Vintage Aviation News

JULY 28, 2025

Chief Test Pilot Leslie “Les” Tower and Boeing engineer Louis Waite were at the controls of aircraft number X13372 for a flight that lasted approximately 90 minutes. The XB-17 immediately impressed as a well-balanced and pilot-friendly aircraft. It had an empty weight of 21,657 pounds and a maximum gross weight of 38,053 pounds.

Gross Weight

Plane and Pilot

JUNE 27, 2025

Originally obtained in 2007 and updated in 2012, the STC significantly increases the eligible gross weight of the Super Cub from 1,750 lbs. In order to achieve this 30 percent gross weight boost, CubCrafters secured FAA approval to combine six key modifications into one STC. to 2,300 lbs.

Gross Weight

Flying Magazine

MAY 17, 2025

Here youll see how creative errors can sneak in and deprive pilots of the fuel that keeps us airborne. Flight Planning A pilot encountered 32-35 knot headwinds at cruise. A multiengine pilot transferred fuel after two hours in flight but was unaware there was insufficient power to run the pump. He landed safely.

Pilot

Plane and Pilot

JULY 9, 2025

Piloted by Sonex advisory board member Joe Norris, the flight was conducted in the evening and kept short due to an issue with the passenger-side door latch. The post Sonex Highwing Prototype Achieves First Flight appeared first on Plane & Pilot.

Gross Weight

Flying Magazine

JULY 22, 2025

Epic has just released the most recent iteration of the airplane, the E1000 AX, with a major avionics upgrade including Garmin’s G1000 NXi suite and upped the useful load to an advertised (on its website) 2,860 pounds—gross weight 8,000, max ramp weight 8,035. The solution is to put something in the baggage compartment.

Rudder

Plane and Pilot

MARCH 25, 2025

I dont exactly fit the standard pilot profile of Game Aerospaces GB1 GameBird But theres always been something about the GameBird that has piqued my interest. Its first-class team, led by Ian Waghorn, ensures that pilots leave the training program feeling confident, competent, and safe in their new or new-to-them GameBird.

Knot

Flying Magazine

JULY 23, 2025

WIth a growing number of pilots becoming interested in bush and backcountry flying, and perhaps the occasional STOL competition, aircraft manufacturers have turned out an impressive crop of short-field-capable aircraft with big tires, robust suspensions, and precise handling at low speeds.

Gross Weight

Plane and Pilot

JULY 24, 2025

The new regulation, first proposed in 2023, will reform the light sport aircraft (LSA) category by replacing current weight-based limitations with a performance-based standard. With a gross weight of 1,653 pounds and a stall speed of 51 knots, the aircraft fits well within the new specification of the rule changes.

Gross Weight

Airspeed Junkie

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

This feature allowed Hellcat pilots to operate confidently under the demanding conditions of carrier operations. Effective cockpit armor was another significant advancement, enhancing pilot protection during combat. Its robust design, advanced armament, and the skill of its pilots ensured that the U.S. The battle saw the U.S.

Gross Weight

Plane and Pilot

JUNE 13, 2025

The two largest member organizations—the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)—sent their top leader to join Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) president and chairman Scott Severen on stage before a full audience. The subject: MOSAIC.

Knot

Plane and Pilot

APRIL 1, 2025

Pilot ready? First, any time you are flying an airplane youve never flown before, consult with an experienced pilot of that type. Combining that with the higher gross weight, I had trained in an airplane that rendered a very different experience, not preparing me for the first flight in a much faster airplane.

Runway

Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 5, 2025

Known for its reliability and versatility, it has been a go-to choice for pilot training and leisure flying. Speed is a key factor for pilots, whether for planning cross-country trips or understanding the aircraft’s capabilities. Its stable flight characteristics and forgiving nature make it ideal for beginner pilots.

