Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2010 Aviat A-1C-180 Husky.

There is a reason the Aviat Husky reminds many people of a Piper PA-18 Super Cub. It is because the airplane’s designer, Frank Christensen, had the Cub in mind. He had tried to buy the Super Cub design from Piper with a plan to build an improved version. Piper declined the offer, however, leaving Christensen, who produced the Christen Eagle aerobatic biplane, to design his own STOL utility machine. He started with a list of improvements that, many pilots feel, make the Husky a more pleasant airplane to fly than the Super Cub.

Several versions of the Husky have rolled out of the factory since the first one flew in 1985. The 180 hp model for sale here hits a sweet spot for many pilots, combining strong short-field and load-carrying performance with decent cruising speed, comfort, and fuel efficiency. Wipline 2100 amphibian floats are included, as are standard wheels and oversize bush wheels and tires.  

This 2010 Husky has 1,129 hours on the airframe and 1,132 hours on the 180 hp Lycoming O-360-A1P engine and MT 3-blade propeller. The VFR panel includes a Garmin 696 GPS. The aircraft is equipped with vortex generators.

Pilots looking for a strong STOL performer with cruise speeds suitable for longer cross-country trips and the option for operating on water should consider this 2010 Aviat A-1C-180 Husky, which is available for $250,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Husky Experience Offers Backcountry Fun
• FLYING Magazine: Husky Gets Hartzell Trailblazer
• FLYING Magazine: Video: Reverse Taxi in a Husky
• Plane & Pilot: Aviat‘s Husky Adds New Tricks
• Plane & Pilot: Plane & Pilot Photo/Video of the Week: Autoland in a Husky?
• The Aviation Consumer: Aviat Husky
• AVweb: Buying Utility STOL: Ignore the Ad Hype

The post This 2010 Aviat A1-C-180 Husky Is a Short-Field Wiz and an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1968 Beechcraft E33 Debonair.

While it is true that in 1960 Beechcraft marketed the new “straight tail” Debonair as a basic, lower-priced version of its flagship V-tail Bonanza, that modest approach did not last long. Many customers chose the Debonair more for its speed, style, and handling. These were largely the same reasons other buyers preferred the V-tail models, and Beechcraft realized that offering two distinct versions of the Bonanza attracted more buyers.

Eventually the company dropped the Debonair name and began selling the model with the same high level of standard equipment as the upmarket V-tail.

Today pilots can step into a Debonair like the example for sale here and find contemporary glass-panel avionics that make the vintage airplane seem new. And while these Beechcrafts from the 1960s might be close to 60 years old they still display the responsive, harmonious handling and strong performance that have kept the model in production for decades.

This 1968 Debonair has 6,698 hours on the airframe and 523 hours on its engine since overhaul. The aircraft also is equipped with D’Shannon engine baffles and easy-access cowling, and D’Shannon cockpit side windows.

The panel features Garmin G500 PFD and MFD, Garmin GTN 650, GI 275 backup multifunction attitude indicator, GTX 345 with GPS and encoder, and  EDM 730 engine monitor with fuel flow.   

Pilots looking for a fast, comfortable traveling airplane with a panel nicely upgraded with mostly glass avionics should consider this 1968 Beechcraft E33 Debonair, which is available for $230,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Beech Bonanza and Debonair Approved for Garmin GFC 500 Autopilot
• FLYING Magazine: Air Compare: Beechcraft A36 Bonanza vs. Bonanza V-tails
• Plane & Pilot: Beechcraft Model 33 Bonanza/Debonair
• Plane & Pilot: The Most Affordable Singles
• Plane & Pilot: Plane Facts: Beech Bonanzas

The post This 1968 Beechcraft E33 Debonair Is an Impressively Updated ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Tecnam’s P2012 Traveller STOL variant has achieved type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the manufacturer announced.

According to Tecnam, the P2012 STOL is designed specifically to operate at airports and airstrips characterized by “extremely short runways with demanding operational constraints.”

The aircraft, while designed as STOL, still maintains “a 99 percent commonality of parts with the standard P2012 Traveller series aircraft” and still manages to fill the needs of a niche market that relies on a certain level of performance and flexibility, the company said.

About the Aircraft

The P2012 STOL is a twin-piston aircraft with a maximum gross weight of 8,113 pounds and  useful load of 2,831 pounds. It can be configured for up to nine passengers with amenities such as USB ports, individual air outlets, dedicated reading light, seat pockets, and cup and mobile phone holders.

The multimission capability of the aircraft allows it to go from a passenger carrier to air ambulance or cargo hauler within minutes.

• READ MORE: Tecnam P2012 STOL on Track for 2023 Certification

The cockpit features a G1000 NXi avionic system, GFC700 specifically tuned autopilot, and ADS-B In/Out. The flight deck features connectivity with Bluetooth, Flight Stream, Iridium along with weather radar, stormscope, inset map, and ForeFlight Synthetic Vision.

The aircraft also has a wider cabin than other STOL in its class, according to the Italian manufacturer.

Aircraft Performance

According to Tecnam, at the maximum takeoff weight of 8,113 pounds, the P2012 STOL can lift off in 1,033 feet, clearing a 50-foot obstacle in 1,394 feet. The landing distance over an obstacle is reported to be 1,181 feet.

With the production aircraft already in the final stage of the assembly line, the P2012 STOL is ready for the first deliveries to customers, the company said.

The aircraft is scheduled to be on display at Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida on April 9-14.

The post EASA Certifies Tecnam P2012 Traveller STOL Variant  appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

As pilots, almost all of us regularly trust our lives to an aircraft someone else has built. We do not pull each rivet, run the wiring, or bolt in the engine before hopping into the cockpit. It is part of what makes getting into an airplane an act of trust.

In many cases, that trust is bought with the standardization, quality control, and testing that goes into type and production certification. However, that has its limits, not the least of which are the oft-disparaged cost of certified models and a certain inability for significant customization. As Henry Ford said of the Model T: “You can have it in any color you want, as long as it is black.”

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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When looking for a less expensive, more flexible option, would you buy and fly an airplane your hangar neighbor built?

Most of us can probably agree that it depends pretty much entirely on the neighbor in question. For Tyler Gibbs, 27, who flies out of California’s Corona Municipal Airport (KAJO), it was a decision that just made sense.

Family History

About a year and a half ago, Gibbs purchased a Van’s Aircraft RV-4, a two-seat experimental/amateur-built (E/A-B) airplane, from his older brother. It’s his first aircraft, though he says it won’t be his last. While he trained in certified models, he had some exposure to the world of experimentals through his brother, opening the door to the possibility when it came time to find his own airplane.

• READ MORE: Robinson Helicopter Co. Names New CEO

Flying runs in the Gibbs family: His father, brother, and sister-in-law are all pilots. Even so, it took a bit for Gibbs to take the controls himself. In spite of, or perhaps because of, the early exposure to aviation, he had graduated from college and was working at the family trailer sales business before the flying bug finally bit.

Once it had, he didn’t look back. He earned his private pilot certificate, followed promptly by his multiengine and instrument ratings and commercial pilot certificate. With those in hand, he began to work as a pilot for hire, picking up gigs flying skydive jump planes and towing gliders. With two and a half years of aviation experience, Tyler is pursuing his glider rating and beginning to look toward earning his CFI.

About a year after getting his private certificate, Gibbs decided it was time to purchase his own airplane. Aircraft ownership was not a new concept in the Gibbs family either. The family has owned a number of airplanes over the years, including a Cessna 172 and 210. But, like flying, aircraft ownership wasn’t something Gibbs had really considered for himself.

• READ MORE: ICON A5 Receives FAA Primary Category Type Certification

Once he decided it was something he wanted, he didn’t have to look far to find the one that suited him best. His brother had an RV-4 (N527CG) he was willing to pass along.

N527CG had several owners before coming to Gibbs, having been built by Luther Arthur and flown for the first time in 1991. Gibbs’ brother bought it from a friend years later. He and his wife flew it for almost four years before selling it to Tyler.

There’s a lot to be said for buying a known aircraft from a trusted source, especially when taking the step from certified models to experimentals. For those not familiar with the segment, E/A-B aircraft aren’t subject to the same construction and maintenance rules as their certified counterparts—though the RV-4 is made from extremely conventional materials wielded in very conventional fashion, and all experimentals are required to have annual inspections. They can be built and worked on by pretty much anyone and modified to suit the builder. It’s also safe to assume that no two builds—even if the same plans or kit components were used in construction—will be exactly alike. That’s an adventure for a first-time E/A-B buyer, for sure.

With N527CG, Gibbs had the advantage of direct knowledge of the aircraft’s maintenance and operational history. Prior to coming to the Gibbs family, the aircraft was repainted with its current World War II U.S. Army Air Corps-inspired livery.

When Tyler’s brother owned the airplane, the engine was rebuilt after it developed an oil leak. During the overhaul, the Lycoming O-320 received some new additions, including electronic ignition and a conversion to fuel injection.

Assessing a Homebuilt

As Gibbs’ story might suggest, there are a few things to consider when buying a used E/A-B that might not come up when purchasing a certified aircraft. To start, a potential buyer will need to study up on the model they intend to purchase. The goal is to develop a solid idea of what a well-built example should look like, what types of problems are most common to the design, and what kinds of modifications are likely to crop up. If possible, a look at the plans for the kit can help provide a better sense of how everything should fit together. Buyers looking at Van’s designs have another tool in the drawer: Because of the popularity of all of its airplanes, it’s easy to find “comparable” examples, and several shops have popped up around the country that specialize in RV maintenance and prepurchase inspections.

In Gibbs’ case, he had a source on hand who knew the aircraft nearly as well as the original builder. Not to mention, the RV-4 wasn’t his brother’s first experimental— and Gibbs had experience helping him work on several of those. That familiarity made it a comfortable, reliable purchase, and a solid choice for a first aircraft.

When examining a potential E/A-B buy, the first thing to look at is the overall quality of the build. It’s usually safe to assume that an aircraft with significant problems on the surface (i.e. wavy fiberglass or deformed rivets) is likely to have other, not-so-visible issues underneath. A clean, tidy build with no obvious faults is a good place to start when considering a used experimental.

N527CG is a beautifully built and maintained aircraft with a long and well-documented history. Having been in the family for four years—with significant engine work done during that time—it doesn’t have many surprises left. While Gibbs’ particular situation might be hard to come by for another first-time E/A-B buyer, it does bring up the importance of taking the time to talk with people who know and have worked on the airplane. If a builder isn’t excited to talk about the trials and triumphs of making an aircraft, it’s probably time to look for a different one to buy.

Another aspect to pay close attention to with an experimental is how the builder might have modified the design from the original plans or kit components. Mods are common in this segment and can significantly affect the performance and handling characteristics of the model. While this provides a lot of room to adapt a design for its intended mission, it is a potential trouble spot for a buyer who will be tasked with figuring out exactly how, where, and why the aircraft differs from factory specifications and to understand if the nature of the modification is common (therefore vetted by the fleet, or at least some of it) or an outlier. In general, the fewer mods the better when it comes to buying a used E/A-B.

