At AirVenture, FlightAware announced Aviator, a subscription flight tracking service for piston operators. The two-tier subscription caters to different fleet sizes, with AirVenture-discounted prices of $140 or $70 available for the week of the event.
Diamond Aircraft is showing off its five-seat diesel powered Diamond DA-50 single. The Continental-powered, retractable-gear single made its way across the Atlantic from the Diamond factory in Austria to the London, Ontario, Canada, home of Diamond North America, where it will go through further refinement leading to Canadian and U.S certification.
A familiar presence at Oshkosh is the Goodyear Blimp, and this year marks its 50th year in operation at the greatest air show on earth. It’s not the same aircraft, however. The new “blimp,” isn’t really a blimp but, rather, an airship. Still, it just looks right doing its thing over AirVenture, and it’s a pretty hard target to miss for other aircraft flying around OSH.
The EAA and AOPA have reached out to Congress for relief from the FAA’s unexpected reinterpretation of half century-old instruction in Limited and Experimental Category aircraft. (Primary Category planes are newer). Senator James Inhofe (R, OK) and Representatives Peter DeFazio (D, OR) and Sam Graves (R, MO) have introduced bills in their respective chambers to undo the FAA’s madness. Fingers crossed, but it’s a good bet the end run will work.
Stratos brought its eponymous single-engine jet (technically the 716 Project) to OSH. The beautifully constructed (can’t wait to fly it) six-seater is projected to cruise at 380 knots (very fast) for better than 1,300 nm (with four aboard). Stratos will market the jet in kit form to help fund the certification effort.
Textron Aviation Flew its SkyCourier into Oshkosh. The Pratt & Whitney turboprop- powered twin was designed to accommodate the needs of launch customer FedEx, though the plane is expected to be a big sales hit across industries and regions for Textron Aviation.
