Used Composite Buys: Inspection Mandatory
Everyone knows that buying a used airplane involves a level of risk, and despite the requirements for record keeping and mandatory annual inspections any number of significant gremlins can hide within the airframe. The risk increases substantially with an aging composite structure.
Face it, while...
Piper Archer/ 180
If you’re shopping for a used low-wing four-place cruiser, the starting point might be the Cirrus SR20 or Diamond DA40. If they break the budget, there’s always a Piper Archer. And for the right...
Screen Reflector HUD: Limited by App
In a market dominated by big-screen primary flight displays it’s easy to see why high-priced HUD technology hasn’t gained traction in large numbers for small airplanes. But smartphones have grown larger screens that may...
Jurassic Jets: Training and Insurance Cost Up
We’re not crazy about the fact that something we predicted in these pages over the last two years has come to pass. The reality—significantly higher insurance rates—is hitting pilots right in the wallet. The...
Piston Aircraft Management: Options Increasing
Until a decade ago, there wasn’t much management available for piston aircraft owners—such ”management” as existed largely consisted of relying on the local shop to give you a nudge when it was oil change...
Aircraft Management: Ownership Simplified
There it is. Right there on the ramp in front of you. You finally pulled it off. You’ve wanted a turboprop—no, that turboprop—ever since you saw one a few days after you soloed. Now,...
Renter’s Insurance: Affordable, But Limited
Interestingly, the number of U.S.-registered aircraft is increasing, while the number of pilots is decreasing. (Wikipedia says there were 609,306 licensed pilots and GAMA counted 211,000 registered aircraft.) But even allowing for flying clubs,...
Repairs: Factory Involvement Matters
Just like with metal airplanes there are a lot of things that can damage a composite one. Maybe it took an impact during ground handling, or a wildlife strike on the runway, or perhaps...
Used Composite Buys: Inspection Mandatory
Everyone knows that buying a used airplane involves a level of risk, and despite the requirements for record keeping and mandatory annual inspections any number of significant gremlins can hide within the airframe. The...