As previously discussed, N527CG received its biggest mod while in family hands and was then flown for a meaningful period of time. Post-modification performance reports were likely to be accurate. Even so, Gibbs says his first flight in N527CG was a memorable experience. He’d completed his tailwheel training in a Cessna 140 and flew with a friend to get in some dual in a different RV-4 before heading out in his own airplane. Gibbs was smart to do so, but even better are full transition courses available for most RVs that have proven to reduce risk for pilots new to the type. With the engine modifications giving it more power (and being solo in the cockpit), it took off like a rocket. As it should: The RV-4’s maximum gross weight is 1,000 pounds less than a Cessna 172’s of similar horsepower.

While it seems obvious, it is important to take the time to check which equipment has been installed before buying an aircraft. Returning to the flexibility aspect, the options can vary far more widely in an E/A-B than in a certified model. An airplane outfitted with old, unsupported avionics isn’t a great place to start unless the buyer is planning to overhaul it themselves. Especially for a first-time E/A-B owner, it is worth looking for an aircraft with an updated panel.

The panel in Gibbs’ RV-4 is set up with a Dynon FlightDEK-D180, Garmin GTR 200 radio, and BendixKing KT-71 transponder. While the current avionics aren’t exactly getting any younger, he has plans to update them in the near future. Since he is already aiming to do the work necessary to make the aircraft IFR-capable, what it came with is of less interest than it might be to a buyer who doesn’t want to perform any panel work any time soon.

When it comes to assessing a used homebuilt, another thing to look at is which engine and propeller the builder chose to install. A good prospect will have an engine and prop specifically listed by the kit manufacturer. When it comes to reliability, accident records, and resale value, alternative options—those not named by the manufacturer—generally don’t hold up as well.

• READ MORE: Across the Generations at Continental Aerospace Technologies

In the case of N527CG, the engine selected when it was built makes the list. However, the modifications make it a little less of a slam-dunk for a buyer looking for the perfect homebuilt prospect. A stock O-320 produces 150 to 160 hp. Gibbs reports that post-rebuild, the modifications to N527CG’s engine have boosted power above the stock 160 hp. While he had insider intel on the work done and how the aircraft performed afterward, a buyer less familiar would need to put in extra effort to ensure they knew what they were getting.

As a final note on purchasing considerations, when buying a used experimental aircraft (any aircraft, really), a thorough prebuy inspection conducted by someone familiar with the specific model being considered—or at least who knows homebuilts—is highly recommended. The upfront cost of an inspection can keep a “great deal” from turning into a money-guzzling, unflyable, uninsurable headache in the long run.

Owning an RV-4

N527CG has been Gibbs’ for a year and a half. During that time, he has flown it all over the West Coast, building tailwheel time, commuting to work, and mostly just having a great time. These days, the aircraft is based at KAJO, where he is also a member of the California Flyers Club.

In terms of reliability, the airplane hasn’t needed much of anything beyond regular upkeep. In Gibbs’ words, it’s a simple airplane with simple maintenance needs—just a really good aircraft. It has also proven to be a good example of what’s available beyond the occasionally narrow world of certified airplanes.

Flight Future

When asked about his aviation goals, Gibbs says he is thinking hard about getting into aerial firefighting. He’s also very interested in teaching and believes he will always want to spend at least some of his time with students after earning his CFI. When it comes to aircraft ownership, he has no plans on stopping with the RV-4. He is thinking about adding an airplane more suited to traveling cross-country with a family—something like a Cessna 310.

Also on his bucket list, proving that it can be hard to walk away from experimentals once you’ve had a taste, is building an RV-8.

E/A-B vs. Certified

There are always a great many things to consider when buying an airplane. Not only is it a significant investment, it is one in which we trust our lives—and those of our family and friends. With that in mind, it might be easy to assume that flying anything not built in a factory, even ages ago, increases the risk. Rather, like the rest of aviation, it usually comes down to making good, well-reasoned choices.

A certified model with a murky maintenance history and more stop-drilled cracks than solid surface should raise flags with a buyer in much the same way as weirdly rippled sheet metal on a homebuilt.

On the other hand, a good example of each airplane is a ticket to adventures defined by arguing pattern etiquette, grumbling about fuel prices, and knowing that no one else is doing it right, for the love of Orville and Wilbur.

Also, there’s that feeling when the wheels leave the pavement and the sky opens up in front of you. You know the one.

A Brief Look at the Van’s RV-4

Manufactured by Van’s Aircraft, the RV-4 kit is a clean-sheet design and the first two-seat model in the company’s extraordinarily popular RV line.

It logged its first flight in August 1979, and kits are still available for sale, though now in limited production. To date, there are well more than 1,400 kits on record as having completed their first flights.

The RV-4 is an all-metal, low-wing monoplane that seats two in a tandem configuration. Van’s lists the model as having a top speed of 213 mph (185 knots) with a 180 hp engine, typical empty weight of between 903 and 913 pounds and gross weight of 1,500 pounds. It will carry 32 gallons of fuel and 50 pounds of baggage.

Manufacturer-listed engine options for the RV-4 include the Lycoming O-320-D1A/D2G, IO-320-D1A, and O-360-A1A. Van’s notes that the model was designed for engines between 150 and 160 hp, but engines between 125 and 180 hp are commonly installed and work well.

According to estimates collected by the company, building time for an RV-4 averages between 2,000 and 2,200 “person hours,” with the caveat that many builders don’t log every minute they spend in the shop.

Kit price for the RV-4 is listed at $32,365.

Just add an engine, prop, interior, paint, avionics—and your time.

This column first appeared in the November 2023/Issue 943 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post Buying a Van’s RV-4 Is an Experimental Adventure appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

2023 was a good year for aircraft deliveries, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s (GAMA) year-end General Aviation Aircraft Shipments and Billings Report.

GAMA found that aircraft shipments rose across all segments compared to 2022, coming in at 3,050 airplanes and 962 helicopters delivered in 2023. The numbers represent year-on-year increases of 9 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively. Overall airplane billings for last year rose 2.2 percent to $23.4 billion while total helicopter billings increased 11.2 percent to $4.4 billion.

“For the first time in more than a decade, the general aviation manufacturing industry has eclipsed 4,000 aircraft delivered,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “In addition to this strong showing, there are robust and growing order backlogs for all segments of aircraft. This is a testament to the resilience of our industry and the integral role that general and business aviation plays in our communities.”

Breaking down the numbers, piston airplane deliveries were up 11.8 percent from 1,505 in 2022 to 1,682 in 2023. Turboprop shipments also surged, hitting 638 delivered last year and improving 9.6 percent over the previous year. While business jet deliveries saw the least change, the segment still increased 2.5 percent with 730 delivered.

On the rotorcraft side, 209 piston helicopters shipped last year, up from 194 in 2022. Turbine helicopter deliveries jumped 10.4 percent. GAMA noted that fourth-quarter data from Leonardo Helicopters was not available when the report was published, so it excluded Leonardo’s Q4 2022 data from its comparison.

• READ MORE: GAMA Reports Year-Over-Year Increase in Aircraft Shipments In a ‘Governed’ Recovery

“While the deliveries from 2023 are very encouraging, our industry faces headwinds from ongoing supply chain issues, workforce shortages, uncertainty and unpredictability from global regulators, and shortsighted efforts aimed at curbing business and general aviation, particularly in Europe,” said Bunce. “As civil aviation’s innovation incubator, our entire GA industry is focused on new aircraft and technologies that will lead the way in safety and sustainability for the entire aviation sector. This progress is dependent on having effective, predictable, and accountable regulatory processes, and a supportive business environment.

“Therefore, it is crucial that the U.S. Congress passes a long-term FAA reauthorization bill, a fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill for the FAA, and a tax measure, which is pending, that promotes research and development.”

GAMA’s full report is available on its website.

The post GAMA: 2023 Aircraft Shipments Up Across All Segments appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Though the dawn of electric aircraft rises in the east, we still rely upon piston-powered aircraft to form the backbone of the general aviation fleet. They serve as our primary trainers, recreational weekend flyers, and personal cross-country transport machines as they have since the Continental-powered Piper J3 Cub gained certification in 1938.

But as a sign of evolving times, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) aircraft shipment reports now collect electric aircraft under the single-engine piston heading. And in 2022, GAMA recorded a total of 1,366 singles delivered—piston and electric, with 17 of those the Pipistrel Velis Electro, under European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval as it awaits FAA validation. That’s better than last year’s 1,261 and 2020’s 1,164. Just 158 twins left the hangar in 2022—but that’s up from 148 in 2021 and even with the 157 delivered in 2020.

Sporty Singles

Diamond’s certification of the DA50 RG under FAA approval announced at EAA AirVenture on July 25 takes the lead on news for the sector. The DA50 RG, reviewed in the June 2023/Issue 938 edition of FLYING, steps into the spot once held by the Beechcraft Bonanza. It’s a speedy, high-performing retract with an advanced Continental engine design—this time the diesel CD-300 rather than the IO-550. And it can haul a lot of people and gear with relative comfort felt in the backseats—though the total seats number five instead of the Bo’s six. The modern powerplant can run on sustainable aviation fuel, and it retains the inherent slow-speed handling characteristics for which the Diamonds stay famous.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Diamond DA50 RG, the High-Performance Retract That Shines

That Bonanza remains in production—more than 75years later—though Textron Aviation saw just three of the G36 models delivered in 2022. Strength for the Wichita, Kansas-based OEM remains with its Cessna singles, the 172S Skyhawk, the 182T Skylane, and the Turbo 206 HD Stationair. Textron Aviation leveraged its position with flight school and aviation universities with 151 deliveries of the 172 to complement the 48 182s and 42 Stationairs.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Cessna 206

Expect an enthusiastic response through the end of 2023 from Cirrus Aircraft to step up its bid to retain the top spot in overall piston delivery numbers. The Duluth, Minnesota-based OEM sent 100 SR20s, 159 SR22s, and 280 SR22Ts home with lucky pilots in 2022 for a total of 539 singles—in addition to the 90 SF50 Vision Jets it delivered. Cirrus has made incremental changes to the SR series for this year, including a bespoke model run celebrating its 9,000th SR delivery midyear. The real news will come as it continues to test a 100LL replacement in its big-bore Continentals. The OEM is working with General Aviation Modifications Inc. (GAMI) on its G100UL fuel in pursuit of a solution for the fleet as it faces the sunsetting of leaded fuel in the next several years. Every OEM running 200 hp or higher engines in its piston aircraft is in a similar position.

• READ MORE: The Big Reveal: Cirrus Shows Off the SR G7

Tecnam introduced its P2010 Gran Lusso single in 2022, aimed at the luxury four-seat market. It has resonated, as the company delivered 46 of the P2010 series last year. Other interesting piston singles run the gamut of missions—from aerobatics with the Extra NG and Gamebird GB1 (rumors of the GB2 remain unanswered) to backcountry utility with the CubCrafters XCub and NXCub and just plain nostalgic fun with the WACO YMF-5, profiled in our August 2023/Issue 940 of FLYING.

