In this video, veteran Reno Racer Thom Richard tells what it's like to wail around the pylons at Reno in a Formula 1 race aircraft. It's powered by a 100hp O-200, but Invictus — which was on display at AOPA Summit in Tampa this week — is still capable of nearly 250 MPH. It's hot, high-G work, but it's also six minutes of one of the biggest shots of adrenaline in aviation.
So what if new aircraft sales are in the tank? You can still fix up an older airframe to near new standards. Two companies at AOPA Summit were offering such upgrades, and a third, Premier Aircraft, is offering a premium upgrade to new Diamond DA40s that can include air conditioning, plus a second alternator and comfy upgraded leather seats. Nexair Avionics saw an opportunity in Avidyne's sophisticated Release 9 EFIS and is selling legacy Saratogas with this big glass upgrade. Sierra Industries is taking a similar tack, but they're using Garmin's G500 in their Super Centurion upgrade. This video offers a quick glimpse at products from all three companies.
Aspen is now shipping its new EFD 1000 companion MFD to the popular PFD. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli got a checkout with Aspen's Scott Smith prior to the AOPA Summit.
Lockheed 12 owner Joe Shepherd got the rarest of opportunities: His fully restored airplane was used in the film Amelia, now playing in cinemas across the country. Shepherd tells what it was like to play a small but important part in a major film.
Cessna moves ever closer to opening the spigot on LSA production. The company arrived at AOPA Summit with a confirming version of the 162 Skycatcher, and AVweb took a spin.
It burns 10 gallons an hour of auto gas and can do 150 knots. But is there a market for a Rotax-powered twin in the U.S.? AVweb's Jeff Van West takes a closer look at Tecnam's unique piston twin.
Exclusive Video: Diamond's DA20 with Aspen and Garmin By Paul Bertorelli
Diamond Aircraft has always stepped right out there with innovation, and even in its modest DA20 trainer, the company is offering two glass panel choices. AVweb recently took a look at the Aspen EFD1000 and Garmin G500, both offered as options in the DA20.
The Dornier 328 is a perfectly fine 32-seat airliner, but can it also be a decent bizjet. Livejet thinks so and they're converting the former airliners into a 12-seat, large-cabin business aircraft. At NBAA 2009, Russ Niles took a tour of the first conversion.
Would any air force actually buy a turboprop attack aircraft in an age of jets? Hawker Beechcraft thinks so and is pitching the T-6 trainer as a candidate.
To be truly useful, a business airplane needs to have ready and reliable access to broadband internet. As explained in this video, there are a number of sources to pick from.
Video: Near CFIT — Close Call with Terrain By Russ Niles
The circumstances of this incident are unclear (and the subject of much speculation in the forums), but the result is pretty clear. The people aboard this Bonanza came within a tree branch or two of becoming victims of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).
Where others have tread and failed, Stratos now goes boldly with a new very light jet. Can they pull it off? Here's Alex Craig to explain why the company thinks it can succeed.
Exclusive Video: Flying the Zeppelin NT with Airship Ventures By Mary Grady
Pilots who signed up for sightseeing flights over San Francisco in the new Zeppelin NT kept asking the crew if they could take a turn in the front seat. Tired of having to say no, the company created a special day-long program just for pilots. AVweb's Mary Grady tried it out during a session in Long Beach last month, and here is her report.
Exclusive Video: Garmin's New Traffic Products By Paul Bertorelli
At Oshkosh this year, Garmin announced the new GT-series traffic awareness and collision avoidance products. These devices are priced according to capability and aircraft mission. In this video, we take a quick look at all three systems.
Exclusive Video: On "Non-God-Fearing Aircraft" By Glenn Pew
Stability is a good thing ... except when it isn't. Nearly all general aviation aircraft are inherently stable, which makes them, in the words of military experimental test pilot Desmond "Deuce" Brophy, "God-fearing aircraft." But the fighter jets Brophy flies and tests are a little different. During our visit to the flight test center at Edwards Air Force Base, Brophy explained the fundamental aerodynamic differences between the aircraft we fly and what he calls "non-God-fearing aircraft."
Exclusive Video: Aviation Consumer's DA42 NG Flight Trial By Paul Bertorelli
With its new Austro engines, the new DA42 NG is a strong performer and a bit more economical than the previous version of this aircraft. AVweb editorial director Paul Bertorelli took a spin in one last month, and here's his report.
