stopping. If it is, that verifies that both mags are properly grounded. Then before the engine quits, switch back to the Both position and shut down the engine properly by pulling the mixture to idle. If there's a mag key, it's important that you do this check by turning all the way to the Off position, and not just turn to the L and R positions, as some CFIs insist. Turning to the L and R positions checks part of the grounding system, but it doesn't check whether the switch itself works in the Off position! It's not unusual for an older switch to become corroded and fail to work in one position, so definitely do the shutdown mag check by switching briefly to the Off position. Do the mag checks and engine shutdown procedures properly, and you will greatly enhance your safety when you move a prop.

Garmin recently announced that their low-cost, G5 Electronic Flight Instrument will now be available for use in certificated aircraft. It fits directly into a standard 3 1/8 inch hole used for instruments in most aircraft, which reduces installation time and cost. In this Newsmakers episode of the Aviation News Talk podcast, we interview Garmin software engineer Joe Gepner, who helped design the G5. The Garmin G5 is a direct replacement for a round-gauge attitude indicator, and it was originally introduced for experimental and LSA aircraft in July 2016. Pricing of that version starts at $1199. Later, Garmin introduced a second page in the G5 that displays a HSI, so that it can also be used as a direct replacement for a DG, heading indicator, or HSI. If a pilot has two of these instruments in an aircraft and the one displaying the attitude indicator fails, the G5 displaying an HSI can be switched in flight to display the attitude indicator. In May 2017, Garmin announced a version of the G5 Electronic Flight Instrument that can be used to retrofit attitude indicators and DG/heading indicators in over 600 models of the most common certificated aircraft. That makes it easy for Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft and other aircraft owners to easily retrofit their aircraft with a low cost glass panel display. A single Garmin G5 for certificated aircraft sells for about $2500, and includes an installation kit, magnetometer and 4-hour backup battery. When configured as a attitude indicator replacement, the Garmin G5 looks like a miniature version of a Garmin G1000 PFD (primary flight display). Like the G1000, it displays the six primary flight instruments: airspeed, altitude, vertical speed, an attitude indicator, HSI, and turn coordinator with slip/skid indicator. It also displays ground speed and ground track from a built-in GPS. The experimental/LSA version of the Garmin G5 also has a built-in autopilot. To use it, two optional servo motors need to be installed. Listen to episode 14 of the Aviation News Talk podcast now to learn more about how owners can retrofit older aircraft with the Garmin G5 to add glass cockpit features and reliability to these planes. Please take the Aviation News Talk podcast 2017 Listener survey! Click here for the survey. You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I'll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

Please take the Aviation News Talk podcast 2017 Listener survey! Click here for the survey. In this podcast, we talk about hot props, magnetos, and how moving a propeller can result in your death. I had never seen a video of a propeller starting accidentally, but while researching this episode I found one, and I've included a link to it here. You'll see that pilot was shocked when the engine started and that he barely escaped serious injury. We also talk about magnetos, which are the culprits that can lead to a hot prop. We'll discuss the mag check that most pilots do during their runup before takeoff, and how to use it to make sure you don't have a hot prop. I wanted to talk about this because I run into many experienced pilots who are not aware of how to determine whether they have a hot prop, or of safe ways to move a propeller by hand. You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I'll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email. News Stories NTSB: Jet made late approach maneuver before deadly crash High-tech airship is under construction in a Silicon Valley hangar Virginia Man Pleads Guilty To Selling Parts From Marine One Squadron Travolta Gives 707 To Museum Jet owned by Elvis auctioned after sitting 35 years Top Gun Sequel Coming 'Soon' To A Theater Near You Plus listener email: A Private pilot asks how much flight instruction he can legally and safely give to his wife who is a student pilot.

