TEN EUROPEAN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS YOU MAY NOT HAVE ENCOUNTERED

When it comes to European aircraft manufacturers, Airbus is the undisputed king. However, there are still many smaller and perhaps lesser-known aircraft makers on the continent, including ATR, Dassault, Fokker, Saab and Piaggio.

EAA SUN 'N FUN 2022 RALLY

This year's EAA Sun 'n Fun flying event provided the opportunity to stage the seventh fun rally event staged annually in support of EAA.

EAA CHAPTER 322's ANNUAL SUN 'N FUN FLY-IN TO BRITS AIRFIELD

Early on Saturday morning 9 October we drove to Brits airfield to attend EAA's Sun 'n Fun weekend. Although rather windy with a cross wind from the east, somewhere in the region of 60 aircraft attended the fly-in.

TACTICAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME 2022

In September African Pilot was invited to cover the TLP 2022 course at Albacete Airbase in Spain. This course is similar to the Red Flag exercise in the USA, but of course takes place in Europe.

MULTIPLICITY OF ACCIDENT CAUSATION Synopsis (SACAA)

On Friday, 8 April 2022 at approximately 09h40, a flight instructor and a student pilot on-board a Piper PA-38-112 (Tomahawk) aircraft with registration ZS-AXE took-off on a training flight from Cape Town International Airport (FACT) in the Western Cape province, to Diemerskraal Aerodrome in the same province.

IS A PROPELLER UPGRADE RIGHT FOR YOU?

There are many good reasons to consider replacing and upgrading your airplane propeller. Many aircraft owners and operators choose to swap their legacy propeller with a next-generation design when the propeller is nearing overhaul time. Others opt to do an engine and propeller conversion all at once. Whatever the reason, a propeller conversion is one of the smartest investments you can make for your aircraft.

GARMIN G5000 INTEGRATED FLIGHT DECK TO RECEIVE EASA APPROVAL

Last month Garmin announced imminent European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval of the G5000® flight deck for the Cessna Citation Excel and Citation XLS aircraft.

DEMOCRATISATION OF LUXURY COMMERCIAL AND PRIVATE AVIATION

The aviation industry continues to evolve and proliferate, with new trends becoming increasingly prevalent in commercial and private aviation. However, a notable phenomenon in private aviation entails the democratisation of luxury travel, characterised by changing perceptions among air travellers about private flying as a domain exclusively reserved for the ultra-wealthy and increased utilisation of private air travel services.

BLACKHAWK DELIVERS 100TH XP67A ENGINE UPGRADE

Blackhawk Aerospace's XP67A engine upgrade delivers much faster climb and cruise speeds to the Beechcraft King Air 350.

TECNAM UNVEILS P2012 STOL

Last month Tecnam unveiled a short take-off and landing (STOL) variant of its twin-engine P2012 Traveller. The P2012 STOL has a 16.6-meter (54.5-foot) wingspan, 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) wider than the standard P2012 and swaps the Traveller's Lycoming TEO-540-C1As for Continental GTSIO-520-S engines.

BOEING 737-MAX CERTIFICATION DEADLINE LOOMS

In a high-level letter, the FAA has warned Boeing that documents the plane-maker provided for certification of its 737 MAX-7 model are woefully inadequate. The agency further advised the Chicago-based aerospace titan that certification of the MAX-7 is unlikely to be completed by a Congressionallyspecified year-end deadline.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU CHANGE YOUR AIRPLANE'S OIL?

Recently I was talking to an engine rebuilder about oil change intervals for aircraft engines. He related an experience with a plane owner who was having him do an annual inspection on his aircraft. A problem came up when the mechanic listed an oil change as part of the inspection, even though the aircraft had been flown just 12 hours in the last 12 months.

HOLBORN ASSETS SPRINGS AIRFIELD SEASON FINALE SPEED NAVIGATION RALLY

The South African Power Flying Association (SAPFA) organised the 2022 Season finale Speed Navigation Rally on Saturday 1 October 2022 at the Springs airfield. This was the fourth event of Season four of the Speed Rally series.

BOEING FLOATS 'MODERNISED APACHE' CONCEPT FOR US ARMY'S FUTURE ATTACK HELICOPTER

The Apache is going to be the US Army's principal attack helicopter for the next 25 to 30 years. There is nothing right now that is on the books that is going to replace the Apache.

GRAND CENTRAL AIRPORT

Situated in Midrand, between Pretoria and Johannesburg, Grand Central is a boutique airport offering visitors a range of services from aviation retail and car rental to chartered flights, flight schools, aviation maintenance operations, excellent restaurant and corporate rental facilities.

BELL'S V-280 VALOR IS THE STANDALONE CHOICE FOR FLRAA

To deter the threat from near-peer competitors, the Army's air assault mission demands a revolution in capability that only a tiltrotor can provide, not just a faster helicopter.