Knot

Plane and Pilot

DECEMBER 30, 2024

With a gross weight of 1,700 lbs and an empty weight of 1,175 lbs, this particular Starduster has a useful load of 529 lbs. When paired with the 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360, the healthy power-to-weight ratio makes for spritely takeoff and climb performance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

Gross Weight

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 10, 2024

Sometimes it’s emotional—the Beech Starship, what few of them are still in the wild, inevitably wow viewers of both the pilot and nonpilot persuasion. The canopy provides plenty of headroom for even taller pilots, while the view over the nose is equally generous. But successful? Not at all. How did any given airplane sell?

Airplanes

Plane and Pilot

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

These tools help the pilots deal with this busy section of the flight replete with numerous checklists, changing clearances, and traffic. We have some of the same checklists, clearances, and traffic, and we have one less pilot to get them all done. The post Arriving in Style appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Descent

Flying Magazine

JULY 28, 2025

The new regulation, first proposed in 2023, will reform the light sport aircraft (LSA) category by replacing current weight-based limitations with a performance-based standard. With a gross weight of 1,653 pounds and a stall speed of 51 knots, the aircraft fits well within the new specification of the rule changes.

Gross Weight

Plane and Pilot

JUNE 26, 2025

Many of you may know Johnson from his monthly Plane & Pilot columns and website, bydanjohnson.com , a popular light sport resource that will soon be integrated into the P&P website. Hunton and McLeod pilot the J-230D around South Texas. That will allow you to put in the back seat and use the 1,675 pound gross weight.”

Aileron

Plane and Pilot

MARCH 7, 2025

To that he added wings and tail, and placed the pilot behind all this. The pilot moved from behind the hopper to the top of it. The PL-12 retained the high-mounted pilot seat and added seats for three passengers, one behind the pilot and two behind the large hopper. The tank formed the center fuselage.

Tail

Plane and Pilot

MAY 3, 2025

Fearsome metal airplanes helped win a global conflict, yet pilots came home to variations on prewar designs of tube-and-fabric construction and modest performance. For pilots who routinely flew with two or three passengers, the Cherokee 180s extra margins meant all the difference. Oregon pilot Randy Widell agrees.

Approach

Air Facts

MAY 7, 2025

One of the companies that had acquired surplus Beech 18s had secured a long term contract to carry auto parts from Oshawa to Detroit for General Motors and almost every night around 9 pm, one of those flights would head west full of parts and usually with only the one pilot on board. Such it was in those days.

Weight-Shift-Control

Plane and Pilot

MAY 12, 2025

While the general layout of the Beaver was similar to the Norseman, the overall design was developed with input from the bush pilots of the time. Image: Adobe Stock Many design features, both large and small, are evident from listening to the bush pilots of the day. The DHC-2 Beaver was the first of the line.

Gross Weight

Plane and Pilot

APRIL 25, 2025

Its safe to say that, at one time or another, every single general aviation pilot has dreamed of owning and flying their own warbird. From fire-breathing P-51 Mustangs to T-6 Texans and more obscure types, the entire category attracts pilots of all types. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

Gross Weight

Flight Training Central

JUNE 9, 2025

One undesirable flight characteristic a pilot might experience with this airplane would be difficulty in recovering from a stalled condition. An aircraft is loaded 120 pounds over maximum certificated gross weight. If fuel (avgas) is drained to bring the aircraft weight within limits, how much fuel should be drained?

Airplanes

Flying Magazine

JULY 17, 2025

The JRBAF is also on a mission to educate the public about the importance of backcountry aviation, which includes teaching pilots best practices for operating in remote areas.

Gross Weight

AV Web

JULY 1, 2025

Senior pilots (many were career professionals stepping down into GA) liked what they saw in the new LSA market: modern two-placers with far more tech than the average Skyhawk or Cherokee—not bad machines for golden-years fun. Today, the difficult insurance market is forcing plenty of aging pilots out of retracs , twins and turbines.

Gross Weight

Aerotime

MARCH 20, 2025

The wreckage of the airplane was found two days after the crash in which all nine passengers and the sole pilot lost their lives. The controller suggested to the pilot of flight 445 that he slow his aircraft down to minimize the delay in landing once overhead Nome. Shortly afterward, the airplane began to descend.

