Top Aviation Stories Of 2017

You’ve forgotten so many of these huge 2017 aviation stories

There were so many huge and unexpected aviation stories in 2017 that it's hard to believe it all happened in 12 short months. Here's a rundown of the headlines that changed our flying world.


1. Hurricanes: A pair of Category 5 hurricanes hit the U.S. mainland and GA was there to help. Read more aboutHarvey and Irma.


2. The Eclipse: This was a magical and crazy few days for those of us who love the places our planes can go. Read more here.


3. ADS-B Ongoing Drama: By now, it's impossible to pretend that ADS-B isn't happening, because it's now only two years away. See how the GA community is doing with its preparations.


4. Icon Disasters: After two fatal crashes, it was about as bad a year for Icon Aircraft as one could imagine. Read more about the Lake Berryessa accidentandthe loss of Roy Halladay.

Courtesy of ICON Aircraft

5. Cirrus Jet Certified: The jet that everybody has been talking about became the jet that people can actually buy. Read more here.

Courtesy of Cirrus Aircraft

6. Basic Med: The simplified medical process made a lot of pilots happy. See how Basic Med changed things quite a few of them.


7. Garmin G1000 NXi: What would Garmin do to top G1000? A better G1000. NXi. Check out our experiences flying with it for the first time.

Courtesy of Garmin

8. Textron Launches Denali: On paper, Textron's Cessna Denali turboprop will be an awesome airplane, in part because of its revolutionary engine. See how the Denali is coming along.

Courtesy of Textron Aviation

9. Acclaim Ultra Certification: It was worth the wait, the first M20 with a pilot-side door, and lots more. Read more about the certificationand then check out our pilot report.


10. Part 23 Rewrite Becomes Law: Manufacturers got a big break when the FAA created new kinds of standards for certifying light planes. Read more here.


11. Santa Monica vs. Its Own Airport: The question was, could it possibly get worse for SMO. The answer is, sadly, yes. See what happened.


12. FBOs that Gouge: AOPA takes the lead in shining the spotlight on FBOs that charge ridiculously high prices for fuel. Read more here.


13. Pilatus PC-24: The Swiss company's awesome new jet is approved and ready to roll. Find out why it's a game-changer.


14. Garmin G5: Garmin comes out with a revolutionary new retrofit display that's cheap and works with your autopilot. See how it works.

Courtesy of Garmin

15. 10,000th RV Flies. That's a lot of any kind of airplane, but a kit? You bet. Find out more about the company that made it and the pilot who built it.

Courtesy of Van's Aircraft

16. New Autopilots: It was the year of the autopilot, with new models introduced by Genesys, Garmin, TruTrak and more.

TruTrak Vizion. Courtesy of TruTrak.

17. NBAA and Vegas Shootings: The National Business Aviation Association in Las Vegas came on the heels of the worst mass shooting in US history. Read more here.

PHOTO: Michael Gray - CC BY-SA 2.0/Flickr

18. Mustang Farewell: Cessna's small jet says farewell. Check out the send-off.

Courtesy of Textron Aviation

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