Please take the Aviation News Talk podcast 2017 Listener survey! Click here for the survey. News Stories Budget details show White House planning to privatize ATC Pilots flocking to BasicMed Helicopter an Ag pilots unhappy with drone ruling New Commercial ACS published; slow flight is changing again Winds severely damage small planes at North Texas airport Stratos 714 single engine personal jet update Remote Control tower tested at London City Airport Cirrus Vision Jet and Piper M600 receive EASA certification First flight for "New" K-Max heavy lift helicopter Monopoly: The Aviation Collector's Edition Board Game Plus an overview of traffic systems and details on TIS (traffic information service), how it works, and its limitations, and listener email on avoiding unstable approaches by planning your descent. You can also Dictate a listener question from your phone and I'll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

News Stories Arizona flight instructor jailed in Kansas Cessna ending production of Citation Mustang FAA complying with "two-for-one" executive order GA piston sales increased. Cirrus #1 in piston shipments Air Wisconsin offers cash bonuses for pilots Remote ATC tower testing continues in Leesburg, VA New Garmin Heads Up Display (HUD) AOPA Scholarship deadlines coming up FAA Publishes Clearance Delivery Phone numbers Skydiver drops from drone Colorado approves new Aviation license plate Piper Aztec strikes truck and loses landing gear Plus discussion on the limitations of portable ADS-B receivers, and listener questions on BasicMed and reducing the cost of flight training. You can also Dictate a listener question from your phone and I'll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

The Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet is a single-engine jet priced just under $2 million. In this episode, we review the Cirrus jet during a trip to the Cirrus Customer Experience Vision Center in Knoxville, TN. If you are trying to decide between buying a new Cirrus SR20, SR22, or a slightly used one, or if you're considering buying a SF50 Vision Jet, please contact me early in the process so I can help you with that evaluation. I specialize in the Cirrus and work with people around country. If you enjoyed this show, please support it by telling your aviation friends, or leaving a review in the Apple podcast app, or by signing up for my courses at PilotLearning.com. You can also Dictate a listener question from your phone and I'll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

Dictate a listener question from your phone, or send an email. News stories Icon A-5 CrashForeFlight and Jeppesen collaboration FAA Spending Bill Signed into Law Pilots flock to BasicMed Decline in number of ATPs issues Court Orders Review of FAA Deal To Close Santa Monica Airport FAA issues warning on using commercial checklists First commercial two-seater solar plane flies General aviation in China could amount to $40 billion Skydiver in Denmark dangles from C182 for an hour

Dictate a listener question from your phone, or send an email. Max interviewed on the Prebuy Guys podcast. News stories Former pilot headed to jail for 10 months for breaking a FAR Doctor dies in Cirrus SR22 crash 22 days after buying airplane and Max discuss's why pilots often crash soon after buying an airplane. Planes of Fame Air Show will be held in spite of lawsuit. Santa Monica identifies safety problems with shortening runway at KSMO. New GPS approaches implemented for KSMO. Banning, CA city council votes to close airport. Cubcrafters now the most popular LSA aircraft. Glasair Sportsman moving from kits to certificated aircraft. Evolution Aircraft Expands Lineup

Dictate a listener question from your phone, or send an email. Max talks about the planning he's doing now for a cross country trip from Palo Alto California to the Dallas, Texas area in a Diamond DA42NG. He looks at the weather forecast, the route, altitudes, and the many items that he's bring along for the trip. Best of all, you can follow the trip by following N616SA in flightaware.com, if you're listening to this episode on Friday, April 28.

Nailing airspeed in the Cirrus SR22, How do you become a CFI flight instructor, general aviation culture, feds raid flight school, air marshall leaves gun in Delta lavatory, & GA News. Dictate a listener question from your phone, or send an email. News stories FAA releases BasicMed Checklist and approves AOPA's online course. Airplane crash wasn't noticed by more than 20 pilots who flew out of the same airport later that day and was only reported to emergency responders 21 hours later. NTSB Calls for Changes to Pirep Creation and Dissemination Education Efforts Federal agents with a search warrant seized records from American Flight Academy NTSB squarely blames pilot's judgement for plane crash near Silverton that killed him and three others CAFE Symposium Moves To Oshkosh Garmin Pilot introduces European flight plan filing, plus major Android updates Can you Fly IFR in an LSA U.S. Air Marshal Left Loaded Gun in an Airplane Bathroom Listener question: How do you become a CFI? Dispatcher Mike of the Flying and Life podcast discusses the airlines use of Part 135 charter aircraft.

