Amy Laboda
Contributing Editor Amy Laboda is a freelance writer and editor of Aviation for Women magazine. She's an ATP-rated pilot and instrument and multi-engine Flight Instructor with a passion for teaching and flying in light aircraft. Her steady rides these days are a 18-year old Kitfox IV and a fresh Van's RV-10.
Amy's RV-10: Getting It Inspected
Before you can legally fly your kit aircraft you must have it inspected by the FAA or the FAA’s legal representative, and that inspector...
Amy's RV-10: Checking Out a Newborn Engine Before Flight
That Lycoming IO-540 on our nascent Van's RV-10 is about 10 minutes old now, and still a sweetheart. Each engine start tested another function,...
Amy's RV-10: And You Built This Why?
Airshows and fly-ins--I love 'em. People who love aircraft, live, breathe, eat, sleep and dream about aircraft, indoctrinate their children, even their helpless pets...
Amy's RV-10: Hangar Health
Pro-Seal: It’ll stick to anything, the label says, and that’s the truth. We’ve recently re-experienced it when Van’s Aircraft sent us a bit to...
There's a New Four-Blade CS Prop for Warbird Replicas
Dave Hansen of Vari-Prop is pretty excited about the company’s newest product, a four-blade, variable-pitch propeller for warbird replicas that will bolt on to...
Wing-Heating System for High-Performance Kit Aircraft
If your kit is meant to fly high and fast, and especially if you’ve designed the machine to fly well in the clouds, then...
TCW Technologies Introduces Intelligent Flap Controller
VFE. Do you know what it is? That’s the maximum speed at which it is safe to deploy the flaps on your airplane. You...
VistaNAV 3.0 Supports New Hardware and Tricks
The latest version of portable synthetic vision software manufacturer Mercury Computer System’s VistaNAV comes with some pretty cool tricks. First, the program, in version...
Avemco Offers Hull/Liability Insurance for Part-time CFIs
Avemco’s Jim Lauerman was honestly happy announcing the insurance company’s newest product for flight instructors Friday morning at Sun 'n Fun. The program is...
National Association of Flight Instructors Helps Kit Builders Become Safe Fliers
The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) held its Master Flight Instructor Breakfast Friday morning at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In, and one Master...
In Case You Missed It
Turbine Moose: The Ultimate Amphib
Its said that sailors make good floatplane pilots because they understand the nature of wind on the water. Sailboat racer and pilot Rick Orchard took that sentiment to heart in a big way when he decided to pump up an already large homebuilt (the Murphy Moose) by adding Aerocet amphibious floats and a 550-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20 turbine engine.
Down to Earth
Music to a mothers ears. Amy Laboda preps the family Kitfox for her older daughters primary training.
Light Stuff
The 2012 World Paramotor Championship provided an excuse for a trip to the mountains of Spain, and an opportunity to see the world’s best in action. Roy Beisswenger helped judge the proceedings (and seemed to be the only American there).
Tapping Heads
The tapping head has a lot to commend it for the home machinist who is trying to add efficiency and consistency to tapping tasks.