Marc Cook
Marc Cook is a veteran special-interest journalist who started as a staffer at AOPA Pilot in the late 1980s. Marc has built two airplanes, an Aero Designs Pulsar XP and a Glasair Aviation Sportsman, and now owns a 180-hp, recently modernized GlaStar based in western Oregon. Marc has 5000 hours spread over 200-plus types and four decades of flying.
Chelton Flight Systems, S-TEC to Become Roomies
Cobham's Avionics and Surveillance Division announced today that it was going to merge operations of its two subsidiaries, Chelton Flight Systems and S-TEC, at...
From the Horse’s Mouth: The FAA Won’t Re-Evaluate Kits
I mentioned that the FAA had announced at Sun 'n Fun that it would not re-evaluate kits that are currently on the approved list. Here is the official word from the agency.The FAA said that it "recently concluded that a temporary suspension of kit evaluations is necessary because existing policy and guidance used to evaluate these kits has resulted in inconsistent determinations regarding regulatory compliance." This announcement in February set off a torrent of angst…
From the Horse's Mouth: The FAA Won't Re-Evaluate Kits on the...
I mentioned that the FAA had announced at Sun 'n Fun that it would not re-evaluate kits that are currently on the approved list....
Now the Sounds from Sun 'n Fun
We had the opportunity to field a few podcasts from Sun 'n Fun this year, hosted on our sister site, Avweb. Here are links...
Now the Sounds from Sun ‘n Fun
We had the opportunity to field a few podcasts from Sun 'n Fun this year, hosted on our sister site, Avweb. Here are links to those interviews.Seeing through clouds is the coming technology, but it comes with a price. Grand Rapids' Todd Stehouwer talks about the technological challenges of implementing synthetic vision in an Experimental-class EFIS.…
Rocket Racing League Announces Schedule, Velocity Aircraft Sold
Positioning itself as a "new entertainment sports league that combines the exhilaration of racing with the power of rocket engines," the Rocket Racing League...
Rocket Racing
Positioning itself as a "new entertainment sports league that combines the exhilaration of racing with the power of rocket engines," the Rocket Racing League announced that it will stage its first exhibition race at Oshkosh this year. The vehicles will be liquid-oxygen-fueled rockets in modified Velocity airframes. Three more exhibition races will be held at Reno (September 10-14), at the X-Prize Cup (Las Cruces, NM, date TBA), and at Aviation Nation, Nellis Air Force Base…
What’s the Future of Homebuilding?
Some builders of Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft are builders in name only, deferring primary construction of the aircraft to the pros. So concluded the FAA, which is determined to clamp down on those who would flout the 51% rules. What does it mean to regular homebuilders? Those who are building now will be unaffected, but for future builders, the FAAs guidance revisions could be significant.
Around the Patch
Editor in Chief Marc Cook was skeptical early on about using the Primary Category to address the problem of over-reliance on commercial builder assistance. But further consideration made him think it may have a role to play in the FAAs revised guidance.
That's All Folks….
Well, another Sun 'n Fun airshow has gone by. As the traditional start of the season, this one was, at times, fraught and promising,...
In Case You Missed It
Home Shop Heat Treating
Picking up from last month, the spline broaching tools have been machined. We need...
