Are pilots really in such short supply in China? Regardless, the country has taken the first step in what is almost certain to be the wave of the future, with the entry into service of a full-sized, unmanned, single-engine aircraft, a PAC P-750 XSTOL, manufactured by New Zealand company Pacific Aerospace, Ltd. For use as more »

When the Windecker Eagle earned type certification way back in 1969, it was a harbinger of a future in which composite construction would become, if not the dominant materials approach in light aviation, then at least one of two major players. The Eagle in many ways presaged the coming of the Cirrus SR22 and Cessna more »

On October 27th and 28th, AOPA held the last of its four planned fly-ins for the year. 5,478 attendees—along with 339 aircraft—showed up at Peter O. Knight Airport (KTPF) in Tampa, Florida, for the two-day event. AOPA reports that 2,400 people came on Friday alone, the day the event’s workshop sessions were held. In addition more »

At the TBM Owners and Pilots Association (TBMOPA) convention in San Antonio last week, there was a record number of TBMs gathered—117 in all. The gathering, which took place at the San Antonio Hill Country Resort, included 325 participants and covered topics on basic safety with an emphasis on avoiding loss of control. Daher, the more »

Making pictures with flight tracks has become pretty popular since technology got good enough to follow along closely when even small planes are in the sky. Recently, Lightspeed Aviation held the Wild Blue Doodle contest for creative, accurate pilots to showcase their best flight-path sky art. Using contest partner CloudAhoy’s flight tracker, pilots planned and more »

At NASA, science for science’s sake is being practiced like it’s 1969, and the agency’s latest project could revolutionize the way that airplanes are built. Or not. NASA’s X-56 remotely operated test vehicle (we called these models when I was a kid) looks like a Long Eze with a twist, literally. The plane’s super thin more »

Last week, ONE Aviation announced more layoffs. This is the second time this year the company has reduced its workforce. It has not been made public how many employees were let go. This news comes on the heels of financial trouble with the Kestrel Aircraft side of the company—including eviction from its Brunswick, Maine hangar more »

If you haven’t heard of the High Sierra Fly-In yet, get used to hearing about it right now. The grass-roots fly-in, which takes place on a giant dry lake north of Vegas in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, look like it’s here to stay. The event just wrapped up on Sunday, October 22, after more »

Aviation is expensive. Whether it’s taken on as a hobby or a career path, it can be a financial stretch even for adults with steady jobs. Funding concerns can’t stand in the way of sixteen-year-old Rachel St. Louis of Machias, Maine, however. In spite of her young age, Rachel founded Rachel’s Jewelry to support her more »

In our first Plane & Pilot Survey, we asked you, our audience members, exactly what you thought about the proposal making its way through Congress right now to privatize ATC under a not-for-profit organization that would be heavy in airline representation. A whopping 94 percent of you voted that it was either a bad idea more »

In an October 17 report, the NTSB cited the FAA’s policy on not requiring medical certification for commercial balloon pilots as a contributing factor in the fatal crash of a hot air balloon last year. The accident, which occurred on July 30, 2016, killed the pilot and all of the 15 passengers on board for more »

If flying into Wittman Regional in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in October seems seriously late for the game, it isn’t. This year there was a second feature at KOSH, the Redbird Migration, the annual gathering of FBO operators and safety experts produced every year by sim maker Redbird Flight. This was the seventh Migration but the first more »

After a brief reprieve last week when a judge issued a temporary restraining order halting the shortening of the runway at Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO), the project is once again moving forward. On October 16, the preliminary injunction was denied and the restraining order removed by the court. NBAA and AOPA filed an amicus more »

Retired Major League Baseball pitcher Roy Halladay has taken delivery of a new plane—and not just any plane. His new bird is also the first of the Model Year 2018 ICON A5s to go to a customer. Halladay, who became a pilot after retiring from a fantastic MLB pitching career with the Toronto Blue Jays more »

Aircraft manufacturer ONE Aviation has had its share of financial concerns. The company, formed in 2015 by the merging of Eclipse Aerospace and Kestrel Aircraft, looks like it’s struggling again. According to reports, the state of Wisconsin is planning to take legal action against Kestrel for failure to keep up with payments on $4 million more »

At the National Business Aviation Association Convention in Las Vegas, Plane & Pilot editor-in-chief Isabel Goyer presented the Plane & Pilot Turboprop Plane of the Year to Piper Aircraft president and CEO Simon Caldecot for the company’s  M600 single-engine turboprop. The M600 earned certification last year and Piper has already delivered many of the flagship more »

A U.S. district court judge for the Central District of California has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) which has given Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO), and the people fighting for it, another chance. Granted in response to an emergency application, the TRO orders a temporary halt to the runway construction project. The project, organized more »