Knot

Vintage Aviation News

MAY 2, 2025

The average gross weight was 115,000 pounds. Accommodations were for two pilots and a navigator, with the aircraft being instrumented for aeroelasticity studies. Pilots are Joe Walker on the viewer’s left and Stanley Butchart on the right. The drag chute was used on landings to help brake the airplane’s speed.

Gross Weight

Air Facts

JULY 9, 2025

Mea Culpa: Confessions of a Joyful Pilot Air Facts Journal I have a confession to make. Should I treat every VFR hop like I’m departing into low IMC with a 10,000-foot density altitude at max gross weight? I do weight and balance calculations when appropriate. I once went on a flight without checking the weather.

Pilot

Flying Magazine

JULY 15, 2025

Pilots looking for a high-performance, single-engine piston aircraft with modern systems and commemorative styling will find this 60th Anniversary Edition G36 Bonanza represents a compelling choice. Today’s Top Pick is a 2007 Beechcraft G36 Bonanza. Recent upgrades emphasize capability and comfort.

Gross Weight

Flying Magazine

JUNE 30, 2025

CubCrafters offered to bring FLYING the first of the kitbuilt NXCubs to north Idaho and turn us loose with it for two weeks to fly into the backcountry—introducing pilots of all experience and skill levels to the airplane. At the forward CG limit, the maximum gross weight is 1,690 pounds, giving a useful load of only 245 pounds.

Gross Weight

Flying Magazine

JULY 23, 2025

As a general aviation pilot, I’m delighted about the role these Cubs will play in protecting endangered elephants and rhinos in Africa.” READ MORE: STC Gives CubCrafters Super Cub Gross Weight Boost “When it comes to backcountry airstrips and off-airport landings, few airplanes can match the NXCub,” said Damm.

Gross Weight

Vintage Aviation News

JUNE 18, 2025

In the world of aviation, Howard Hughes is known for such films as Hell’s Angels and Jet Pilot, the H-4 Hercules flying boat (better known by its derisive nickname, the “Spruce Goose”), helicopters such as the OH-6 Cayuse, and spacecraft such as the Surveyor landers and the Magellan satellite. 6B, the first aircraft to exceed 400mph.

Cockpit

Flying Magazine

JUNE 27, 2025

For pilots seeking a fun, nimble aircraft that delivers efficient performance with classic tailwheel handling, this Sonex TD deserves a close look. The airframe weighs in at 623 pounds empty with a gross weight of 1,150 pounds, offering a useful load of 527 pounds—plenty of room for pilot, passenger, and fuel.

Gross Weight

Vintage Aviation News

MAY 5, 2025

gross weight. ” In all, 262 Air Corps pilots were selected, none from the Corps training schools, and most had scant few hours logged in flying time (up to 4 hours per day) and even less in darkness or poor weather, and flying obsolete aircraft. 60 Air Corps pilots took the oath as postal employees. .”

Gross Weight

Flying Magazine

MAY 2, 2025

Pilots have long rated the A36 Bonanza the best aircraft for the typical range of cross-country missions flown by families and business people. This aircraft gives pilots additional flexibility when planning trips to maximize efficiency while keeping passengers happy with shorter transit times and an extra measure of comfort.

Gross Weight

Flying Magazine

JULY 11, 2025

Besides having the desire, the curious sim pilot will need to dedicate some free time to learning the basics of the airplane’s operation and systems, and it is here that the PMDG DC-6 really shines. This allows the DC-6 to be flown by both the novice and advanced sim pilot, making the DC-6 approachable despite the complete systems modeling.

Flight Deck

AV Web

JULY 25, 2025

Absence from the big carnival in cheese-land is not a big deal for many pilots. I missed the show for quite a few years when I was an airline pilot because the last thing I wanted to do during my vacation from flying a thousand hours a year in airplanes was to hang around airplanes. One thing most pilots aren’t is stupid.

Gross Weight