Plane & Pilot June 2022

The phasing out of 100LL, a process that is sadly only beginning now, is an opportunity to cast light aviation, a segment that overwhelmingly still uses leaded gasoline, as clean. The point is, we don’t really have to be clean, no more than cars and trucks do. We just need to be no dirtier than they are, at least in terms of emissions. It’s something that the creators of our most common aviation gasoline, 100LL, got. Without saying so, the name implies that the lead content of our fuel is really, really low. It’s not. In fact, as I’ve pointed out previously here, 100LL is lower in lead than only the leaded 100 octane that high-performance piston-powered aircraft used. It actually has more lead than the old 80 octane that…

Textron, the parent company to Cessna Aircraft, Beechcraft and Bell Helicopter, has purchased electric and LSA pioneer Pipistrel, a small-aircraft manufacturer based in Slovenia. According to its release, Pipistrel won’t be added as a fourth aircraft brand but, rather, will be the anchor for a new business center, which it plans to call Textron eAviation. In its release, Textron wrote that under Textron ownership, “Pipistrel will have access to greater resources, technical and regulatory expertise and a global aircraft sales and support network, enabling it to accelerate its development and certification of electric and hybrid electric aircraft.” In announcing the deal, Textron Chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly said, “Pipistrel puts Textron in a uniquely strong position to develop technologies for the sustainable aviation market and develop a variety of new…

Captain Billy Nolen, a former American Airlines pilot type-rated in the Boeing 757 and 767 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80, has been named acting administrator of the FAA in the wake of Steve Dickson’s premature retirement, which officially happened in March. Nolen, a former Army pilot and graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has a reputation for a dedication to safety and presently serves as the associate administrator for aviation safety in the FAA, which includes “over one million registered aircraft, over one thousand approved manufacturers, over one million active pilots, and over 50,000 flights every day,” according to the agency’s site. In addition to the Army and American Airlines, Nolen worked for trade group Airlines for America, the Qantas Group and Canada’s WestJet starting in 2020, in a career spanning beyond…

The Learjet is one of the most iconic airplanes in aviation history. You can quibble if you’d like, but the Lear Model 23 is what many light jet insiders consider the first true bizjet. It created such a cultural splash, non-aviation types around the country and around the world for years after the first Learjet came about referred to all light jets as “Learjets.” The company over the years and under various ownership has delivered more than 3,000 Learjets since the first Model 23 rolled out in the mid-1960s under the company founder Bill Lear. The jet wasn’t Lear’s invention. The Learjet 23, called that because it was a Part 23 small airplane certificated design (the one and only for the company), was based on a Swiss fighter jet design,…

The beloved Beech Bonanza is officially turning 75 this year. Even though it first flew at the end of 1945, the Ralph Harmon-designed single received its type certificate on March 25, 1947, with production beginning the same year. Fun fact: Did you know the first few Bonanzas had fabric-covered ailerons and flaps? To celebrate the anniversary, the EAA’s Vintage Aircraft Association and the American Bonanza Society are teaming up to feature pre-1970 Bonanzas at this year’s EAA AirVenture fly-in. Nearly 100 early Bonanzas were pre-registered for the event by March 31 and are considered by organizers to be in “addition to” the already-sizeable Bonanzas to Oshkosh annual mass arrival to AirVenture. In January 1949, wartime ferry pilot-turned-chronic-record-setter (and ill-fated racer) William P. Odom flew the fourth Model 35 built, N80040,…

One of the most influential figures in modern aviation, U.S. Representative Don Young (R, AK), died earlier this week at the age of 88. Young was a staunch supporter of aviation in his home state of Alaska and in general, sponsoring and backing legislation over the years that promoted aviation, especially light aviation, which plays a critical role in Alaska’s transportation infrastructure. Young served as the chair of the House Transportation Committee for seven years. He was the longest-serving member of the House and one of the longest serving in history, his service running from 1972 until his death. Young was on a flight to Seattle from Anchorage when he became unresponsive. Upon landing at SeaTac, he was pronounced dead. He first won a seat to the House of Representatives…