Kitplanes

Weather Statement Groundschool is now offering a course on METARS (Aviation Routine Weather Reports) and TAFs (Terminal Area Forecasts) that you can complete on your home computer. METARS include temperature, dew point, wind speed, direction, precipitation, cloud cover, visibility, lightning and barometric pressure. TAFs are used in conjunction with METARS and use similar terminology.…

We have received a note from Superior Air Parts saying, in effect, pay no attention to the troubles with Thielert Aircraft Engines, which has filed for insolvency in the aftermath of falling share prices. Company founder Frank Thielert and the firm's CEO were ousted earlier this month amid allegations of illegal accounting practices. Speculation was that Superior, a sister company of Thielert Engines, would be affected.…

Rick Lindstrom revisits Canadas Dream Tundra, this time when its on floats. Dream Aircraft Founder Yvan Desmarais spent 10 years developing the prototype for this design, with the intention of building and kitting a better bushplane. Lindstrom says hes achieved that goal and then some.

Builders share their successes.

Two RANS kits return to production, Aircraft Spruce offers the Castleberry electric attitude indicator, and two Six Chuter SLSAs are certified.

Well, another Sun 'n Fun airshow has gone by. As the traditional start of the season, this one was, at times, fraught and promising, often nail biting and reaffirming. It started, as you've certainly heard a thousand times, wet and muddy. By good luck, I elected to travel from the West Coast on Monday, missing the worst of the weather. The aftermath was there, however, in the form of soggy fields that would stiffen to…

Thanks to the efforts of Glenn Pew and our sister publication AVweb, we have a nice video interview with Dick VanGrunsven on the RV-12's debut at Sun 'n Fun. Check it out here, and pay no attention to the editor smacking his gum. (Sheesh.) …

Craig Barnett, principal of Scheme Designers, which creates unique paint schemes for aircraft of all makes and models, is beaming like a proud parent. He says that it has always been a challenge working with some customers who have trouble visualizing what a paint scheme will look like on their airplane from a two-dimensional rendering.Face it, thats flat, Barnett says, and most aircraft have lots of curved surfaces. It is just hard for some people…

Aircrafters of Watsonville, California, is now the exclusive distributor for a new, lightweight, multipurpose overhead lighting console designed and manufactured by Pegasus Aeromarine, Inc. of Port Townsend, Washington. The console is suited for either forward or rear overhead lighting. Made of gelcoated fiberglass and weighing only 2.4 ounces, it has multiple facets to allow various configurations to fit rocker switches and either mini-eyeball lights or swiveling map lights (such as the SteinAir LED map light)…