• READ MORE: We Fly: WACO YMF-5

Piper also continues strong sales, particularly of its PA-28 series and PA-44 Seminole into training fleets worldwide. With 146 of the Pilot 100i and Archer III sold in 2022, Piper has also recently signed deals for its diesel version of the Archer, the DX, to flight schools in India, where 100LL is scarce and expensive. Ron Gunnarson, vice president of sales and marketing for Piper Aircraft, said, “In 2022 we delivered 232 aircraft, 14 percent higher than what we did in 2021. That increase was realized in both primary segments—the trainer class and the M class.” Piper is “comfortable” delivering 180 to 200 training aircraft, Gunnarson said.

• READ MORE: Piper Lifts the Veil on the M700 Fury, Its Fastest Single Yet

Stepping Up to Twins

Also moving strongly into the training sector is Tecnam, which debuted its P-Mentor two-seat, single-engine trainer at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh this summer—and which we reviewed in FLYING’s July 2023/Issue 939 edition. While it awaits certification under the FAA, Tecnam continues to see success with its two piston twins—the Rotax-powered P2006T for flight schools and the Lycoming-powered P2012 Traveller for regional operators.

Piper’s Seminole meets the P2006T in the flight training world, with 21 of the light T-tail twins sent to training programs last year. But big questions remain for the future of Piper’s Seneca V and the Beech-craft G58 Baron—neither of which saw any deliveries in 2022.

What’s certain, though, is that you will see more of Diamond’s futuristic-looking twins, the DA42-IV and the DA62, whether you’re flying in North America or Europe. The DA42, which some organizations use for training, sold 45 units, while the more powerful cross-country DA62 delivered 53 units worldwide.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Diamond DA62

The post Piston Performers appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Flight Design announced Wednesday that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certificate for its two-seat F2-CS23 piston single has been validated by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

The light aircraft manufacturer has been working toward CAAC validation for some time, reporting in November that it had passed an engineering audit designed to confirm certification specification compliance with the agency. According to Flight Design, plans are also in place for China-based company FX to build the F2-CS23 in Shenzhen. FX entered into a partnership with Flight Design at the beginning of the F2 project.

• READ MORE: Flight Design Passes CAAC Audit

“This is a great achievement and related to the very good cooperation between CAAC, EASA, and our team,” said Matthias Betsch, head of Flight Design’s EASA design organization. “The F2 is the first model of the F Series which follows the safety requirements of the new EASA CS23 certification specification and [provides] outstanding safety, performance, space and comfort for this kind of private-use and training airplane.”

Flight Design is also pursuing FAA validation for the F2-CS23, which earned its EASA type certificate in December 2021. Offering a top speed of 233 kph (126 knots), 2,000-kilometer (1,080 nm) range with 30-minute reserve, and maximum takeoff weight of 1,320 pounds, the model was developed as a certified version of Flight Design’s F2 special light sport aircraft (SLSA). Powered by the Rotax 912iS engine, the F2-CS23 comes equipped with Garmin G3X flight displays.

The post CAAC Validates Flight Design F2-CS23 Type Certification appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Congratulations, it’s twins! DeltaHawk has added two new higher-horsepower models to its family of jet-fueled piston engines. According to the company, the new engines follow the same family lineage as the DHK180, which was FAA certified in May 2023 and is now heading toward production.

The new models are the DHK200 and the DHK235. Both will share the same dimensions and weight of the DHK180, which has a rated takeoff power (RTP) and maximum continuous power (MCP) of 180 horsepower.

The DHK200 will produce RTP and MCP of 200 horsepower, while the DHK235 will produce  RTP and MCP of 235 horsepower.

DeltaHawk anticipates the certification and availability of the DHK200 in the third quarter of 2024, followed by certification and availability of the DHK235 in the first half of 2025.

Company officials are hopeful the momentum created by the introduction and certification of the DHK180 will be mirrored by the DHK200 and DHK235. The DHK180 went into production last summer.

• READ MORE: DeltaHawk DHK180 Engine Heads To Production

“Following FAA certification of the DHK180, customer interest and reservation deposits from aircraft OEMs and individual owners in both certified and experimental markets has been extremely high,” said Christopher Rudd, CEO of DeltaHawk Engines. “Our two new engine models build upon the same innovative, pilot-focused technology as the DHK180, while offering even more capability for higher power applications—as will additional engine models yet to be announced.”

About the Engines

DeltaHawk Engines, founded in 1996 and based in Racine, Wisconsin, designs and builds FAA-certified, jet-fueled piston engines for general aviation aircraft and hybrid-power systems.

All the DeltaHawk engines are based upon a clean-sheet design and feature an inverted-V engine block, turbocharging and supercharging, mechanical fuel injection, liquid cooling, direct drive, and, according to the company, 40 percent fewer moving parts than other engines in their category.

DeltaHawk notes the engines produce more usable torque than traditional aircraft engines in their class, all while burning significantly less fuel.

NASA recently selected the DeltaHawk DHK180 engine for its Subsonic Single Aft Engine project, known as SUSAN. Additionally, Ampaire has selected it for a hybrid proof-of-concept aircraft.

DeltaHawk is also working on a new program to develop additional variants of its engine family that will utilize hydrogen fuel in a wide variety of applications, including aviation, commercial road vehicles, and military mobility.

For more information, please visit the DeltaHawk website.

The post DeltaHawk Adds 2 More Engines appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Australia’s University of New South Wales School of Aviation (UNSW Aviation) is adding six new Diamond DA40 XLT single-engine piston airplanes to its fleet.

The deal was announced by Diamond Aircraft in partnership with the company’s distributor for Australia and New Zealand, Utility Air. As part of the arrangement, Utility Air has also agreed to sponsor the school’s electric vehicle racing development team.

“To be able to sell a fleet of aircraft to UNSW Aviation is wonderful, and to be able to sponsor the development of electric propulsion at the university further enhances our green credentials, something we take very seriously at Utility Air,” said Utility Air managing director Stephen Pembro.

The new DA40 XLTs will join eight DA40s operated by UNSW Aviation. The aircraft will be based out of Bankstown Airport (YSBK) in Sydney, where UNSW Aviation’s flying operations unit is located. Diamond expects to deliver four of the aircraft in 2024 and the remaining two in 2025.

“UNSW Aviation is delighted to continue our strong relationship with Utility Air and Diamond Aircraft Industries with the purchase of six DA40 XLT [airplanes],” said UNSW director of flying operations Malcolm Good. “[It’s] a fantastic addition to our existing fleet of DA40s to enable UNSW Aviation to deliver safe and effective flying training to the next generation of aviation leaders.”

• READ MORE: Diamond’s DA40 NG Just Might Be What the General Aviation Market Is Clamoring For

Introduced in 2013, the avgas-burning Diamond DA40 XLT piston single is powered by a 180 hp Lycoming IO-360 M1-A engine. The aircraft offers a top cruise speed of 142 knots, 847 nm range, fuel consumption of 8.2 gallons per hour, and maximum useful load of 900 pounds. It comes equipped with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics.

The post UNSW School of Aviation Expands Diamond Fleet appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

With no small amount of stealth leading up to the big reveal, Cirrus Aircraft announced in a live event Thursday its latest installment of the SR series, the SR G7.

Rethought from the inside out, the G7 series—including the SR20, SR22, and SR22T—takes cues from the Vision Jet to simplify operation while incorporating added safety and luxury features. All three 2024 models have completed the FAA type certification process and are ready for delivery.

FLYING took an exclusive first series of flights with the striking new G7 in the SR22 version in early December for a We Fly pilot report that will debut in Issue 945/February 2024, reaching subscribers later this month. Till then, a quick reveal…

• WATCH: Cirrus Updates SR Series

Central to the updates is the reimagined Perspective Touch+ integrated flight deck with 12- or 14-inch high-resolution displays, and twin GTC touchscreen controllers, to mimic the functionality and redundancy available in the Vision Jet SF50. Engine start has transformed into a push-button interface, preserving the ability to check mags and set mixture while making the process feel similar to that of the SF50. The updated automated flight control system (AFCS) incorporates smart servos and includes an optional yaw damper. 

Updated synoptic pages and streamlined checklists aid the pilot in monitoring both systems and procedures throughout all phases of flight. And the Cirrus IQ app gives the pilot remote viewing and control of certain aircraft functions. Cirrus Global Connect delivers worldwide text messaging, telephone service, and global weather.

SUBSCRIBE: Get the We Fly Report in Issue 945

It’s telling that Cirrus Aircraft looked up the model line to its Vision Jet to drive out complexity from its core single-engine pistons, sending its engineers on a journey to find ways to make the SRs as straightforward to operate as the jet. While that sounds like a contradiction, perhaps, pilots like FLYING’s Dick Karl have opined about the complexity involved in stepping down from a light jet back into the high-performance piston world.  

To this end, Cirrus has introduced a new shallower menu structure in the touchscreen controllers, along with a scroll wheel for turning through the CAS-linked, on-screen checklists smoothly. Still on the ground, Taxiway Routing and a contextualized 3D Safe Taxi guide the pilot around complex airport layouts, decluttering and slewing the PFD imagery to match the airplane’s speed and position on the airport. In the air, the automatic fuel selection system automatically switches between fuel tanks every 5 gallons.

Additional Safety Features

Pilots will also find an improved flight control, incorporating a stick shaker function to piggyback on the other envelope protection features in the Perspective+ series, for enhanced low-speed situational awareness. Both the left and right controls vibrate to warn of an approaching stall condition.


Another new addition to envelope protection is flap airspeed protection. The system monitors airspeed to protect the pilot from accidentally deploying or retracting flaps when the aircraft is traveling too fast or too slow for the given flap configuration change. 

A Stylish and Functional New Interior

In addition to the magic up front, Cirrus also rethought the interior, taking a page from current luxury vehicles to incorporate a host of new features, including redesigned interior panels, dimmable task lights, and ambient accent lighting. 

More rugged cup holders, more pockets, and two center console compartments efficiently store your smartphone and other key things for better cockpit organization and accessibility. Powered headset jacks and lighted high-power USB-C outlets come positioned within easy reach of each seat. 


First SR20 G7 Customer

While only one new TRAC20 (SR20) G7 has been built, it’s already wearing its school colors—those of Western Michigan University College of Aviation in Battle Creek. The Broncos are longtime Cirrus flight training operators and will incorporate the new models into their aviation degree programs. The school will take delivery in the first quarter for integration into the flightline.

Pilots across the board can opt into several training options for the new Cirrus line, including the OEM’s recently released Private Pilot Program—taking a prospective pilot from first flight to certification in their new airplane.

“Our mission is to increase participation in aviation, so more people can benefit from the freedom, productivity, and joy it provides,” said Zean Nielsen, CEO of Cirrus Aircraft. “We have also developed a comprehensive ecosystem, providing global sales, flight training, maintenance, and support to ensure our owners have a seamless ownership experience. Our aircraft are truly designed with people in mind, and the new SR Series G7 is a testament to that philosophy. Our team and our aircraft provide a clear path to enter and advance within the personal aviation community by learning to fly and eventually transition to the Vision Jet with ease.” 