Video: Dave Carroll and Sons of Maxwell Deliver on Their Promised Follow-Up to "United Breaks Guitars" By Glenn Pew
Sons of Maxwell front man Dave Carroll is back in the spotlight with a follow-up to his "United Breaks Guitars" music video. Carroll made news back in July with a YouTube video describing how United Airlines had failed to help him make good on a $3,500 Taylor guitar damaged during a commercial flight. The video quickly became a sensation, and the Canadian singer-songwriter promised a series of three songs about his experience with United. The second installment has now hit the web and, at last look, had almost 400,000 views. (The original has more than five million.)
Exclusive Video: Why Did This Landing Go Wrong? By Paul Bertorelli
Another YouTube star is born. This time, it's a runway overshoot on St. Barthélemy's notoriously short runway 10/28. Several readers drew our attention to this video, and we've done an analysis on what went wrong. St. Bart's is short, all right, but really not that different from a hundred other runways cluttered up with trees, towers, and close-in terrain. This is a stark, metal-bending lesson in airspeed control.
Exclusive Video: Victor Bomber Take-Off — Hero or Hoax? By Paul Bertorelli
At an air show, an old Handley Page Victor bomber was supposed to do a taxiby photo op. Instead, it took off. The explanation? The co-pilot accidentally firewalled the throttles. Really? You be the judge.
Exclusive Video: Avro Lancaster Bomber Tour By Glenn Pew
With only two left flying, the Avro Lancaster is among the rarest of the rare of World War II aircraft. AVweb recently toured one when it appeared at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.
Video: Belarussian Su-27 Crashes at Polish Air Show By Glenn Pew
The pilot and backseater aboard a Belarussian Su-27 fighter died Sunday when the aircraft failed to recover from loop at an air show in Radom, Poland. A bird strike is being reported as a factor in the crash, but so far there is no explanation as to why the crew members didn't eject.
Video: In-Cockpit Video of Old Rhinebeck Mishap By Russ Niles
There's been nothing written (that we can find, anyway) about an accident involving the New Standard biplane used for giving rides at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, but this video, posted on YouTube about 10 days ago, tells quite a tale. According to the reader who sent us the YouTube link, the accident reportedly happened July 26 and, from the video, appears to be an off-runway excursion into a nasty ravine filled with big rocks. As might be expected, the off-roading takes a toll on the wood and fabric but doesn't seem to have banged up the pilot and his passengers, one of whom kept the camera rolling through the whole accident and aftermath. There is no NTSB report on the mishap, and FAA incident reports are only available for the last 10 business days. The museum's web site says only that biplane rides are suspended until Labor Day weekend, but it's not clear whether the crash airplane will be fixed or a replacement found for rides.
Exclusive Video: Loss of Control in an F-16 Fighter, Test Pilot on Yaw Departure By Glenn Pew
At Edwards Air Force Base, they still test F-16 fighters, because each software upgrade and each new weapons package introduces new parameters. Experimental test pilots need to identify the aircraft's performance limits, and they need to know how it will perform before their brothers- and sisters-in-arms take upgraded Vipers into combat. This is one of those tests, and Air Force pilot Desmond Brophy walks us through it step-by-step.
Hudson River Collision Moment-of-Impact Footage from NBC News By Glenn Pew
Obtained by NBC news, this video shot by an Italian tourist shows the moment of impact between a Piper Saratoga and a Eurocopter over the Hudson River. The accident killed all nine aboard the two aircraft.
Video: Rowing Team Aids Ditching Rescue By AVweb's 'Video of the Week' Editors
A British charity rowing team raced to the scene of a ditching by an Irish pilot in the Irish Sea Wednesday and were in the process of throwing him a line when a rescue helicopter arrived and winched him to safety. One of the rowers had a video camera with him.
Video: The Fun Side of Oshkosh By AVweb's 'Video of the Week' Editors
The common lament among AVweb staff at EAA AirVenture is that we spend a full week at the show but it seems like we see hardly anything. Sure, we cover the news, interview lots of interesting people and make sure there's a wide variety of video, podcasts, photos and written information to give our readers a good picture of what's going on. But few of us have ever gone to AirVenture for the pure joy of it, and that's been an unintentional gap in our coverage. Kitplanes Editor Marc Cook came across this video on YouTube by James Perkins, of Georgetown, Texas, who has elevated getting the most out of Oshkosh to high art. James, who's been going by the nickname Slick since before he can remember, is a carded aerobatic pilot who competes in his Pitts S-1C. He's also an Eagle Scout and will soon be a freshman at Texas A&M where he has a full ride ROTC scholarship as a future naval aviator. He'll turn 19 next month.
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