Waco Aircraft Group Owner to Expand Restaurant Brand to Florida

"One of the pet peeves after I immigrated here to the U.S. was food," said Waco Aircraft Group owner, Sven Lepschy. "Especially since I travel so much, I was always challenged to get good food at airports." Florida’s Lakeland airport, home to Sun n’ Fun, is getting its newest eatery once final approval for the lease is given from the Mayor. The city unanimously approved the agreement for DiMor Eats, LLC to create a restaurant at the airport. DiMor is the newest creation of Lepschy, also the owner of the Waco Kitchen restaurant at Battle Creek Executive Airport in Michigan. Operating an eatery and biplane manufacturer under the Waco brand has made their food a special treat

Special Events Happen Daily - STOL Exhibition, Showcase Flights, Keynote Speakers and More!

2021 can’t come to an end fast enough for most of us in the aviation biz... but we know a GREAT way to get ready for 2022 -- attending next week’s DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase. A central point for each fall’s celebration of all that was good about sport aviation, the Deland Florida event takes place next week from November 11th-13th at the Deland Municipal Airport. The Showcase welcomes all aviation enthusiasts interested in affordable recreational flying, offering a special emphasis on experimentals, homebuilts, light-sport aircraft and ultralights.  The show features outdoor and indoor exhibitors, educational forums, interact

Says No Interference From Their Equipment, Safe for Instruments

Gogo Business Aviation released a short statement, commenting on recent FAA activities that aim to warn operators and pilots about possible instrument interference resulting from 5G network rollout across the country. Gogo says their network is perfectly safe for flight operations, because their equipment uses frequencies outside the range of overlap with aircraft radio altimeters. As the simmering dispute between network operators, the FCC, and the FAA continues, the tenuous pause in the cellular development race for faster internet service leaves some 5G network advocates exasperated by the delays. In a statement earlier this year, Meredith Attwell Baker, president of the CTIA,

The Pay-As-You-Go Model Comes to Aviation

Aviation insurance company SkyWatch has launched their new usage-based insurance product for rented light aircraft, with insured durations of yearly, monthly, weekly, and even daily coverage. Offered with Global Aerospace, another insurance and risk management company, SkyWatch will offer insurance directly to pilots via select partners, while Global provides their underwriting and claims handling. The service is expected to offer coverage for as little as $5 a day, with coverage available in less than 90 seconds. 

Escorted by Israeli, Bahraini F-16s and Saudi F-15s for Practice Mission

A B-1 bomber flew alongside aircraft from four U.S. partners on October 30, as the group circled the Arabian Peninsula for a “presence patrol” mission. The flight took the wing on a five-hour tour over the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman before returning. Throughout the journey, nations governing each leg of airspace sent fighter escorts for the photo op, demonstrating their partnership and commitment to regional security for the surrounding areas. A flight of 3 Saudi F-15s escorted the B-1B Lancer over their skies, later followed by 2 Israeli F

Selected Military Airports Now Eligible for Funding to Add Civilian Operations 

The FAA has selected three airports to be eligible for grants to add civilian aviation operations at former and current military airfields, adding system capacity and helping to reduce congestion at existing airports. Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas; Mobile Downtown Airport in Mobile, Ala.; and Salina Regional Airport in Salina, Kan., will now be able to apply for Airport Improvement Grants. “Adding civilian flights to these airports increases their role in fostering economic growth and creating jobs in their communities,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.

Take A Number! Diamond Hosts Its Busiest Booth In Years

By the second day of Oshkosh, the DA50 RG was finally unveiled. The aircraft took flight over the Atlantic before making its debut launch. The DA50 RG made quite an impression on people, with a line to get in continuing all day long. We talked with Annemarie Mercedes Heikenwalder, Sales & Marketing at Diamond, about what makes this aircraft different from what else we’ve seen on the high-performance market. “Upfront you’ve got the Continental CD300 300 hp V6 engine. It roars at you,” says Annemarie. “It’s jet fuel-powered, so it sticks

Also: Greener Cessnas, Drone Safety Seminar, African Av-Biz, AirVenture Tickets

Pilot Albert Youngwerth has been telling an interesting tale on Facebook... after having walked away from the emergency parachute deployment of his chute-equipped Lancair ES. Posted October 15th, Albert gets right to the point... "Crashed my airplane yesterday??" That's one way to get a reader's attention...He continues, "Descending into Eugene, 35 miles out or so, over the mountains, bit lower than I would normally be for a broken cloud layer. Sudden engine decel and misfire. Next year's CES, the Consumer Technology Association’s banner event for all things technolog

Also: 180 Turn-Around Study, ACE Internships, TN Flt School, Embraer Touts 30 Q3 Jets

The Citation Jet Pilots Owner Pilot Association (CJP), the largest organization for operators of the Cessna Citation series of light jets, has successfully completed 12 months of accident and incident-free flights. They say their dedication to safe operation through continual education is key to the accomplishment. David Miller, director of programs and safety education for the CJP Safety and Education Foundation, believes their efforts have paid off. Whatever projects they pursue, their market penetration and unique approach towards the end-user tends to have an effe

AD 2021-22-20 Prompted By Reports Of Failure Of The High-Pressure Pump (HPP) Driving Gear

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Austro Engine GmbH E4 and E4P model diesel piston engines. This AD was prompted by reports of failure of the high-pressure pump (HPP) driving gear and a subsequent determination that a batch of HPP driving gears may have been damaged during assembly. This AD requires, for engines with an affected cylinder head, inspection of the HPP driving gear and, depending on the results of the inspection, replacement of the HPP driving gear with a part eligible for installation. This AD also requires, for engines with an affected HPP driving gear, replacement of the HPP driving gear either before further

AD 2021-23-03 Prompted By A Report Of Cracking Found On A Main Landing Gear (MLG) Drag Strut Assembly

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited Model DHC-8-400, -401, and -402 airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report of cracking found on a main landing gear (MLG) drag strut assembly. This AD requires a records review to determine if an affected MLG drag strut assembly is installed, repetitive detailed inspections for cracking of affected strut assemblies, a one-time magnetic particle inspection for cracking, and on-condition actions if necessary. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. This AD is effective December 6, 2021.

Aero Linx: Pilots N Paws Pilots N Paws is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (and one of ANN's favorites!). The site is intended to be a meeting place for volunteers engaged in the valuable services of rescuing, sheltering and adopting animals, and volunteer pilots and plane owners willing to assist with animal transportation. The intent of Pilots N Paws is to provide an environment in which volunteers can come together and arrange or schedule rescue flights, overnight foster care or shelter, and all other related activities.

No Gyro Approach A radar approach/vector provided in case of a malfunctioning gyro-compass or directional gyro. Instead of providing the pilot with headings to be flown, the controller observes the radar track and issues control instructions “turn right/left” or “stop turn” as appropriate.

“Working with local stakeholders, the Military Airport Program is an innovative and fiscally responsible way to help improve prior military facilities and make them an important economic driver for their communities.” Source: FAA Associate Administrator of Airports Shannetta Griffin explaining why tAA has selected three airports to be eligible for grants to add civilian aviation operations at former and current military airfields, adding system capacity and helping to reduce congestion at existing airports. Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas; Mobile Downtown Airport in Mobile, Ala.; and Salina Regional Airport in Salina, Kan., will now be able to apply for Airport Improvement Grants.