Industry News

How does a 215-HP Lycoming run on GAMI’s unleaded avgas? We loaded some in and put it through the wringer with predictable results.

USED AIRCRAFT MARKET:  LIKE A GAME OF DARTS A recent discussion with the principal of a car dealership got me thinking about the used aircraft market. In the automotive sales world, prices may be stabilizing (though dealers still add to the sticker price) yet there seems to be a fair level of uncertainty from month […]

TALKING SHOP During a recent conversation with Electroair’s Mike Kobylik, I was curious to hear his view of the typical maintenance shop, and how buyers might choose the right one to install an Electroair ignition. Electroair’s retrofit has become a popular and favorable upgrade across a wide market of piston singles and twins, and it […]

With a record-setting AirVenture in the books, we walk away enthusiastic that the supply chain troubles that hindered new products (and even the supply of existing ones) could finally be old news. While it wasn’t exactly a booming year for new product announcements, there were some worth talking about—and keeping close tabs on as we […]

AIRVENTURE 2023:  A REBOUNDING AVIONICS MARKET When I started going to the big show at Oshkosh (it wasn’t called AirVenture back then) somewhere around 1990, Northstar, Magellan, II Morrow and King were among the most recognizable names in the avionics market. And pilots flocked to Oshkosh for smoking deals on Lorans, handheld GPS units and […]

AVIONICS BOOTCAMP:  UPGRADE SURVIVAL TIPS The response to our monthly Panel Planner 101 avionics upgrade feature has kept us busy. These reader submissions make for good discussion and we get a wide variety of airplanes and avionics combinations to work with. Send in photos of your panel and what you’re trying to get out of […]

UNLEADED AVGAS:  EAGLE’S DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN The State of California is now fully aware that there is a viable, FAA-approved unleaded avgas—G100UL—and, from what I’ve learned from multiple sources, is demanding that it be sold at all California airports by the end of this year. That’s great news to pilots and especially to FBOs in California […]

The press at Sun ‘n Fun 2023 wasn’t exactly swamped with major product announcements. But two major ones in the spotlight came from Bose, with a new flagship ANR headset, and CubCrafters, with a new Rotax turbocharged model 916 iS for the new Carbon Cub UL speedster. Remember the viral Red Bull footage awhile back […]

That’s Kranston Kincaid on camera at Sun ‘n Fun last March. Last year when we reported on his company, Superior Aircraft Components, which makes custom instrument panels (don’t confuse it with Superior Air Parts—he’s tired of fielding calls about engine matters), Kranston captured my attention for a few reasons. At the time, the industry was […]

PRODUCT DEMOS:  WHAT MAKES A GOOD ONE? With airshow season approaching, it’s a good time to think about putting your hands and eyes on the products you’ve been considering. Yeah, it’ll cost you some money and time to get there, but Sun ‘n Fun, AirVenture and some of the other larger gatherings can be the […]

From the early days of the pandemic, I’ve watched the amateur-built kitplane market explode with activity—the busiest I’ve seen in years—and suppliers can’t meet the demand. My local EAA chapters are hustling with all kinds of projects in progress, many being assembled to impressively high standards by talented pro-level builders. Hackwork is not an option. […]

The hunt for an affordable multi-partnership used airplane continues, not made any easier by the inflated market or our selective demands. Shopping the four-place-single market proves there are some rats in the weeds. Check out the shamefully neglected Mooney nosegear (the rest of the plane didn’t look much better) I found while wandering the ramp […]