The post The Big Reveal: Cirrus Shows Off the SR G7 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The scene unfolds in a sharply mown hayfield on the outskirts of a smalltown in the Midwest, with the tang of the shorn stubs rising so that you can taste as well as breathe in the scent. The lower of the two stacked wings of the almost-new biplane brushes the tips of the stalks left standing, and music plays behind a young woman as she stands at the fence. She’s taking it in, listening to the low rumble of the radial engine, smelling the oil that reminds her of the machine shed back at the farm. The humidity will filter up into a mist tomorrow morning, but this early August evening stays clear enough and as bright as her eyes at the prospect of flight.

Back in the mid 1930s, my grandmother took her first joyride in a biplane. For $5 that she split with her best friend, Marion, Isabel Barker defied her father’s explicit instructions not to go up in one of those “newfangled contraptions” and snuck in the secret flight at the county fair in Maquoketa, Iowa. She confessed to him later, being the honest soul she was. But she never forgot that view from the front seat—perhaps a Standard.

But maybe it was a WACO model D.

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She’s gone from us 7 years now, and the details remain lost to history. Alex Skiba, former sales and marketing manager for WACO Aircraft, figures many of those pilots who purchase a new WACO YMF-5 in 2023 still do so in order to use it for sightseeing operations. Similar in feel and spirit to those flights from a county fairground, the romantic taste of the sky that an open-cockpit airplane affords hasn’t lost its appeal.

And neither has the WACO.

An Introduction

The WACO takes you back into a beginner’s mind, not only because it evokes the beginnings of aviation’s golden age but also being the first airplane for many cadets facing entry into the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II. Then, as now, WACO is an acronym, standing for Weaver Aircraft Company in honor of its original co-founder, George “Buck” Weaver, who in 1920 with Elwood “Sam” Junkin, Clayton “Clayt” Bruckner, and Charlie Meyers launched the nascent aircraft builder in Lorain, Ohio (see “The Dream Machines”). You also understand instinctively when approaching it that this flight experience will be completely different from any-thing you’ve had before.

Like preparing for a special first date, I walked through in my mind my previous piloting time in biplanes. A few hours in the stately Stearman, and a quick aerobatic flight in a Christen Eagle—that would be the sum total. My experience is not uncommon among those who choose to purchase new WACOs—like the stunning ed and blue YMF-5 featured in these pages that belongs to Ed Stadelman. As a retired airline pilot—with a 40-year career spanning from Allegheny Airlines to USAir to American, from which he last flew the Boeing 777 out of New York—Stadelman recognized his flight time flying a previously owned Cessna 206 and 310, and a few hours years ago in the Stearman, would not serve as a sufficient precursor to taking on the WACO. It’s not that it’s hard to fly compared to other tailwheel airplanes—it’s just that the sight picture is quite different with the looming cowl blocking most of the forward view from the rear seat, where the airplane is flown from.

Stadelman negotiated a 20-hour training package with the purchase of the YMF-5, and he took a tailwheel refresher course prior to beginning that tutelage—a path he recommends to anyone without significant time in a big-engined biplane.

A. The rear cockpit is laid out with most of the WACO’s instrumentation, according to the owner’s desires. But certain legacy touches, like the teak-handled control stick and flooring, echo back to the original design.

B. The “six pack” on this YMF-5 features two Garmin GI 275 electronic instruments that can be configured for IFR flight.

C. The JPI EDM 930 engine monitoring system gives detailed data from the powerplant and fuel system.

D. The Garmin GTN 750 offers a modern navigation option, even though the owner isn’t likely to file IFR in the open-cockpit biplane.

E. An S-TEC System 55 autopilot is an option, along with a second com radio to round out the IFR package.

You Need a Ladder

Yes, you need a stepladder for most any thorough pre-flight. But this walkaround absolutely requires one. And not just any ladder, but one that will allow you to check the fuel caps on the upper wing—there are at least two, and four if the owner has opted for long-range tanks. The preflight encompasses standard items for any airplane—checking the flight controls, landing gear, fuel and oil levels—but with many nuances special to a biplane with fabric covering and bracing wires.

The aircraft flight manual is 28 pages long. This is notable, as it’s about 20 times shorter than the AFM for a new FAA Part 23 certificated airplane with standard factory-installed avionics. Since everything in the panel—save for the legacy instruments such as airspeed, altimeter, and engine gauges—is an option, those supplements stand alone and are not woven into the manual. There aren’t pages of performance tables for altitudes into the stratosphere, nor are there expanded systems descriptions and pages of warnings for the pilot to wade through and heed gingerly. Maybe that’s because this particular airframe and engine have no airworthiness directives applied to them since the original type certificate was blessed by the CAA in 1934.

The preflight checklist is thorough. It goes from the front and rear cockpits to the left lower wing trailing edge, where in addition to normal checking of the wing and aileron surface and freedom of movement, the slave wire between the upper and lower aileron is addressed. Proper tension of the landing and flying wires, and the security of the interplane strut must be verified as well.

At the nose of the airplane sits the now-standard 300hp Jacobs R755 A2 7-cylinder radial powerplant, with its MT Propeller two-bladed, fixed-pitch prop attached to the hub. There’s an option for an MT-Propeller controllable-pitch version too. The manual advises against flying with less than 3 gallons of oil on board.

As a potential WACO owner, you’ll be pleased to note that those Jakes are still on the market, when it comes time for the 1,400-hour TBO. The R755 A2 can be ex-changed for an overhauled model for $36,950—or you could buy one outright for $43,950—at Radial Engines Ltd., in Guthrie, Oklahoma, for one, at press time.

A Modern Version

Instead of squinting our eyes for flocking aerial competitors around that farmer’s pasture, today’s pilots plying the trade of air tours have ADS-B to call out traffic on a series of optional avionics offered as add-ons to basic VFR and IFR packages.

Stadelman opted for a Garmin GTN 750 WAAS-enabled GPS/nav system and a second com radio, as he flies around the busy New England states from his home base at Falmouth Airpark (5B6) in Massachusetts. He prefers the modern, IFR-capable panel, though he has no plans to fly his prize in the soup. “Even on marginal VFR days, it’s nice to have,” he said. Stadelman also chose the long-range tanks—taking the normal 46-gallon capacity up to 70 gallons—so that he doesn’t need to refuel if going into a grass strip with intermittent or nonexistent services.

Other nice touches in the rear cockpit include backup electronic instruments, additional com radios, and a JPI EDM 930 engine monitoring system. For my flight test, I was paired with N577S, a 10-year-old YMF that WACO keeps for training and demonstration purposes—and virtually identical to Stadelman’s 2022 model in all the ways that mattered, including the modern displays in the rear panel.

Ready to Taxi?

Flying from the back seat actually gives you a little better forward perspective than from the front, where the cowl with its signature bumps looms closer and blocks the view almost completely. I’m up front to start to familiarize myself with the airplane while WACO instructor Bob Danielson learns more about me.

I sit up straight to no avail, then begin wide S-turns to supplement my forward view. I work our way out to the runway at Battle Creek Executive/Kellogg Field (KBTL)for a short flight over to Brooks Field (KRMY), where a vintage hangar and open grass alongside the runway will make our morning photos more historically appropriate. The tailwheel is fully steerable, which improves handling on the ground but preserves the need to lock it prior to landing—lest the airplane trend off quickly from the centerline if the wheel isn’t aligned.

Hands and Feet On Takeoff

You need to be a steady partner with any tailwheel airplane, and the WACO rewards stick-and-rudder competence. The YMF-5 will lift off before you want it to in a three-point attitude unless you firmly place the stick forward as soon as the relative wind over the elevator allows for it. My first takeoff from the front had me working as I figured out the controls, but we managed to come off after about a 1,000-foot ground roll. Liftoff speed hovers just below 60 knots, with V_X at 63 kias and V_Y at 66 kias. We cruised at about 1,000 feet agl for the14 nm hop over to Brooks for my first landing. Danielson coached me through the pattern and landing speed (about 75 kias), and I stayed on it to keep the runway in sight as we came down final. I lost the numbers under that stately cowl several beats before “normal”—and then transitioned to a side view for the touchdown, with Danielson ready on the pedals in case my sense of the rudder pressure required was inaccurate.

• READ MORE: Waco Doubles Production and Plans to Expand Product Line

In the Glorious Open Air

After a trip back to Battle Creek Exec and a lunch break at the WACO Kitchen—I recommend the Wagyu tacos, but then again, I always recommend the tacos—we set off on a true demo flight, with me taking the backseat. The WACO is soloed from the rear cockpit, and as Danielson termed it, “it’s pretty lonely up front” with nothing but airspeed and altimeter, throttle and stick to work with. The front cockpit is built for up to two passengers—and often has the front stick removed lest they get any crazy ideas. So it was truly an act of courage for him to grant me that hallowed rear pit.

I found the YMF was easier to taxi from the rear, and we made it out for an intersection takeoff without too much heartache. But I failed to push forward quite enough on the stick during the takeoff roll, and we lifted off a few knots lower in airspeed than desired. Fortunately, we made up for it in ground effect and carried on up into the blue-and-green patchwork June afternoon.

Under a scattering of fair weather cumulus, I lazed into gentle turns above Gull Lake to the northwest of Battle Creek. Though it felt like breaking the serenity of my brief moments with this considerable companion, I know that many WACO pilots enjoy the highly maneuverable biplane for its grace in basic aerobatics. We hadn’t prepped the cockpits for anything upside down—nor were we sitting on chutes—but I tried out steep turns to 55 degrees of bank and pulled the YMF into a lazy 8 or two, followed by Dutch rolls, to test out its coupling. Perhaps one of those edged into a wingover… Amazingly, for an airplane built when serious adverse aileron drag seemed like it came standard one very model, the YMF didn’t present such vagaries but rewarded even rudder pressure with smooth control.

Landing Home

We circled the lake a few times to allow for anyone on the water to enjoy the sight of a navy blue-and-old-gold biplane against the cloud backdrop. Then I called up Battle Creek Tower, and we headed back in for my first landing attempt from the rear seat. Harkening back to my days flying a Globe Swift, a tail-low wheel landing feels most comfortable to me in taildraggers—and it works well for WACO pilots too, for the most part.

Keeping a few hundred rpm of power in, I targeted 75 knots on the tape and rode down to the long runway at KBTL. I had 10,000 feet to work with, so my aim point was about halfway down the pavement—about where I’d started my takeoff roll. With a gentle lean to compensate for a breath of crosswind, I leveled off and began to feel for the ground, easing out power and taking in a measured inhalation ’til the mains touched.

Was I ready for it? The gods of wind and summer thermals were on my side, and the WACO answered my control pressures honestly. What more could you want from any return to terra firm a than that moment of joy?

Courtesy of the WACO, it can be yours to pursue.