[caption id="attachment_163" align="alignleft" width="174"] Aviation News Talk #1 in iTunes.[/caption] Aviation News Talk was #1 in the Aviation category of iTunes this week. Totally cool! Thanks for listening! A Crash that sent pilot to closed runway prompts FAA changes. When pilot Joseph Milo reported engine trouble, an air traffic controller directed him to a nearby airfield. But the airfield had actually closed 25 years earlier, and industrial buildings occupied its former runway. Milo crashed a quarter-mile away and died. His death prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to update its procedures to include weekly accuracy checks of its radar video maps The FAA has adopted a new airworthiness directive, effective Wednesday, in response to a report of an event aboard an American Champion Aircraft Corp. airplane. Specifically, a pilot reported dealing with a stuck aileron during a flight in his Super Decathlon (model no. 8KCAB), and while he was able to "un-stick" the aileron and land successfully, the subsequent examination of the aircraft uncovered a "cracked structure around several of the aileron hinges," according to the AD. Area Forecasts (FA) to be discontinued in October 2017. AOPA Regional Fly-in at Camarillo, CA on April 28-29 EAA officials announced this week that the Founder's Innovation Prize competition will continue through 2020, with five years' worth of finalists eligible for a major grand prize. Each year's competition welcomes ideas to counter loss of control accidents in amateur-built aircraft. Five aircraft violated air restrictions during President Trump's 4-day Easter weekend stay at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday. If you're keeping track there have been 13 weekends since the President was inaugurated on Friday, January 20. Seven of those weekends have been spent in Palm Beach. So pilots in Florida going to have to get used to the fact that it appears that on any given weekend, there's a greater than 50% chance there will be a 30 NM TFR around Palm Beach. So far, those visits have averaged over 3 days per visit. A Southwest Airlines pilot has been arrested on a weapons charge in New York after airport security officers found a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple says 55-year-old Erik Gibson was slated to pilot a flight to Tampa, Florida, on Monday morning when TSA officers found the gun during routine screening. Over the weekend a Cessna 208 lost power and landed in a field safely in Texas. And there's a winner…for the Red Bull races in San Diego last weekend. Japanese pilot Yoshi Muroya placed first. Stemme AG, best known for its high-end motor gliders, the S10 and S12, has announced its merger with Remos AG, the German maker of the GX light sport aircraft. [caption id="attachment_164" align="alignleft" width="300"] Volocopter 2X. Photo by Ute Stumpf[/caption] More new models from Friedrichshafen, Germany show. e-Volo shows 2X Volocopter on sale in 2018. The German company plans to certify the two-seat 2X under a new German Ultralight category being created for 2018 and offer the 2X for sale next year. The first Public Showing Of The 11-seat Tecnam P2012 Traveller. Australia International Airshow was held last month at the Avalon Airport Video from ThePlaneSpotterHD on Youtube. The boys for the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast released a new episode yesterday in which they did interviews at the Avalon Airport. So if you want to know more about the Avalon show, look for episode 130 of the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast. FAA ATC Privatization Update. AP Story. NBAA story. Deadly Cockpit Distractions. We talk about how to identify them when they occur, and what to do once you identify them.

Interview with Rod Rakic, founder of FlyOtto.com, on a creative alternative to United's current policy of bumping paying passengers to seat airline employees: On demand charter aircraft. This week, United Airlines is in the news for the PR disaster they created on the ground at the Chicago O'Hare Airport when they dragged a passenger off a plane to make room for airline employees who need to get to Louisville to crew a flight the next today. The passenger, Dr. David Dao, screamed as officers pulled him out of his seat. They slammed his face into the armrest and then dragged him, apparently unconscious, by his arms along the aircraft's aisle. In the aftermath, FlyOtto, an on-demand air charter service, made an interesting offer to United Airlines.