WORLD'S FIRST 11-BLADED PROPELLER FOR TURBINE AIRCRAFT

Installed on a PA31T1 equipped with two P&W PT6A-135A turbines, the World's first 11-bladed propeller took the sky with an impressive noise and sound signature.

HIGH DEMAND FOR THE PC-12 NGX AND PC-24

Exhibiting both the PC-12 NGX and the PC-24 Super Versatile Jet at the world's premier business aviation show, the National Business Aviation Association & Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), Pilatus confirms very high demand for both aircraft.

FLYSAFAIR REFRESHES SA RUNWAYS

On 30 September low-cost carrier FlySafair revealed a refreshed logo and new aircraft paint scheme at the airline's OR Tambo hangars as the airline welcomed its 25th aircraft into the fleet.

PROFLIGHT ZAMBIA

I was extremely fortunate to have the flights for my recent excursion to Zambia sponsored by ProFlight Zambia. Arriving at the check-in counter I had a friendly greeting from the staff on duty and my check-in processed efficiently. After a quick milk shake (hey, I was early and wanted to prevent any potential issues during check-in / immigration) I passed through customs and immigration to the departure hall.

INTERVIEW WITH RODGER FOSTER CEO AIRLINK

This year represents Airlink’s 30 years of being a southern African regional airline and I used the opportunity to interview Rodger Foster who has been at the helm of the company for all of those years.

WHY EMIRATES THINKS AIRBUS SHOULD BUILD BIGGER PLANES

Following its unique relationship with the Airbus A380, Emirates has stated its wish for Airbus to continue to build larger aircraft. Speaking at a media roundtable in Doha, the airline's CEO, Tim Clark, made clear his thoughts on the need for larger aircraft in the future as demand for travel bounces back following the pandemic.

ALSIM WINS BIG

ALSIM, the innovative Nantes (France) based Flight Training Device manufacture, has recently had two big successes in North America.

BREAKING INTO BACKCOUNTRY FLYING: KITPLANE STYLE

Building your own airplane is an adventure in itself, but for backcountry-bound kitplane owners, the journey has just begun.

THE INVISIBLE SNARE

Synopsis SACAA On 18 March 2022, a pilot and a passenger on-board a Bell 206B helicopter with registration mark ZS-HJJ were engaged in an aerial search flight along the Crocodile River in Koedoeskop Farm, North West province. The flight was conducted in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) by day and under the provisions of Part 91 of the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) 2011 as amended.

UAVIONIX AV-30-C, STC NOW INCLUDES LIGHT TWINS AND HIGH-SPEED PISTONS

Last month uAvionix announced it has received FAA approval to expand the Approved Model List (AML) for its AV-30-C Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS), by more than 190 light twin and higher performance single-engine models. This expansion significantly extends the availability of AV-30-C in the general aviation market to include a large portion of popular aircraft from Beechcraft, Piper, Tecnam, Air Tractor, Cirrus, Extra, Howard, Taylorcraft, Cessna and many others.

AIRVENTURE 2022 - A RECORD YEAR

The 2022 edition of EAA AirVenture, the first full-scale gathering of the General Aviation world's biggest party post-pandemic, kicked off with strong storms, rocking the wings of many of the planes gathered in Oshkosh. However, the damage was minimal as many of the tens  f thousands of aircraft on the campgrounds and around the airport were tied down to weather the severe weather. Fortunately, this was the only severe weather for the entire week, which was blessed with blue skies painted with fluffy white clouds, ideal for airshow photography. I have tried to recapture the immense size and spectacle of AirVenture in words, pictures and videos, but as I have said before, one needs to visit the Mecca of Aviation at least once in a lifetime in order to appreciate the vastness and excitement of this the 'World's Greatest Aviation Celebration'.

L3HARRIS SKY WARDEN  ATTACK PLANE WINS SOCOM’s ARMED OVERWATCH PROGRAMME

L3 Harris could produce up to 75 AT-802U Sky Warden aircraft to replace US Special Operations Command’s U-28 Draco.

MCC AVIATION'S FIREFIGHTING AIRBUS H125 HELICOPTERS IN ACTION

The assignment was to capture one of three MCC Aviation owned Airbus H125 helicopters fighting a deliberately set grass fire in the southern Highveld area of Mpumalanga on a brisk winter's day.

F/A-18E/F SERVICE LIFE MODIFICATION PROGRAMME UNDERWAY

The F-18 Hornet is a great many wondrous and worthwhile things. The twin-engine, all-weather, fourth-generation fighter is fast, manoeuvrable, tough, battle-proven, eminently upgradable and a symbol of American Naval airpower. However, the Hornet is not young.