I snuck out to the hangar in late February to make a simple modification to my Glastar Sportsman and inadvertently began the annual condition inspection. (OK. I know the proper term is “condition inspection” for Experimentals, and that it is required every 12 months; but I’m going to just call it the annual.) The modification [...]

Due to popular demand, the RANS S-9 Chaos and S-10 Sakota midwing one- and two-place aerobatic kit aircraft are back in production, the company says. Deliveries will begin in June. The two kits were discontinued about a year ago, and will be offered in their original form. “We are happy that the planes have commanded [...]

The FAA on Wednesday announced an Emergency Airworthiness Directive on certain Precision Airmotive RSA-5 and RSA-10 fuel injection servos to be inspected before further flight. Two recent incidents have been blamed on a loose servo plug. According to the AD, the servo plug gasket is thought to have shrunk with engine heat, which causes it [...]

The Aircraft Electronics Association commented recently on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding ADS-B, or Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast technology. (ADS-B employs Mode S transponders and universal access transceivers to manage datalink-equipped aircraft, potentially improving use of airspace and overall safety.) While the AEA supports the requirement to adopt ADS-B, it does not support the [...]

Do all bolts need washers? Usually, only two factors are involved. Is the hole oversized, and is the bolt configured to work without the washer? Turn the bolt over and look at the underside. The first one on the left is simply flat. Number two is an AN bolt and has an area that acts [...]

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty is now carrying the Castleberry Instruments & Avionics attitude indicator, which is an approved substitute for the previously mandated rate of turn indicators in Part 23 aircraft operating in Part 91 and less than 12,500 pounds. (This substitution is based upon the FAA Advisory Circular AC91-75, which promotes the installation of [...]

In February, when the FAA published the final report from the working group looking at “major portion” guidance, another proposal was floated to help manage what the feds believe is “excessive” use of commercial assistance in Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft. That proposal centered on the Primary Category, a subset of certification rules introduced in the 1980s as [...]