Delta aids downed SR22, Cessna 182s seem nose heavy but aren't. Here's why + how-to tips for landings that won't crunch the nose gear. 182s and Bonanza hit by expensive service bulletin. Click here to send a Listener Question you'd like answered on the show. If you're thinking of buying a new or late model Cirrus SR20 or SR22, please contact me as early in your decision making process as possible, so that I can provide you the most assistance. Landing Technique in the Cessna 182 The Cessna 182 is an excellent aircraft, but it has one knock against it that's undeserved. Many pilots say the Cessna 182 is "nose heavy," making it difficult to land. I respectfully disagree. The Cessna 182 is not difficult to land, IF you know how to land it properly and remain proficient through practice. And while calling it "nose heavy," seems to match what pilots experience when landing the aircraft, an aeronautical engineer would blanch at that description. The C182 balances at its center of gravity like any other aircraft; the front end is NOT heavier than the back end. It is true that nose wheel damage and bent firewalls are common for 182s that have spent their lives as rental aircraft. So yes, it's easier to make a bad landing in a 182 than in a 172. And those bad landings often involve the nose wheel hitting the runway before the main wheels touch down. If you want to know three simple steps for better C182 landings, skip to the end of this article. If you want to know why those steps work so well, listen to this episode! General Aviation News Two people on board a plane that crashed into the side of a mountain at Olympic National Park in Washington state on Sunday evening have survived after making a distress call picked up by a nearby Delta Air Lines flight. A new Service Bulletin from Continental Motors is going to cost some Cessna 182 and Beech Bonanza owners may have to shell out big bucks in the next hundred hours because of an engine service bulletin. The Red Bull Air Race World Championship makes a welcome return to San Diego on the 15-16 April 2017. Diamond Aircraft launched three new diesel-powered singles at Aero Friedrichshafen. They are the four-place DA50-IV, five-place DA50-V and seven-place DA50-VII with 230-, 260- and 360-horsepower Safran/SMA diesels. The -VII will also be available with a 375-horsepower Lycoming gas engine or a Ukranian turboprop. The DA-50-V was on display at the show and is shown below; click for full size images. [caption id="attachment_153" align="alignleft" width="278"] DA-50-V. Photo by Ute Stumpf[/caption] [caption id="attachment_157" align="alignnone" width="281"] Diamond DA-50 Interior. Photo by Ute Stumpf[/caption] Airbus has abandoned its plan to produce the electric E-Fan two-seater as a ready-for-sale training aircraft. Instead they will build a 2 mega watts demonstrator that will be a prototype for an electric powered airliner. Electric-powered aircraft will gather for a fly-in at the Grenchen airport in Switzerland, Sept. 9-10, the first event of its kind in Europe. Walter Extra has further cemented his status as a legendary figure in aviation, setting a new world electric airplane speed record in March to go with the electric time-to-climb mark he set in November. The STC Group has received an STC for the installation kit for the non-TSO'd Trio Pro Pilot digital autopilot into dozens of models of Cessna 172s and 182s, with more to follow soon. Avidyne expects to have a wireless hotspot of some kind certified by 2018. Owners of U.S.-registered, fixed-wing, single-engine piston aircraft that are not currently equipped with Version 2 of ADS-B Out are eligible for a $500 rebate Rebates are still available and they are being issued on a first-come, first-served basis until 20,000 are claimed or until the end of the one-year program, whichever comes first. Eligible aircraft owners can reserve a rebate until Sept. 18, 2017, the program's last day to accept reservations, if any are still available. Flight Design has announced a new LSA model, the KLA-100, a two-seat training aircraft. A new company announced plans to build a Finnish LSA amphib in Maine. The Atol Avion will be built at Brunswick Landing, the former NAS Brunswick. Mark and Conrad Huffstutler are the new owners of the Lancair. They plan to support the models from the 320 on up, and will eventually be putting effort into the new Mako – a four seat, fixed-main-gear aircraft with a retracting nose gear. Lancair Owners & Builders Association is having a gathering in Sante Fe, NM, August 31-September 3. U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and Sen. James Inhofe sent a letter requests the FAA include funding to provide air traffic and safety services at major aviation events, like EAA AirVenture, in its budget for the next year.

