In the summer of 1927 two airframe manufacturers bet the future on an ill-fated race across the Pacific Ocean – a race that left one company in a tailspin and the other flying high. By 1927 the commercial aviation industry in the United States was still in its infancy. By contrast, cars and jazz music…
Blackhawk Aerospace announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the XP67A Engine+ Upgrade for both the 14,000 and 12,500 lb. gross weight versions of the King Air 300. This upgrade removes the standard 1050 shaft horsepower (SHP) PT6A-60A engines and Hartzell 4-blade metal propellers and replaces them…
ForeFlight 11.6 includes enrichments including 3D Review which puts you in the cockpit with a pilot’s-eye view; Map Annotations lets you take notes on the fly; Checklist Speak turns ForeFlight into a helpful co-pilot, and more. 3D Review The newest addition to ForeFlight’s suite of 3D capabilities lets you follow the path of a planned or recorded…
Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) has named Hampton Aviation as a IS&S authorized dealer and installer. The IS&S Autothrottle (A/T), ThrustSense, is a full regime autothrottle from takeoff to landing phases of flight including go around. In addition, the system incorporates engine and speed exceedance protection. Think FADEC functionality with low speed and highspeed protection…
I quickly silenced the alarm that began chirping at precisely 4 a.m. Even as a morning person, forcing myself from a cozy bed while my wife and kids continued to snooze contently required extra motivation at that hour. The reward was looming just outside the door and would unfold over the next 90 minutes. Dressed…
In early January, the eighth and final SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenburg AFB in California on a mission for Iridium Communications. Seven of those eight rockets carried 10 Iridium NEXT satellites with the final carrying just five, 66 in all. Each satellite placed itself into a low-earth orbit replacing Iridium’s original satellite-phone…
The agenda for the safety-themed King Air Gathering IV (KAG IV), being held Sept. 26-29, 2019, in Fredericksburg, Texas, has come together with an outstanding variety of speakers and topics. On Thursday, Sept. 26, KAG IV attendees will fly in to Gillespie County Airport (T82) where the Hangar Hotel Conference Center is located right on…
In 1977 I had left Beech Aircraft Corporation’s Training Center in Wichita and transferred to the factory-owned Beechcraft West retail facility in Hayward and Fresno, California, as an aircraft salesman. Although Hayward would be my home for the next 10 years, my first months were mostly spent in Fresno. Why? Because Larry Hall, the head…
The Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) annual fly-in and convention is more than just a global showcase of aviation innovation – it’s also the world’s largest air show dedicated to promoting the thrill of flight. The founding of the EAA by Paul H. Poberezny Jan. 26, 1953, led to a gathering of 21 airplanes and 150…
Textron Aviation recently announced a new Aircraft Maintenance Data Hub for owners and operators of Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker aircraft. The new data hub will be available in summer 2019 and will offer a more comprehensive record of all aircraft maintenance performed on Textron Aviation products by working with multiple industry tracking system providers. The…