WACO YMF-5

Price, as shown: $658,400; VFR packages start at $590,000

Engine: Jacobs R755 A2, 300 hp

TBO (with current SBs): 1,400 hours

Propeller: MT Propeller MT233R150-6AJ, fixed pitch

Seats: 1+1/2

Wingspan: 30 ft.

Wing Area: 234 sq. ft.

Wing Loading: 12.6 lbs./sq. ft.

Power Loading: 9.83 lbs./hp

Length: 23 ft., 4 in.

Height: 8 ft., 6 in.

Baggage Weight: 75 lbs. aft, 25 lbs. forward

Basic Empty Weight: 2,145 lbs.

Max Gross Weight: 2,950 lbs.

Average Useful Load: 628 lbs. (805 lbs. max)

Fuel: 46 gal. std; 70 gal. with long-range tanks

Max Rate of Climb: 865 fpm

Stall Speed: 51 kias

Maneuvering Speed:120 kias

Load Limits (at 2,950 lbs.): +5.2/-2.1

Cruise Speed: 100 ktas, at sea level

Max Endurance/Range, Max Range Power, Long Range Tanks: 450 nm at 2,500 ft. msl

Takeoff Distance, Sea Level (over a 50 ft. obs.): 1,556 ft.

Landing Distance, Sea Level (over a 50 ft. obs.): 1,650 ft.

This article first appeared in the August 2023/Issue 940 print edition of FLYING. 

The post We Fly: WACO YMF-5 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

My last official entry in my logbook as a real-world private pilot was in July 2019. The school where I was a renter had a Piper Arrow, and it was time for some recurrency training with my instructor. The intervening years since that flight passed quickly as my wife and I were focused on our two young children, balancing the obligations of our careers, navigating the COVID-19 experience, then moving to a new town. In May, a good friend invited me to join him on a night flight to help round out his flying requirements before starting his training program at a regional airline later this summer.

Thrilled with the chance to go flying again, I found my flight gear in the basement, grabbed my aviation headset, kissed my wife and kids good night, and hurried off to the airport to meet my friend.

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As I would be a front-seat passenger on the flight, I intended to observe the goings-on and effectively get a reintroduction to the world of GA that I had missed over the last few years. From previous articles, you may recall that I am a vocal proponent for the use of home flight simulation, a believer that the benefits of a modest setup can engage the user in aviation decision-making, learning, and fun. However, having not flown a real-world flight in four years, it felt like sufficient time had passed where I could be reminded and maybe surprised about some facets of the experience I had forgotten.

• READ MORE: To Providence or Bust, in Simulated Flight

Driving to the Airport

I did not expect to enjoy it, but the drive to the airport provided some post-workday decompression and reflection time. I’d be joining my friend at Plymouth Municipal Airport (KPYM), located 30 miles south of Boston on Massachusetts’ southeastern coast. Usually, the 90-plus-minute drive from my home to the airport would be arduous and traffic-filled, but the relatively late departure gave me an unusually stress-free drive. It felt great to have my flight gear on the seat next to me again, a little stiff and dusty from lack of use, but ready to go.

I used some of the windshield time to think ahead about where I could try and be a helpful addition to the flight. Pulling off the highway to stop for fuel, I opened ForeFlight to check the weather. Clicking on the “Imagery” tab, I reviewed the “CONUS Weather” section and then read the Boston and New York area TAFs and METARs.

Although my friend had already reviewed the weather, it helped to get my head back in the game. Before arriving at the airport, I took some time to recall some favorite flights when I was PIC, flying friends and family on short flights around New England. Flipping through those memories in my logbook, I realized this would be my first flight since my grandfather passed back in December 2020.

As was our tradition in his final years, I would write him a complete account of every flight so he could enjoy it vicariously. It was a small token of my appreciation for the gift of heavily subsidized flight training he and my grandmother had provided me when I was in high school. I am fortunate he lived a long life in which he shared flying memories, such as taking the F4U Corsair on training flights in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Arriving at the airport, I had a few minutes to myself after parking at the hangar. Walking out to the airport fence, just as the sun sunk below the tree line, I reached into my jacket pocket to find a special artifact. I closed my hand around my grandfather’s pair of U.S. Navy wings he gave me for safekeeping. I looked out over the quiet evening of airplanes at rest in their tiedowns, a little bit of haze on the horizon lit up the sky in orange and dark pink. It was calm and peaceful, and I had forgotten how moving this scene could be at golden hour. In a few minutes, I would be on the fun side of the fence, getting to fly with a good friend in a gorgeous airplane on a near-perfect VFR evening.

The Preflight

Within a few minutes, my friend arrived, and I was trailing him through the ritual of the preflight and being reminded of how much I used to enjoy the process. Per the checklist, we started at the back of the leftwing, examining the aileron, flaps, and the assorted hardware. As we worked our way through the checklist to the right wing, I placed my hand on the leading edge and realized how much I missed the tactile connection with the airplane prior to flying it. The aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and X-Plane 12 are faithfully digital replicas, down to the finest visual details, but there was joy again in physically prepping the machine that would soon take us aloft. Following my friend, I contorted myself below the wing. Assuming a push-up position next to the right tire, he showed me how to check the brake condition and then used the fuel strainer to sump the fuel. Then, we checked the oil, engine cowl, propeller, and the rest of the checklist items.

Satisfied the aircraft was ready to fly, my friend offered me the left seat for the evening. Soon we were taxiing ahead into the calm darkness of the night. No other aircraft were moving at KPYM and the unicom frequency was quiet, save for our radio calls.

Takeoff was exciting. The vibration of the engine at full throttle and acceleration into the climb were physical sensations I definitely missed from my previous years of flight simulation. To address this, I recently added an HF8 Haptic Gaming Pad by Next Level Racing to my home flight sim. The pad sits on top of your flight sim seat and is used across the gaming and simulation world to bring additional sensation to your in-sim experience. Using tunable vibrations within eight different locations on the pad, it cleverly alerts the user to physical changes occurring to the airplane in different phases of flight.

For example, flying my Cape Air-liveried Beechcraft 58 Baron in MSFS2020, there is a satisfying thump felt in the seat pad when the landing gear fully retracts into the fuselage and the doors close. It reminded me of when the gear doors closed in the Piper Arrow I flew a few years ago. The pad also activates when the flaps are lowered into the slipstream and when the aircraft engines are idling below 1,000 rpm. Also, the pad vibrates when rapid pitch changes occur, alerting you to the buildup of G-forces. Without a haptic pad, the dynamic changes to the airplane during flight could only be experienced visually or audibly, leaving out the rest of the body.

Night VFR

Back in the real world, we were cruising through night VFR conditions that couldn’t have been much better. The first major landmark below us was the yellow-lighted outline of the Newport Bridge in Rhode Island, pointing like an arrow due west toward the Connecticut coastline. From the air, we followed the glowing path of vehicle headlights traveling on Interstate Highway 95 South. The lights from cars, neighborhoods, and nearby towns flowed forward, ahead of the airplane, all the way to Manhattan, just barely visible on the horizon. We crossed over Westerly, and my friend confirmed that a small patch of lights off the left wing was Montauk on the most easterly tip of Long Island. Between us and that thin sliver of land were the waters of Long Island Sound, which seemed to reflect almost no light and were the deepest black, exactly like the night sky above. Looking beyond Montauk, the only lights were a few stars and distant airliners making their way to and from the New York City airspace.

Next, we flew over the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and were soon turning back toward KPYM, picking up Boston Approach on com 1 and passing over the Class Charlie airspace of nearby Providence, Rhode Island (KPVD). Twelve miles west of KPYM, we started looking for the airport, leaning forward in our belts and peering out into the murky darkness ahead. With only a crescent moon above us, there was just enough haze to make it slightly challenging to find the horizon. The Cirrus SR20’s MFD indicated exactly where the airport should be, so my friend dialed up the correct frequency, hit the push-to-talk switch seven times, and a dazzling blue jewel, made up of hundreds of individual airport lights, burst from the darkness, giving shape to the airport a few miles ahead. Looking out over the nose, I watched how the perspective of the runway changed as we descended to the touchdown point.

Comparing both the real-world landing with some recent night landings from the left seat in my sim, I was very impressed by MSFS2020’s faithful digital representation of that critical phase of flight. On your own home simulator, you can easily adjust and tune your field of view to work best for your specific monitor and hardware setup. A majority of the work can be done through simple adjustments of the slider bars. Tuning the field-of-view and camera settings in your simis time well spent since being able to look around your virtual cockpit easily is critical to improving immersion and having an enjoyable experience.

After landing, we taxied back, shut down, and began the postflight activities of putting the aircraft back in the hangar for the evening. I was grateful for my friend’s invitation to join him and the subsequent reintroduction to GA and night VFR flying. All of my flight sim experiences at home are solo, except for the live communication with volunteer controllers, and a highlight of this flight was getting to catch up with my friend in person. It was all the more special knowing his departure to airline training would be coming this summer, making opportunities to fly together more scarce. After four years away from GA, I realized how much of the flight experience I had missed, both the familiar and unexpected. But being back at the airport, I felt like I was home again—and it felt great.

Hardware Recommendations

Gaming PC: This article was written during my switchover to a new Doghouse Systems gaming PC. John Pryor, Doghouse Systems owner and founder, specifically built the PC to tackle the graphic demands of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, significantly shortening the load time and allowing its highest graphics settings to be utilized. I have been busy tuning the graphics and switching over the flight controls and avionics. Having been an X-Plane user since 2015, I am learning the finer points of MSFS2020. If you’re in the market for a home flight simulator, look at Doghouse Systems custom-built gaming PCs.

HF8 Haptic Gaming Pad: I am really enjoying the recent addition of this upgrade to my flight sim seat. After installing the driver required to make it run with MSFS2020, I plan to use it on every flight. Even a Class D level simulator can’t replace the physical sensations of flying, but that isn’t the point of the pad. When I add new hardware to my sim, I do so hoping it will provide incremental improvements in the form of additional fun, greater immersion, or a new challenge—and the sensor pad checks those boxes.

This article first appeared in the August 2023/Issue 940 print edition of FLYING.

The post A Midsummer Night’s Flight appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

ICON Aircraft announced Tuesday that the FAA has granted its A5 amphibious light sport aircraft (LSA) type certification in the primary category.

ICON says the certification will allow it to enter new markets, launching a “new phase of growth” for the company. Among other advantages, the new approval gives ICON a much clearer certification path in countries that don’t recognize the U.S. light sport category or those where the company would otherwise be required to go through a waiver process similar to the one it completed with the FAA to receive a weight exemption for the heavier-than-standard A5.

• READ MORE: Icon A5 Light-Sport Aircraft Review

The primary category certification also clears the way for the company to “take advantage of reciprocal agreements between the FAA and aviation governing bodies outside of the U.S.” to certify the A5 in regions and countries such as Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America.