Podcast Show Notes - Ep 2 After the News, I give my review of my flight in a 2017 Cirrus SR22 G6, which uses the Perspective+ glass cockpit. Here's a list of some features from that review. For full details, or if you're trying to decide between buying a new or used Cirrus, contact me and I can give you some guidance on the tradeoffs. For anyone interested in eventually buying the SF50 Cirrus jet, you may want to start your training in a 2017 Cirrus SR22 G6, since it has virtually the same cockpit! Most of the features differences I discuss about the 2017 Cirrus SR22 G6 are related to differences between the Perspective and Perspective+ avionics. But there are some external differences. For example, the Cirrus has keyless entry, so you can unlock it with a key fob. When you do, the new light tubes which wrap around the length of the wing tips illuminate. The lights stay on until you climb above 300 feet, when they switch to a pulsating "wig-wag" functionality, which greatly enhances the plane's visibility to other pilots. Some of the 2017 Cirrus SR22 G6 features you'll find inside include: Cell phone storage pocket on front of pilot seat. Optional automatic yaw damper turns on at 200 feet and off at 300 feet Weight & Balance page lets you enter weights, fuel, TKS, baggage, & plots position on graph. QWERTY keyboard makes it easier to enter flight planes At shutdown, flight plan saved and transponder set to 1200 Can load a Visual Approach to any runway using the PROC key Choice of Straight in, which takes you to a 5.1 mile final Or Vectors, which provides a curved path to a 1.4 mile final Visual approach also calculates a descent profile to fly Option to display sectionals, IFR high, or IFR low en route charts on MFD You can transfer flight plans between the airplane and an iPad or smartphone On Traffic Page, turn knob to sequentially view info for each aircraft Some of the new 2017 Cirrus SR22 G6 features on the PFD include: Can displays maps in HSI on PFD Coms – displays name of facility you're talking to Aircraft Callsign displayed on PFD near Coms SurfaceWatch displays description of where you are located on ground Groundspeed displayed next to TAS at bottom of Airspeed tapeCirrus says the Perspective+ has ten (10x) times faster processing speed than prior Cirrus Perspective® avionics. I found no delays in using the displays. If you're interested in the new 2017 SR20, it has a power upgrade to a Lycoming IO-390 engine with 215hp! And it comes with a useful load increase up to 150lbs more. It also has the same wingtip lights and Perspective+ found in the 2017 Cirrus SR22 G6. General Aviation News ForeFlight Glide Advisor™️ helps you to quickly assess your landing options in case you ever lose engine power in flight. Using terrain, GPS data, and your aircraft's best glide speed and ratio, ForeFlight shapes a glide range ring around your own ship icon on the moving map display. When Garmin released its NXi upgrade of the G1000 integrated flight deck in January, it also announced the new visual approach feature, and that has now been added to the GTN 650/750 touchscreen GPS/com/navigators. The visual approach guidance feature adds a new visual approach in the procedure menu, and it provides advisory vertical guidance "based on a published glide path angle or a three-degree glideslope from the threshold of the runway, while considering terrain and obstacle clearance," according to Garmin. The procedure is designed to help pilots fly a stabilized approach. If the pilot hasn't already selected the visual approach when nearing a destination airport with a flight plan loaded, the GTN automatically provides a short cut to load and activate the visual approach when the aircraft is within five miles of the airport. The Garmin G5 is a low cost, drop in replacement for attitude indicator and/or a directional gyro. It will be soon be available for certificated aircraft. The TruTrak autopilot will also soon be available for certificated aircraft. Aspen Avionics is offering a $1000 discount in April only on the VFR version of their PFD. UAvionics, introduced four new ADS-B products. And there's a new dual band ADS-B receiver from Dynon for LSA and experimental aircraft. In LSA news, the Viper SD-4 light sport aircraft was introduced at Sun n Fun. Belite introduces the low cost Chipper kit aircraft. In Privatization news, American Airlines CEO Doug Baker argues that airline trips have increased a half hour since 1979 and it attributes that to ATC delays. Max Trescott puts that myth to rest; in 1979, the airlines were flying 727s and 747s that were faster than any of today airliners. Also, airlines weren't padding their schedules so that they could improve their on-time performance reports now compiled by the Commerce Department. Also, members of the Trump administration are visiting Canada this week to see their privatized ATC system. In International news, the new electric Volta helicopter will give a demonstration fligh

