What's The Difference Between 100LL & Jet-A? The two main types of fuel used for private and commercial aircraft are jet fuel and Avgas. Jet fuel is more commercially used, colorless, and contains Jet A and Jet A1 fuel. It’s also more simply known as diesel fuel. However, following troubling industry failures using the word “diesel,” people refer to it as Jet-A fuel to avoid further conflict. Jet A presents a few issues for aircraft owners: It’s more [...]
Piper Aircraft Piper Aircraft has a rich history dating back to 1927. Initially established by two brothers, Clarence and Gordon Taylor, Piper used to be known as Taylor Aircraft Manufacturing Company. The dream was to create and build aircraft for consumers to enjoy. However, Gordon Taylor was in a fatal accident demonstrating one of their prototype planes in 1928. Clarence was then convinced by wealthy oil professional, William Piper, to move to Pennsylvania to continue growing the business. [...]
Beechcraft By Textron Aviation A part of Textron Aviation, Beechcraft was established by Walter and Olive Beech in Wichita, Kansas in 1932. The husband and wife duo then worked with the Vice President of Engineering, Ted Wells, and got to work manufacturing. The first Beechcraft plane built was its Model 17 Staggerwing, which eventually grew to a fleet of 750 produced. After the production of the Staggerwing, Beechcraft would go on to create several other notable aircraft, including [...]
You’re currently looking at what you think is the perfect aircraft. In some ways, it all matches up regarding pricing, operating costs, performance, make, model, and year. You even have the logbooks handy and ready to pore over. But you notice an entry that says “prop strike” as soon as you open the logbook. You pause and consider what this means for the aircraft you’ve already fallen in love with. However, if you look into it more, a [...]
Aviation has seen incredible technological growth over the last 15 years, which isn’t surprising. All sorts of technology, like phones and computers, are hardly recognizable when compared with their former models. We answer calls on watches, we pay at registers with our phones, and our cars are learning to drive on their own. Similarly, avionics upgrades have improved drastically. Nowadays, a small Cirrus aircraft off the showroom floor is more sophisticated than an airliner was a decade ago. [...]
Beechcraft Aircraft While Beechcraft was new to aviation in 1932, it was not founder Walter Beech’s first experience in the industry. He previously helped form Travel Air in 1924 and was the VP of sales under Curtiss-Wright's airplane division. However, he greatly missed being so close to production and left to establish Beechcraft. Walter Beech founded Beechcraft in 1932 in Wichita, Kansas. His wife Olive Ann Beech worked as a secretary, and Ted A. Wells served as vice [...]
Piper Aircraft In the late 1920s, Piper Aircraft turned to fine-tuning a more aerodynamic design made popular by the Spirit of St. Louis. This monoplane with less drag made the first successful non-stop transatlantic flight. Ultimately, it was able to fly from New York to Paris across the Atlantic. Afterward, everyone wanted to try its design and replicate its success. Gordon and C. Gilbert Taylor took on the challenge to create their own version under Taylor Brothers Aircraft [...]
General aviation aircraft are in such high demand that the most popular models suffer from lack of availability, skyrocketing values, and an aging fleet. For most aircraft buyers' budget is everything; shopping for the right aircraft is a complex dance of mission requirements, wants/desires, and how many dollars you are willing to part with to buy your dream aircraft. The purchase is just the beginning for a small group of buyers, as refurbishment is often the next ownership [...]
Diamond Aircraft Industries Diamond Aircraft Industries, formerly known as Hoffmann Flugzeugbau, was founded by an Austrian aircraft designer Wolf Hoffmann in 1981. His dream was to create major aircraft manufacturers for the general aviation industry. Hoffmann also had the unusual idea of bringing in fresh, quality food on-site to his Austrian aircraft plant. This is why you’ll find fine dining experiences like the Katana Kafé on the field at London International Airport. Diners can enjoy imported wine, aviation-themed [...]
The aviation industry has struggled with massive shortages in the last decade, including pilots, mechanics, and parts. Due in part to global supply chain issues resulting from the COvid lockdown and several highly skilled laborers that either retired or were laid off. If you're wondering why you can't seem to get your aircraft scheduled for maintenance, you're not alone. There's a massive backlog across the board, which means it's very difficult to find a facility, much less a [...]