“Receiving FAA type certification for the ICON A5 in the primary category is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire ICON team,” said company CEO Jerry Meyer. “It allows us to expand our market potential around the world, and it underscores the commitment of ICON Aircraft to innovation and excellence in design…We are grateful for the collaborative partnership with the FAA throughout this process, and we extend our sincere thanks for their commitment to safety and efficiency.”

About the A5

The two-seat ICON A5 Certified Edition offers a top speed of 95 knots, 427 nm range with a 45-minute reserve, and useful load of 430 pounds. The aircraft is powered by the fuel-injected Rotax 912iS engine and comes equipped with the Garmin aera 796. It also features a folding-wing design and whole-airframe parachute system.

ICON noted that the certified edition of the A5 has the same specifications and performance as the S-LSA version but will require a private pilot certificate and seaplane rating to operate in the U.S. The A5 S-LSA will continue to require a sport pilot certificate with a seaplane endorsement. Starting price for the certified version is $439,000 while the S-LSA model starts at $394,000.

According to the company, the primary difference between the two versions is that the “Type-certified A5 is produced under a production type certification under a higher level of scrutiny and documentation by the FAA.”

ICON began delivering the A5 to customers in 2017. The company reports that it has now shipped more than 210 A5s to clients across 13 countries. The model is manufactured at ICON’s facility in Tijuana, Mexico.

If you’re looking for an A5 of your own, consider entering The Ultimate FLYING Giveaway.

The post ICON A5 Receives FAA Primary Category Type Certification appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

This week, CubCrafters, the Yakima, Washington-based builder of backcountry aircraft, reached a major milestone: delivery of its 1,000th new production aircraft.

According to CubCrafters, on December 19 the Part 23-certified CC19-215 XCub was handed over to Tim Sheehy, CEO of Bridger Aerospace in Bozeman, Montana.

The landmark aircraft is painted in red and yellow firefighting livery, the paint scheme itself a tribute to the Bridger Aerospace fleet of Canadair CL-415 “Super Scooper” water bomber aircraft. Sheehy, who founded Bridger Aerospace in 2014, is an active pilot, retired Navy SEAL, and Republican candidate in the 2024 Montana primary for the U.S. Senate.

“Bridger Aerospace and CubCrafters have a relationship going back to 2016 when we worked together on a project for the U.S. military,” said Sheehy. “We frequently base near their factory in Yakima, Washington, during fire season, and I have always admired the passion the entire CubCrafters team has for aviation. I’m honored to welcome the 1,000th aircraft to our fleet.”

Sheehy pointed out the utility of the aircraft is a bonus in remote areas.

“This is CubCrafters top-of-the-line flagship model,” he said. “We will definitely put it to good use in support of our mission of protecting the American West from the threat of wildfires.”

About the Aircraft

The CC19-215 XCub sports a 215 HP Lycoming IO-390 engine with dual electronic ignition and a modern lightweight Garmin glass avionics panel with autopilot. Company officials note the XCub useful load is 1,084 pounds with a range of approximately 800 miles and top speed of 160 mph. The fully FAA-certified aircraft is popular with government agencies, commercial operators, and backcountry aviation enthusiasts.

About CubCrafters

CubCrafters was founded in 1980 by experienced backcountry pilot Jim Richmond. At first the company produced mods for the Piper Super Cub, then created the Top Cub, the first of many models based on the Piper Cub and tailored to the needs and desires of pilots seeking a utility vehicle for remote airstrip operations.

• READ MORE: CubCrafters Unveils Carbon Cub UL

New technology has led to the creation of CubCrafters Carbon Cubs, Sportcubs, and XCubs/NXCubs, which are among the company’s more popular designs. The Carbon Cub is most popular with backcountry pilots. The XCub is available in both tailwheel and nose wheel configurations.

More information on CubCrafters airplanes is available here.

The post CubCrafters Delivers 1,000th Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) took delivery of six new Cessnas from Textron Aviation last week, expanding its fleet to nearly 550 aircraft.

The new additions, which were handed over at Textron Aviation’s location in Independence, Kansas, included four new Cessna Skyhawks, one Cessna Skylane, and one Cessna Turbo Stationair HD. The aircraft join a fleet of 540 Cessnas currently owned and operated by CAP.  The organization also has a contract for an additional 14 172S Skyhawks and one 182T Skylane, which it awarded to Textron in September.

“Civil Air Patrol is thrilled to welcome these new Cessna aircraft to the world’s largest fleet of single-engine piston aircraft,” said CAP national commander and CEO Major General Edward D. Phelka. “CAP is proud to continue to partner with Textron Aviation as we utilize their outstanding products in executing complex and varied missions for America.”

• READ MORE: Civil Air Patrol Responds to Wildfires on Maui

Founded on December 1, 1941, as the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, CAP now counts its membership at more than 60,000 volunteers organized into 1,414 squadrons across the U.S. According to its annual report, the organization flew more than 95,000 hours and is credited with saving 151 lives last year. CAP’s missions include joint training and other military operations, assisting federal, state, and local agencies, search and rescue, disaster response, and emergency services.

“From search and rescue to disaster relief and homeland security, the missions CAP undertakes daily are as broad as their footprint across the U.S.,” said Bob Gibbs, Textron Aviation’s vice president for special missions sales. “We are honored that Cessna aircraft continue to be the organization’s platform of choice for these crucial operations.”

The post Civil Air Patrol Expands Fleet appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For those who follow the history of the Douglas DC-3, the date December 17 carries a significance beyond its connection to the Wright Brothers’ first flight in 1903.

That’s because—just over three decades later in 1935—the auspicious date saw the first flight of the Douglas Sleeper Transport, or DST, which marked the first variant of the DC-3 series.

When the final DST configuration was settled on and the first model ready for flight, it was a cool, clear day in December. Coincidentally, it was the 32nd anniversary of the Wrights’ famous flight: December 17. In the late afternoon, around 3 p.m., the airplane rolled out, but this time the flight wasn’t turned into a company lunch break or notable event, and even few of the Douglas executives took the time out to watch. It’s assumed that Doug did, but no photo remains of the occasion (if one was ever taken) and no specific notes remain on the particular flight. [Douglas chief pilot Carl] Cover’s logbook entry is simple, as though he was just testing another DC-2 off the line.

In a sense, he was—there was little in the way of dramatic leaps in technology or performance from the DC-1 to the DST, as Doug would note later on, yet it was almost a totally new airplane from a parts standpoint. Much of the change needed to stretch and widen the airplane resulted in similar but improved handling characteristics. What Cover may have noticed were the improvements to ergonomics in the cockpit, and, as the testing went on, the more luxurious interior on the DST, required by the purpose it served as a sleeper transport and not just a day plane.

—excerpt from “Honest Vision: The Donald Douglas Story”

READ MORE: The Douglas DC-3 Changed Aviation History Forever

A Key to Winning the War

Just a few years later, the DC-3’s military versions—beginning with the C-47—would prove pivotal in World War II. The capable and forgiving twin would keep its crews safe with the numerous improvements integrated into its systems and performance, while they delivered load after load of troops and cargo across oceans and to the front lines, particularly in the European Theater.

As a result of the massive mobilization of aircraft manufacturing in the wake of the establishment of the industry-led War Production Board in January 1942, the Allied Forces had the “Arsenal of Democracy,” which exceeded the 50,000 aircraft touted by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as an outline of the production effort.

The D-Day Squadron will honor the missions flown around the Normandy Invasion when it returns to those shores in May and June 2024—but also lend to its audience and participants the sense of what other massive operations would feel like witnessing from the air and on the ground. While several aircraft flying over from the U.S. participated in the commemorative occasion on the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, at least one new entrant hopes to be flying in time: the C-47 ‘Night Fright’.

READ MORE: To Honor and Remember: D-Day

After D-Day

The Normandy Invasion marked a turning point in the war—and following the strikes in June 1944, it seemed that it would be nearing its end in Europe. But a few critical events remained. 

One would begin on the eve of the airplane’s 9th anniversary. On December 16, 1944, the German war machine launched one last large-scale offensive, amassing more than a million soldiers along a 75-mile front.

The Battle of the Bulge—known then as the Ardennes Offensive, as it spanned the Ardennes Forest along the German-Belgian border—caught the Allied forces by surprise, but they quickly mobilized a counter attack that once again hinged on the utilization of the C-47 fleets. Fighting the severe cold over the course of six weeks, more than a million Allied troops, including the 101st Airborne Division, brought their full force to bear. Defending the town of Bastogne, beginning on December 22, over the course of the next several days, “961 C-47s and 61 gliders dropped 850 tons of supplies and ammunition to Bastogne,” according to the RAF Mildenhall website.

To talk with the troops on the ground, those supplies proved not only critical from a logistical sense, but also in terms of morale. The pilots I spoke with while gathering stories for “Together We Fly: Voices From the DC-3” recalled the bitter cold—and the fact the brunt of the fighting took place over Christmas. Feeling far from home at a poignant time, soldiers witnessed the sight of one hundred C-47s at a time overhead, visible through the clearing skies.

So on this anniversary of the Wright Flyer’s first success, and that of the DC-3’s inaugural test flight, I think of those soldiers and count my blessings this holiday season.

Editor’s Note: You can win a flight in a DC-3 and a history package from the D-Day Squadron by entering here.

The post The Douglas C-47: A Christmas Story appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The courtyard of the Castello di Faicchio spans maybe 50 yards from crenellated pillar to stone post. That was wide enough for two boys—ages 10 and 11—to contest each other in a mad sprint, or to watch as their latest model glided down from a balcony perched up on its walls. Before World War II would topple portions of those ramparts, southern Italy in the late1930s didn’t provide much in terms of resources, except for the space in which the boys would construct models late into the night, hiding from their father—and sometimes to the detriment of their schoolwork.

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Much like it was during the early days of Popular Aviation—FLYING’s precursor—one of the first aviation magazines in Italy, L’Aquilone, featured plans for building model aircraft used by enthusiasts enamored by the idea of flight. These kit-built machines catalyzed the dreams of Luigi and Giovanni Pascale as they reached their majority in Campania north of Naples.

In league from the beginning, the brothers would nurture and support each other’s imaginations until they could launch their aircraft design and manufacturing efforts in 1948, 75 years ago. The Pascales built their unique airplanes at first incorporated under the marque of Partenavia in 1957—and within the company we know today as Tecnam.

Training Legacy

The latest of Tecnam’s single-engine airplanes to come to fruition, the P-Mentor, joins a legacy of aircraft destined to help aspiring pilots learn to fly. The first true Pascale design to reach production, the original P48 Astore, looks a lot like the Piper Pacer taildragger from which the brothers drew inspiration. The P-Mentor breaks from one tradition, in that it is one of the few of the Pascale designs not named after the year in which it began development—for example, the P48 sprang from the drawing board in 1948, and the P2012 Traveller started in 2012, though it didn’t see European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification until 2019, with FAA certification to follow later that year.