GA News,fuel exhaustion tips & listener question on autopilot use for GPS approach to LP minimums. How do you fly a GPS Approach with an advisory glide path, such as an LNAV+V or a LP+V using an autopilot? APR, or Approach mode works great with an LPV approach, but it won't level off the aircraft when flying a non-precision approach. After the news, we answer a listener question about a WAAS GPS instrument approach with LP approach minimums. He was flying the RNAV (GPS) X Runway 31 approach into Hailey, Idaho. He said, "on final, I hit APR on my S-TEC 2100 and yes, it captured 'the glide slope,' I put GS in parenthesis because it's a non-precision approach, so technically there is no GS, but yes, the S-Tec capture it. Ok, here is the rub: I'm descending down and sure enough, the autopilot takes me BELOW 6180' MSL, the MDA for this approach. And yes, it's snowing and full disclosure, I can't see the runway environment but it does pop into view at about 6000'MSL (roughly 750' AGL). My bad. My fault. "So here is the mistake I think I made: 1. I should NOT have hit the APR button on the S-TEC 2100. It captured the GPS GS, when in truth, there is none on an LP approach. And it lulled me into thinking I was safely on a GS. Is this correct? 2. In other words, I turned a non-precision approach into a precision approach when it does not exist. I should have NOT hit the APR button. 3. Having hit the APR button, I noticed on the S-TEC, that any ALTITUDE numbers were erased. Second question: could I have hit the ALT button when I noticed I had slightly descended below the MDA of 6180? Would that have stopped my decent? "Lastly, when I got home I researched LP approaches AND looked at both the JEPP chart of the RNV (GPS) X 31 and the Government Charts. Interestingly, the JEPP charts shows a dotted line of the what I will call, "GS guidance," and it shows a dotted line BELOW the MDA. The Government chart does not. I'm not looking for excuses, but it seems to me the JEPP chart in this case, almost encourages you to get on the GS, rather than 'dive and drive.' " My response, in part, to his question includes: You fell into one of the WAAS traps that I've discussed with others, but I haven't seen documented anywhere. The issue is that the APR key of most autopilots will couple to any glide slope (ILS) that's present, or any glide path (for GPS) that the GPS manufacturer has included in their database for a particular approach. This works great for ILS and LPV, where you have a DA and can descend below minimums while making your decision to land or go around. It works poorly for any LNAV+V, or in your case, LP+V advisory glide path. With the advisory +V glide paths, autopilots don't know to level off at the MDA for these approach types, and they continue through minimums as if these approaches have DAs, which they don't. So you should monitor the approach and plan to push the autopilot's autopilot just before you reach the MDA, so that you don't descend below the approach minimums. For this and more about GPS approaches, I recommend my Max Trescott's GPS & WAAS Instrument Flying Handbook. General Aviation Flying Tips We share some thoughts about how to avoid fuel exhaustion (running out of gas) and fuel starvation (gas not making it to the engine) type accidents. It's important to know before you depart how much fuel you have using more than one source of information. For example, you should ALWAYS visually inspect the fuel in the tanks. In addition, you could look at fuel gauges, see how many gallons were added if you're present during refueling, or if it's a rental aircraft, see how long plane was flown on previous flight. If you use a fuel stick, may sure you put it straight down into the tank, and not at an angle. For some planes like the Cessna 210, the fueler has to put the last few gallons in slowly, otherwise the tanks won't be completely filled. Some things that could happen in the air which might lead to fuel starvation include: Faulty gauges, Plugged fuel vents, Gas cap comes off in flight, Blocked fuel filter, Ice in fuel lines, Vapor lock, Failed fuel pump, or Failure to lean, which uses more fuel. Some pilots like to run a tank dry in flight. I don't, as sometimes the aircraft won't start immediately after you switch tanks. Therefore, if you do plan to run a tank dry, switch it at altitude; don't wait to switch until your low in the pattern, where if the tank runs dry you might not have time to restart the engine. Cessna started installing "LOW FUEL" annunciator lights in their C172s, 182s, and 206s beginning in 1997. The annunciator turns on whenever there is less than 5 gallons in a tank in a C172. At one point Cessna claimed that they have had no fuel incidents since these fuel annunciator were added. In older Cirrus, the fuel annunciator sensors in the tanks are connected in series. For example, in older SR20s, the sensor doesn't come on until the fuel quantity in both tanks drops below approximately 8.5 ga