Brad's Famous General Aviation Repository

	Cessna The ubiquitous four-seat Skyhawk (a.k.a Cessna 172) and two-seat 150 or 152 (no longer in production) are often the primary trainers of choice for North American flight schools. If someone has their pilots license, chances are they've flown in a Cessna before. In addition to single-engine propeller aircraft, Cessna also manufacturers a number of small jets including the extremely fast (mach 0.92) Citation X (pronounced "Citation Ten").
	Cirrus Design Cirrus delivered its first certified aircraft to a customer in 1999. Today, the Cirrus SR22 is the best selling single-engine airplane in the entire world. Both the SR20 and SR22 feature a unique ballistic airframe parachute that, in an emergency situation, can be used to float the entire aircraft (with pilot and passengers inside) to the ground.
	Diamond After ten hours of flight instruction in a Cessna 150, I wanted to try flying a different aircraft. I made an appointment at another flight school for an introductory lesson in a Diamond Aircraft DA 20, better known as a Katana. The flight instructor told me, "Since this is your first time, I'll let you take-off and fly, but leave the landing up to me." At the end of the flight, as we came in for final approach, I was doing just fine. I was doing so well, in fact, that the instructor did not ask for control back. Despite a mild crosswind, I managed a buttery-smooth touchdown. Was this first-time-perfect landing a result of my amazing piloting abilities, or the extremely docile flying characteriscs of the Katana? You decide. Diamond also manufactures a 4-seater DA 40 and the new twin-engine, diesel powered DA 42 TwinStar, which looks fantastic.
	New Piper The New Piper Aircraft, Inc., is an American manufacturer that - in one form or another - has been around since "the beginning". They manufacture a range of single engine aircraft from the learner-ready Warrior III to the sophisticated turbine-driven Meridian.
	Columbia Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, which manufactures the very fast Columbia series of certified aircraft, was formerly know as the Lancair Company (see the "Kit Aircraft" tab for more information). The Columbia 400 has a Maximum Structural Cruising Speed of 181 KIAS.
	Beechcraft Beechcraft (which is owned by Raytheon) manufactures a very successful line of business and personal aircraft. If you've ever visited a busy municipal or regional airport, you've probably seen a Beechcraft Bonanza (single engine propeller, 6-seater) or a King Air (twin engine propeller) on the tarmac. Beechcraft recently introduced the Premier I: an 8-seat light jet that has a robotically-built carbon fiber fuselage.
	Mooney Founded in 1946, the Mooney Airplane Company manufactures the Ovation and Bravo series of single-engine airplanes. Mooneys have always been known for speed. The more powerful models are capable of up to 220 ktas. It's easy to spot a Mooney by looking for its distinctive vertical tail: the leading-edge runs straight up-and-down with no rake.
	Socata The EADS Socata "Caribbean" TB series of single-engine airplanes are manufactured in France. Models include the Tampico, Tabago, Trinidad, and the turbine-powered TMB700. There is an excellent website available for Socata users at www.socata.org.
	Adam Aircraft You may remember seeing the Adam A500 in the movie version of Miami Vice. Adam stopped production of the propeller-driven A500 after only seven where dilivered to customers, and are now concentrating on the A700 which uses two Willams turbofans for propulsion
	Extra Extra Aircraft is probably best known for its German-engineered EA-300 aerobatic airplane which is used by famous airshow performers such as Patty Wagstaff. My favorite, however, is the new Extra EA-500: a very unique looking, high-wing, 6-seat, turbine-powered single engine airplane.
	Robinson Robinson Helicopter manufacturers the 2-seat R22 and the 4-seat R44. Both helicopters are piston powered. The R22 is very popular among North American flight schools. The R44 is the world's best selling helicopter.
	Schweizer Schweizer (now owned by Sikorsky) makes reconnaissance and unmanned aircraft, but they are probably best known for their small helicopters. You'll instantly recognize the shape of the piston-powered 300C with its bubble canopy and strut-type fuselage. The newest model is the 333: a turbine model which can seat up to 4 people.
	Coax Helicopers A small, co-axial (two main rotors) helicopter for the civilian market

Recently, in the United States, a new type of pilots license was introduced which is easier to obtain than a full Private Pilots License. It's known as the "Sport Pilot Certificate". Pilots who have this certificate are authorized to fly aircraft that are LSA (Light Sport Aircraft) certified. LSA requirements include:

2-place maximum (one pilot, one passenger)

Maximum speed of 120 knots

Maximum gross weight of 1,320 lbs (~600 kg) or 1,430 lbs for seaplanes.

For more information, see SportPilot.org.

	Yuneec Electric-powered LSA.
	Icon I love this YouTube video of the very sexy looking Icon A5 Amphibious Aircraft.
	Zenith Specializing in STOL aircraft. Stall speed of 35 MPH. One of the safest aircraft in its category.
	Remos #1 best selling LSA in the USA. Rotax powered. Folding wings. Manufactured in Germany. Airframe parachute.
	Flight Design The Flight Design CT was originally designed in Germany but is manufactured in the Ukraine. It has been certified in Europe for some time, but has recently been imported into the USA by FlightStar of Ellington, Connecticut, to be sold as an LSA category aircraft.
	Cessna Many people started taking the LSA market seriously when Cessna -- the largest manufacturer of general aviation aircraft -- announced that it will be manufacturing the new Sky Catcher 162 LSA aircraft. I really like the glass panel.
	Piper The new Piper Sport is an all aluminum, Rotax 912 powered LSA.
	Tecnam Italian manufacturer.
	Evektor Rotax powered.
	Cub Crafters Continental powered
	Fantasy Air USA B Bar D is the American distributor for the Fantasy Air Allegro 2007, which uses the Rotax 912 engine.
	Jabiru Jabiru is one of the few aircraft companies that also manufactures its only engines.
	Tecnam Rotax 912-powered.
	Sigma Sigma is a Russian aircraft manufacturer. The Sigma 4 is a unique-looking LSA aircraft which is available in both regular and float-plane configurations. Passengers sit an egg-shaped fuselage that hangs beneath the integrated wing and engine pod. SportPlanes.com sells the Sigma 4 in the USA.
	Urban Air Lambada Motorglider and Samba XXL, which can act as a towplane. Czech built. Rotax powered. The American distributor is Urban Air USA. The Canadian distributor of Lambada and Samba XXL is Advanced Composite Aircraft.