• READ MORE: Tecnam Unveils P-Mentor Training Aircraft

While Tecnam has enjoyed recent success in the U.S. with its modern version of the Astore LSA, and the latest edition of the P92 Echo, the P-Mentor makes a compelling case for a primary trainer that goes beyond the light sport category. The P-Mentor achieved EASA certification under CS 23—equivalent to the FAA Part 23 type certification basis for light aircraft—in 2021. Though the P-Mentor is powered by a version of the same engine found on many LSAs—the Rotax 912iSC3—the airplane’s heft and sophisticated cockpit take it up a notch from the entry-level category to create a platform that will serve to educate new pilots intent on progressing into a career—or just larger, more capable airplanes.

A. The FADEC-equipped Rotax 912iSC3 engine has an easy preflight check sequence.

B. The simulated landing gear switch is also tied to a gear warning horn to help facilitate training in preparation for more complex aircraft.

C. The Garmin G3X Touch displays can be configured in multiple ways, including a base map, engine information system, and the primary flight display. A Garmin GTN650Xi in the RNAV-capable edition enables a complete IFR training program.

D. The control sticks have a shape to them that falls nicely in the hand, and the seats are adjustable, rather than the rudder pedals, for a comfortable fit.

E. An optional Garmin GFC 500 autopilot outfits the P-Mentor for extended cross-country missions and advanced aircraft training.

A Walkaround

My introduction to the P-Mentor began on the ramp at the company’s headquarters in Capua, Italy, following a detailed production-line tour that took in several of the models in various stages of readiness for first flight and eventual delivery. Witnessing how the machines come together always gives insight to how they will perform, so I felt particularly well versed in the P-Mentor’s genesis after hearing Giovanni Pascale—managing director of Tecnam and the latest in the family line to lead the company—walk through each step in that process.

Its low-wing, side-by-side seating evokes similar LSAs I’ve flown recently—such as the BRM Aero Bristell SLSA—yet with an aspect to the way the canopy slopes into the fuselage that recalls its design heritage, as we saw earlier in the tour, from the mid-’50s designs of the firm, but still modern and inspiring confidence as you approach it on the ramp. Tecnam chose to certify the P-Mentor with a maximum gross weight of 1,587pounds, a good 267 pounds higher than the top of the LSA class. Having done so allows for a useful load of up to 628 pounds and the flexibility to have two healthy adults plus full fuel on board.

Walkaround takes in the normal checkpoints with few unique aspects to the process. Tecnam flight test pilot Massimo de Stefano oriented me to a few items, mostly to do with getting in and out of the airplane. Early Pascale designs—and all of its twins—feature a high wing, in part to aid ingress for pilots and passengers. But the low wing has an easy step-up and good handholds for settling yourself into the seats.

De Stefano guided me to the right seat, which was perfect for this review, as it allowed me to assess the P-Mentor as an instructor and see how it would perform and feel flying from that familiar CFI’s perch.

The flight deck features a twin Garmin G3X Touch installation in the complete IFR package—called the “Sport” version—that we flew with in I-PDVF, the company’s demonstrator. Those displays are accompanied by a Garmin GTN 650 Xi nav/com/GPS, a Garmin GAD 29c ARINC data module, and a remote-mounted Garmin GTX 345R transponder with ADS-B In and Out capability. All of that—in addition to the engine management system—is powered by a 14-volt electrical system that utilizes two electrically isolated alternators (A and B) and a main ship’s battery.

Startup and Taxi Out

Starting the Rotax involves a simple process, with a couple of nuances—you first flip a toggle switch to energize the starter in addition to having the master switch on. Then, it’s both FADEC Lane A and B switches on, fuel pump on, and push the red starter button to swing the prop—which caught quickly on the warm engine (from previous flights). There are separate avionics and autopilot masters as well.

Run-up was guided by the engine information display on the right-hand G3X Touch screen, checking both FADEC lanes using the 4-cylinder exhaust gas temperature readouts, along with coolant and manifold temperatures, oil pressure, and volts.

De Stefano took on the task of taxiing out in order to familiarize me with the special procedures at the Capua Airport (LIAU), both of the day—rain showers earlier left the grass runway in varying states of rough—and in general. LIAU has a flight information service staffed by the local fire brigade—and therefore non-English speakers. Unusual, but not wholly unanticipated.

We left our abbreviated flight plan with the FIS and de Stefano guided me through the first takeoff, taking a line that was relatively smooth on the left-hand half of the runway, which measures 1,097 meters, or 3,599 feet.

We took just over one-third of the runway on that takeoff roll, not bad considering the condition of the turf, which appears to be a running source of amusement amongst the Tecnam pilots and their dealers. Test flying is often frustrated by the weather at Capua, with winter rains rendering it unusable for stretches of time.

One clear benefit to the location? I saw the airplane’s performance on a truly soft field. All Tecnam aircraft must pass this test or never reach the skies at all. The local council plans to finally pave the runway sometime in the next year—and we hope that’s on schedule, though the current field has its, well, charm.

In-flight Feel

For our mission, we took off to the northeast from Runway 26 to stay clear of the military field—Grazzanise—on whose control zone perimeter Capua sits, at 64 feet msl. I had the controls through the climbout to 3,000 feet for our high work, and we saw 450 to 700 fpm at the V_X of 70 knots and power set at 28.9 inches and 5,550 rpm.

During steep turns the controls felt solid, and even between aileron and pitch (in the baseline I use, aileron control feel is usually a degree lighter than pitch). However, I found the P-Mentor easy to keep coordinated both in 30- and 45-to-50-degree-bank turns and the proper pitch attitude facile to find in each direction.

Stalls broke mildly—more of a mush in an approach to landing (power off) stall, with a level break in the departure (power on) mode. Recover came swift and sure. I performed a few additional coordination maneuvers, seeking the marriage between aileron and rudder, and with a brisk roll left and right and back to center, again, straightforward to keep the nose on the horizon in its place.

• WATCH: We Fly the Tecnam P-Mentor

I made a power-off glide at 70 knots to test that handling, and the P-Mentor preserved the good gliding characteristics of the P92 Eaglet—precursor to the Echo—that I first flew back in 2006, with a reasonable 9.7:1 glide ratio. No surprises—just honest flying.

In Cruise

Where the P-Mentor trades off its weight for performance shows up in two places—the not-quite-as-short takeoff roll, and in the modest cruise speed of 117 knots. That’s at a power setting of 27 inches MP and 5,480 rpm.

Reducing the power to 24 inches and 5,030 rpm brings us to 100 knots indicated at 2,000 feet msl and13 degrees C—nearly ISA conditions. The panel is setup for cross-country missions in the sport package we tested—and you can do so at the modest fuel burn afforded by the Rotax, which sips 3.7 gph at that economy cruise setting. The company prides itself on the efficiency of its models, which certainly holds true here.

Training to Land

One unique feature of the P-Mentor that places it squarely into the training class is the simulated landing gear lever on the pilot’s subpanel. Though the airplane’s gear remains fixed firmly in place, if you don’t actuate the gear lever to the down position when bringing the throttle to idle, a warning horn sounds—just as it would in a true retract, and it’s tested during the run-up. The idea is to ingrain each of the steps into the thinking process of a new pilot. However, one could argue that because the airplane doesn’t reflect the aerodynamic change of the gear moving and the swinging of the gear doors, it’s a tenuous transfer of learning.

However, Sporty’s sells the same portable type of device in its catalog towards the same purpose, and I suppose it holds merit for building that habit of always checking to see if the gear is down on final.

Short and Soft Techniques

The long-span flaps can be set at the takeoff position (roughly 15 degrees) as high as 106 kias, with full deflection of about 30 degrees—the landing position—at 96 knots, aiding greatly in the ability to slow the airplane.

De Stefano wanted to demonstrate a landing first (and the right line to take on the rutted field), and I was keen to try out the go-around profile of the airplane. A nice, easy approach speed of 70 knots kept us on a smooth path to the touchdown point—and I braced myself for the bounces I figured would be inevitable—but the P-Mentor’s tires handled the uneven turf with aplomb. He pushed the power up for a touch-and-go, and handed the controls back over.

We did a low approach first, and I kept myself purposefully high, and slipped on final to see if the P-Men-tor’s good coupling held true, and it did. During the pass, I flew just off of the deck by about 15 feet, so I could continue to get a sense of things. I pulled up into a nice fly-by for the folks on the Tecnam ramp and entered the pattern again, level at about 750 feet agl—about 800 feet msl.

Remembering to put the “gear” down as I throttled back, it didn’t take long to find the approach speed that seemed to give the best mix of low speed and positive control authority on final. I aimed for the good line in the grass, and I was rewarded with a pleasant touch-down—stick in my lap and a little bit of power in to keep us going as the tufts of turf snatched at the tires.

We readily made the turn off just past midfield to taxi back into the factory—and de Stefano was all smiles as I did—a mark of approval that goes beyond translation. That grin matched my own, as the P-Mentor had been a true pleasure to fly—and would likely be just as much fun to use, yes, mentoring new pilots into the skies.

Tecnam P-Mentor

Price (fully equipped, as tested): $350,750

Engine: Rotax 915iSC3, 100 hp

TBO (or equivalent): 1,200 hours

Propeller: MT V.P. hydraulic with governor, two-blade

Seats: 2

Wingspan: 29.5 ft.

Wing Area: 128.1 sq. ft.

Wing Loading: 12.39 lb./sq. ft.

Power Loading: 15.87 lb./hp

Length: 22.1 ft.

Height: 8.2 ft.

Baggage Weight: 66 lb.

Standard Empty Weight: 959 lb.

Max Takeoff Weight (EASA CS 23): 1,587 lb.

Standard Useful Load (EASA CS 23): 628 lb.

Fuel: 140 liters/37 gal.

Max Rate of Climb: 750 fpm

Max Operating Altitude: 13,000 ft.

Stall Speed (flaps extended): 44 kias

Max Cruise Speed: 117 ktas, at sea level, max continuous power

Max Range @ Max Range Power: 950 nm

Takeoff Distance, Sea Level (over a 50 ft. obs.): 1,706 ft.

Landing Distance, Sea Level (over a 50 ft. obs.): 1,280 ft.

This article first appeared in the July 2023/Issue 933 print edition of FLYING.

The post We Fly: Tecnam P-Mentor appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

When I moved my airplane into its new hangar at Sussex Airport (KFWN) in New Jersey late last year, I gazed at the rows of adjoining units and wondered what types of rare and interesting machinery lay behind the dozens of bifold doors.

A few weeks later, I found that a distinguished neighbor resided next door. A contractor had opened the hangar door to adjust the cables, pulleys, and motor that control its movement. The shape of the aircraft parked inside left no doubt regarding its identity. It was a Boeing Stearman Model 75, also known by its military name, the PT-17.

This one clearly had not flown in many years—at least 15 according to airport gossip. It had all the signs of a long slumber, such as deflated tires and a coat of dust that dulled its silver finish. Access panels on the sides of its fuselage behind the exposed Continental R-670 were open, exposing frame members, brake cylinders, control linkages, and more. The lower panel had been removed and was resting neatly on the floor, as if someone had begun performing periodic maintenance years earlier and never quite finished. A yellow towbar was attached to the landing gear, seemingly ready to pull the airplane out for its next flight after a routine oil change.

