Affordable Aviation

What do sugar cane harvesting equipment and light aircraft and engines have to do with one another? The former was the original work of Jabiru founders Rod Stiff and Phil Ainsworth. The latter is what occurred after a trip to Europe back in 1988. While they traveled, the other partners voted them out of the […]

No, this article is not about an established flight school operation. Nor is it about a university training program, or some government flight training facility. I’m simply impressed that Charles Stites and his Able Flight nonprofit organization have brought so many new pilots into the fold. For this alone, he deserves applause. Add that he […]

I’ve had the pleasure to fly more than 350 light airplanes of every conceivable description. Most of those experiences brought a smile to my face. A few genuinely stirred my soul. Though I started in powered aircraft I found my way to gliders and to soaring, which I freely admit is my favorite aviation challenge. […]

One of the interesting speculations in a recent Wired magazine article on the E-Spyder electric ultralight being developed by Flight Design USA‘s (and FlightStar Aircraft‘s) Tom Peghiny invokes turning the lemony limited range of current early electric aircraft into the lemonade of broadly-applied commercial use — specifically in flight schools. *** The first production E-Spyder, […]

Top glass panel maker Dynon just updated its SkyView panels to include air traffic alert and graphic display, just like the TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) the big boys have… although for many more Grover Clevelands *** Traffic targets will show up on SkyView’s moving maps and synthetic vision displays as standard TCAS I symbols, […]

Following up on my post two days ago, I’m happy to report Wired magazine just ran a story online about the Yuneec E-Spyder that Tom Peghiny of Flight Designs has been developing for them. The story has several excellent photos and it’s a good write-up, so click on over there to see how the mainstream […]

Following up on my post two days ago, I’m happy to report Wired magazine just ran a story online about the Yuneec E-Spyder that Tom Peghiny of Flight Designs has been developing for them. The story has several excellent photos and it’s a good write-up, so click on over there to see how the mainstream […]

*** Everyone interested in electric flight will want to know that the E-Spyder electric-powered ultralight is poised to enter the marketplace. *** A few days ago Tom Peghiny invited me out to Woodstock, CT, about three hours drive from my house, to fly the latest prototype (v. 3) of the venerable FlightStar ultralight. *** I […]

David Kruger is what you might call a data-intensive fellow. A technical background gives him a keener than usual understanding of the value of research. Also an enthusiast of flying LSA, David has invested considerable study into the influence of airplane cost on the pilot population. His analysis suggests partner ownership of an airplane offers […]

You’re probably aware of the auto industry’s billion-dollar bet on electric cars. Skeptics are plentiful. Same for airplanes. Despite doubts, even Cessna and Bye Energy are teaming up on an electric 172. Other LSA electric projects are also underway and it’s all good in my mind. *** Most e-powered aircraft remain in the future. Yet […]