	Van's Aircraft The most completions of any brand of kit aircraft
	Lancair Lancair International manufacturers some of the fastest, sexiest kit planes in the world. My favorite is the Lancair IV-P: a pressurized, retractable gear, four-seater. After selling kits for many years, Lancair began to manufacture the Columbia 350: a fully assembled, certified aircraft. Today, the Columbia line of aircraft are manufactured and sold by the Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. (See the GA Aircraft tab for more details about Columbia Aircraft).
	Viper Aircraft The Viperjet MK II has 2 seats, 2950 lbs of thrust, a cruise speed of 460 ktas, and a 12,000 fpm climb rate. What more do you need to know?
	Sonex Aircraft An all metal, 2 place design that is available in a variety of configurations.
	Rotorway In 2007, Rotoway announced the new A600 Talon which features a full glass panel and belt drive for the tail rotor. The Talon is the replacement for the venerable Exec 162F.
	Vertical Aviation Based on the certified Sikorsky S-52 with the nose of a Bell Jet Ranger, the Hummingbird is the world's only 4 seat kit helicopter.
	CHR The Safari (formerly known as the Baby Belle) is a 2-place helicopter kit that is designed to use a standard, certified Lycoming engine. Recently, CHR demonstrated a new Interceptor version of the Safari which has the appearance of a stealth chopper.
	Eagle R&D The Helicycle is a single-seat kit helicopter that is powered by a modified Solar T62-T32 gas turbine engine.
	HeliSport HeliSport Mosquito is a single seat helicopter powered by a 2-stroke engine.
	Air Scooter AirScooter II features co-axial rotors

	Power Flow Systems Power Flow Systems, Inc. sells a "tuned" exhaust for a number of small aircraft. The company claims that a Cessna 172 equipped with a Lycoming O-320 engine will gain 23.75 HP over the stock exhaust, along with a corresponding gain in rate of climb and airspeed.
	Air Gizmos Plastic panel mount adaptors for hand-held and portable GPS units.
	Aspen Avionics Evolution flight displays are drop-in glass panel replacements for existing, old fashioned mechanical instruments. You can replace your attitude indicator and directional gyro with an Evolution PFD, or even replace your aircraft's entire six-pack with three glass panels.
	Tornado Alley Turbo Tornado Alley Turbo specializes in turbo-normalizing conversions for Beechcraft Bonanzas, Cessna 185s, and Cessna Cardinals. Unlike a normally aspirated engine, a turbocharged engine will continue to develop full power even at high altitudes.
	Aerotwin Motors The AT972 4-stroke is available as a turbo-charged 65 HP or naturally aspirated 50 HP version.

	Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) AOPA is a great help to all GA pilots.
	Over the Airwaves Insightful, current, and sometimes controversial, Over the Airwaves is a bi-weekly blog by flight instructor (CFII) Robert "Buffalo Bob" Miller. Bob teaches flight instruction in the Western New York area. This is a great place to learn what not to do by studying other pilot's experiences.
	Lancair Owners and Builders Organization The Lancair Owners and Builders Organization (LOBO) promotes the safe use and enjoyment of Lancair aircraft.
	Thielert Engine Owners Group Thielert Engine Owners Group brings together owners who have been affected by the insolvency of Thielert.

	NOAA National Weather Service You'll find all the standard pilot weather tools here: AIRMET, SIGMET, METAR, TAF, PIREP, etc. You'll need to understand how to read and interpret all of this weather information to get your Private Pilot Certificate.
	Nav Canada Aviation Weather Nav Canada Aviation Weather Web Site contains weather reports for pilots operating in Canada. Includes standard METAR/TAF, AIRMET/SIGMET, PIREP, etc., as well as Graphical Area Forcasts (GFA).
	Flight Aware This is a mega-cool website. Flight Aware tracks all IFR flights in the USA. You can even supply an N-number and it will generate a map showing the position of the that aircraft in flight!

	Boeing 757 Injests Bird on Takeoff This high-quality video takes a while to buffer, but is well worth the wait. Listen to how calm the pilot is even though his #2 engine is belching flames.
	Boeing 747-400 Lands with Major Crosswind Now that's a crosswind landing!
	Redbull Air Racer Buzzes Control Tower
	Engine Out Forced Landing in a Small Airplane The occupants of this aircraft happened to have interior and wing-mounted video cameras rolling when the engine decided to start cutting out intermittantly.

	Barfing in Zero Gee This is the grossest aviation-related video I've ever seen. I wouldn't be laughing if I was in that cockpit!
	EPI Inc's Analysis of RotorWay Drive System On EPI Inc's website there are several pages describing their engineering analysis of the drive system of RotorWay kit helicopters. EPI initially performed analysis of the driveline at the request of the owner of a RotorWay Exec 162 that crashed due to failure of the secondary drive. The website also includes a section on RotorWay Engine Concerns. According to the article, the RotorWay engine uses solid lifters instead of the hydraulic lifters used on the majority of modern aircraft and automotive engines. This is ironic considering that the RotorWay engine employs a very sophisticated FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) system for fuel management and ignition timing.