What’s ahead for tablet apps? For the short term, look for yet more features, improved operational interfaces and more capability, especially with regard to getting weather. Longer term, however, the big thing will be connectivity with all sorts of devices in the cockpit, including certified panel-mount boxes. Read More

The FAA this week released its implementation plan for streamlining the certification and approval processes for general aviation aircraft, "to keep pace with technological advancements in aviation products and to help the United States maintain global competitiveness." The plan lays out a timetable and road map for the project, which aims to get airplanes certified twice as fast, at half the cost, while providing a greater margin of safety. The FAA said its revision of Part 23, which governs the certification of GA aircraft, should be complete in July 2016. The new rules should promote an increase in application for primary-category type certificates, and an increase in the installation of angle-of-attack sensors, two-axis autopilots, glass avionics, and other important safety-enhancing systems that can aid the pilot, the FAA said. Read More

With Continental Motors tilting strongly toward aerodiesels as a growth strategy, CEO Rhett Ross says he’s less convinced that mogas will play a major role in the aviation fuels market. In this podcast recorded this week at AirVenture 2013, Ross said Continental will remain committed to gasoline engines, especially its successful line of large displacement powerplants for aircraft such as the Cirrus and Beechcraft lines. Read More

Following their acquisition of Thielert Engines' assets, Continental Motors is working to extend TBOs on the Thielert IO-series. And that's not all they're up to. Paul Bertorelli spoke with Continental's Rhett Ross about the company's new gearbox, its upcoming diesel projects, and support for mogas in international markets. Read More

Quicksilver, which has sold more than 15,000 kit aircraft around the world, announced at EAA AirVenture this week it plans to offer its first factory-built aircraft -- two two-seat Special Light Sport Aircraft models. The Sport 2S open-cockpit and a GT-500 with a closed or partially closed cockpit, which provides more speed and range, both should be available by the end of the year. The 2S approval process is nearly complete, the company said, and they are taking deposits now. "We expect demand to be brisk for the first factory-built Quicksilver models ever offered," said Will Escutia, company president. The S-LSA 2S sells for about $40,000. Read More

Nando Groppo, an Italian aircraft manufacturer, debuted their Trial light sport aircraft this week at EAA AirVenture. The all-metal airplane is a short-takeoff-and-landing design capable of operations from rough runways, with folding wings for easy storage. The wing change requires only about five minutes, for one person, with no tools required, the company said. The Trial cruises at 110 mph with a 100hp Rotax 912 engine. The pilot can fly from either of the tandem seats. The aircraft is available with either tricycle gear or as a taildragger. Read More

AOPA has a strong presence this week at EAA AirVenture, and visitors exploring the central show grounds can find the AOPA sweepstakes airplane on display, a 1963 Beech Debonair, a restoration project still in progress. The engine was in good shape when AOPA acquired it, but it has a completely new avionics panel -- after about four months of work -- and the cabin interior also will get a thorough overhaul. AOPA Pilot editor-at-large Tom Horne has been overseeing the process. "We have full ADS-B, in and out," he told AVweb at Oshkosh this week. "We have electronic charts, and a total of about seven screens in the cockpit. If you get lost in this airplane, you have a serious problem." Read More

At EAA AirVenture this week, AOPA is displaying a 1963 Beech Debonair that is in the process of being restored as the prize in their next sweepstakes. AOPA's Tom Horne, who is overseeing the project, spoke with AVweb's Mary Grady about the progress so far and plans to complete the restoration. Read More

Able Flight held its annual wings ceremony at AirVenture Oshkosh and the organization's remarkable record of success continues. The six graduates brought to 33 the number of students in wheelchairs who have qualified for light sport and/or private certificates in the past four years. This year everyone who entered the program, which uses aircraft with hand controls, has earned a certificate. Read More

Just a year after launching, Social Flight, the aviation online resource that connects those interested in aviation with events and activities in the industry, is expanding its reach with regional ambassadors. Social Flight’s Jeff Simon told AVweb at AirVenture that the service was several years in the making, but just a year after its public launch, it reaches 20,000 pilots and has listed more than 4,000 events worldwide. Read More

It's a beautiful day for flying -- but where will you go? SocialFlight has an answer or ten at your fingertips. Jeff Simon chatted with AVweb's Paul Bertorelli at AirVenture this year about SocialFlight's growth and its new ambassador program. Read More

OpenAirplane, a network of aircraft rental places has added eight new outlets, including one in Alaska. In an interview with AVweb at AirVenture 2013, co-founder Rod Rakic said thousands of pilots have registered for the unique program, in which they take a single checkride in the aircraft of their choice and that checkride is valid for renting aircraft of the same type at any of the participating rental businesses. Read More

OpenAirplane, a network of aircraft rental outlets with a common database of renting pilots, has more than doubled in size in a month. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with OpenAirplane co-founder Rod Rakic. Read More

The general trend in tablet apps is to add ever more features as a competitive edge. But at AirVenture 2013, Jeppesen took a different tack, introducing Mobile FliteDeck VFR, an app intended for the less demanding needs of the VFR-only pilot. Read More

Two years ago, a South African startup called Adept Airmotive announced a V-6 engine project, and they're back at AirVenture 2013 with a running example and some test data. The company's Richard Schultz says testing has thus far revealed that at 320 pounds and 320 horsepower, the Adept engine has an excellent power-to-weight ratio, and it addresses one sticky issue in aviation: It doesn't require 100-octane fuel but can operate on lower grades, including mogas and biofuels. Certification, says Schultz, is about two years out. Read More

Can't make it to AirVenture this year? Photo galleries of the people, products, and planes that make Oshkosh a pilot's paradise will pepper our coverage throughout the week, courtesy of eagle-eyed aviation photographer Mariano Rosales. Read More

There's so much to see and touch at AirVenture that your eyes may tire of looking and your button-pushing finger can get a little stiff. That doesn't deter the AVweb team, however, as they poked, prodded, and otherwise product-tested their way through some of this year's most interesting products in a series of "Product Minute" videos. Read More

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