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I would find out later that the aircraft’s layup had coincided with the onset of a succession of medical difficulties that kept its owner out of the cockpit, but only recently compelled him to offer the airplane for sale.

On first sight, though, all I could think about was how badly this machine needed to get back into the air. It did not look like some neglected wreck. Everything appeared to be intact. There were no holes or tears in its covering, only minimal peeling paint and no small animals nesting in its recesses—none that I could find, at least.

Almost immediately I had visions of the Stearman one day emerging triumphantly from the hangar, cranking its engine to life in a swirl of oily smoke and slowly zigzagging down the taxiway. After a run-up, the engine’s full-power song would echo through the valley as the old bird rolled, tail-high, down Runway 21 and lifted off into the late afternoon light. What would it take to get there—to bring this classic aircraft back to life?

“It needs everything,” my instructor, Rich Bartlett, said in the same discouraging tone he used years ago when I contemplated banner towing. “New covering alone would cost 80 grand,” he added.

Ray Fagnano, the mechanic who looks after “Annie,” my Commander 114B—and counts a number of Stearmans among his customers—urged me to “forget about that airplane.” The asking price of $70,000 is too high, he noted, considering how much work the airplane will need to regain its airworthiness. Anyone with that much to spend, Fagnano said, should offer it to the pilot at nearby Blairstown Airport (1N7) who owns a solid Stearman that he flies regularly and “probably would sell it to you for the same amount.”

An Expert Weighs In

Wanting to understand more about the depth of effort involved, I contacted a number of people well versed in Stearmans, including staffers at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, where they display a meticulously restored model, and Mike Porter of East Liverpool, Ohio, who has spent the past two decades restoring vintage aircraft and specializing in Stearmans.

“I’m working on No. 26 now, but I have helped people with many more, you know, sharing tips,” Porter said, noting he consulted with the crew that worked on the Air Force museum’s restoration. He works on many types of aircraft but focuses on other warbirds and fabric-covered models when not working on a Stearman.

Porter said he got into the business essentially by coincidence. After earning his private pilot certificate at 17, followed by his commercial, he was towing banners in New Jersey with ambitions to join the airlines when the September 11 terrorist attacks halted aviation activity. He was already an airframe and powerplant mechanic, so he began working in local shops before abandoning the airline idea and eventually starting his own repair and restoration business.

He said that while many pilots are attracted to biplanes from aviation’s Golden Age of Flight, the Stearman stands out for several reasons, the foremost being its military history. The aircraft will always be associated with World War II, having trained thousands of pilots across the U.S. military services. Pretty much every wartime pilot had a Stearman story. “They are also well-designed, nice-flying airplanes that are fairly forgiving,” Porter said.

Because the aircraft was built in huge numbers—between 8,000 and 10,000—for the war and was a popular surplus purchase afterward, there are many still flying today. Indeed, it is a stretch to call the Stearman “rare.”

However, what is rare is its combination of Golden Age biplane and warbird status, which nearly guarantee the best parking spots at major air shows and fly-ins.

Military History

Lloyd Stearman began manufacturing aircraft in the 1920s for the civilian market and later the growing airmail service. The company turned out several models, including the C3 and Stearman 4 Speedmail, but it was the two-seater Stearman Model 75 that caught the military’s attention as an ideal trainer for combat pilots—in part because its rugged design, though dated, enabled it to withstand common mistakes made by flight students, including hard landings, ground loops, and nose-overs.

The military selection happened around the same time the Stearman company became part of Boeing, which brought to bear the capacity to produce the aircraft in higher volumes. This case of aviation serendipity sealed the Stearman’s place in history. For the record, Model 75s with Lycoming engines were called PT-13s while those with Continental engines were PT-17s. Others had Jacobs engines and were called PT-18s.

The airplanes’ steel-frame fuselage and wooden wings held up well through the war and kept them gong for decades afterward, often as crop dusters. Their high lift, low speed, and low prices on the war-surplus market made them the obvious choice for the booming aerial application business, dusting and spraying pesticides, fertilizer, and other chemicals on crops across the country. While people often worry about the possible effects of corrosive chemicals on the airframe, pilots and mechanics familiar with the type maintain the former agricultural aircraft are not necessarily problematic.

“It’s really a case-by-case process,” Porter said. “Many of these operators took great care of their air-planes while others might have run them into the ground.”

Anyone considering buying a Stearman, like any other airplane, should have an expert inspect it closely. Porter said he has seen aircraft arrive at his shop in a wide range of conditions, but even the rough ones usually can be returned to flying duty.

At What Cost?

While you typically can find airworthy Stearmans on the market for around $100,000, having one restored will cost more. How much more is hard to say because he figures vary so much, Porter said. “Once you get past recovering the airframe, which costs $60,000 to $80,000, you are mainly looking at time and materials,” with restorers typically charging $60 to $150 per hour, he said. The nice thing about new covering is that the process exposes every part of the airframe, making it possible to produce a like-new airplane.

The Stearman next door has been a source of temptation for me ever since I first saw it. It just has the feel of an old house with “good bones” or an old hound who needs a new home. Right now, it’s the last thing I need, but my own history with Stearmans makes it hard to forget this one.

• READ MORE: Taking Wing: Stearman Patrol

While traveling through Connecticut with my parents and two older sisters on our way to Cape Cod in1974, I spotted a biplane flying low, parallel to the highway.

Soon it turned and flew over the road just ahead of us. I was 8 years old and excited to see a real “two-winger” in action. Until that day the only biplanes I had seen up close were a couple of my father’s radio-controlled models.

The airplane I had seen overhead, painted creamy white with dark orange trim, appeared to be on final to land at a nearby field. I suggested that we follow it and try to find the airport.

My sisters moaned. They did not want our all-day drive to get any longer. But my father thought it was a good idea and turned off the highway at the next exit.

Crossing Paths

We were in a rural area without many roads, so it was fairly easy to find the one that led to the airport. An instructor was giving lessons in the airplane and we got to stand by the ramp—there was no airport fence back then—while the next student got going. They cranked the inertia starter, fired the engine, and took off across the countryside. It was a memorable mini-airshow for me and just barely tolerable for my sisters.

About 40 years later a friend was flying his Stearman across the country and met me for lunch at Sussex. Afterward we went for a long flight during which he was generous with sharing stick time.

It was early October, the weather was perfect and the forest canopy that covered that part of northern New Jersey and southern New York was a beautiful late-season green. We flew S-turns, steep turns, lazy eights, and stalls.

Almost as soon as my hand held the stick, I began to understand exactly why so many people love these airplanes. They simply fly beautifully. They are big, comfortable, and comforting in their movements—very smooth, not at all twitchy. There’s a sense of warmth that not all airplanes have that really comes through when you fly well-coordinated turns in a Stearman. I have kind of longed to relive that experience ever since.

Now this next-door neighbor has revealed itself. Is it fate or a trap? My wife, Alexa, suspects the former. Having heard my description of the aircraft, Porter said he would certainly give it a look, reminding me that “many of these laid-up airplanes turn out to be pleasant surprises.”

However, he also is booked with projects for the next three years. Perhaps that is a blessing, and enough time to change Alexa’s mind.

On the Hunt for a Classic PT-17

The Stearman was built in such great numbers during wartime in the 1940s that so many continue to fly today—making an excellent choice for a warbird that handles with docile flight characteristics and a forgiving nature. In the June 2000 edition of FLYING, former editor-in- chief Richard L .Collins extolled the virtues of the biplane that serves as both a trip to the Golden Age of Flight as well as a ticket to warbird parking at EAA AirVenture—perhaps.

“An airplane that flies in reasonable numbers and was as much of the WWII training effort as the T-6 is the PT-17 Stearman,” wrote Collins. “For some reason, though, it is considered more of a classic. At least that is the Oshkosh parking area favored by these airplanes.” Completely rebuilt Stearmans were available on order from Air Repair Inc. with a base price back then of $169,000. You would be hard pressed to restore one yourself for that kind of investment today.

This column first appeared in the July 2023/Issue 933 print edition of FLYING.

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Elixir Aircraft has received EASA certification for the full glass cockpit layout of its design, the Elixir 100HP. 

Based in La Rochelle, France, Elixir Aircraft is a fourth-generation Part 23 aircraft manufacturer.

The Elixir is a low-wing, T-tail design. The cockpit for the two-place trainer consists of dual Garmin G3X touchscreens, a GTN750xi, and Garmin GNC355a comms and nav backup unit.

According to the company, the Garmin avionics suite is “built to withstand the rigors for flight training” in addition to offering an aircraft that is more environmentally friendly than its predecessors in the training market as it reduces “carbon emissions by nearly 70 percent compared to other old generation aircraft.”

The company is pursuing FAA Part 23 certification.

The Elixir comes equipped with a ballistic parachute, AoA indicator, double-slotted electric flaps, an explosion resistance fuel tank, and reinforced oleo-pneumatic landing gear and combined nose wheel, which offers a wide track and low center of gravity to minimize bounced landings associated with loss of control accidents and runway excursions.

The cockpit is designed to appeal to the global training market, said Mike Tonkin, worldwide head of sales for Elixir Aircraft. Tonkin noted that the average age of the single-engine piston training fleet is 48 years old.

• READ MORE: Elixir Trainers Land at Airbus Academy Europe

“As we know the aging single-engine piston fleet needs replacing globally,” Tonkin said. “At Elixir Aircraft we feel we have the perfect EASA CS Part 23-certified aircraft to meet the current market requirements. The Elixir is modern, safe, versatile, and extremely cost-effective with an average hourly operating cost of around 50 euros per hour [$53.97] for any ATO/FTO flying around 500 hours per year per aircraft.” 

About the Company

Elixir Aircraft was established in 2015 with a goal to create safer, more economical, and versatile aircraft for the global training market. According to the company, the aircraft are designed to be resistant to technical failures and learner friendly. To that end, Elixir Aircraft uses the Carbon Oneshot, a technology utilized in competitive sailing, to simplify the structures.

According to Elixir, “more simplicity means less failure, therefore more safety, but also less maintenance and less costs.” The company estimates the hourly operations cost for its aircraft to be approximately $60, factoring in fuel and maintenance.

In June, Elixir announced an expansion of its headquarters in La Rochelle to 150,000 square feet. The company plans to produce more than 300 aircraft a year and employ more than 1,000 people by 2033.

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A crop of new training aircraft have come on the scene, and Tecnam’s P-Mentor joins those ranks with a certain Italian flair. The brainchild of the family that founded the Capua-based company, the Pascales, the P-Mentor goes beyond light sport with its EASA CS-23-certificated, two-seat airplane, which boasts a Garmin G3X Touch avionics suite and other high-tech touches.

Though FAA certification is still pending, the P-Mentor has made it into flight training fleets across Europe, with plans to follow in the U.S. soon. FLYING editor-in-chief Julie Boatman visits the OEM and flies the P-Mentor over the Italian countryside north of Naples (Napoli) in this pilot report.

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