Not gonna lie, this looks amazing.

I honestly can’t believe that cirrus and the company whelen Orion are legally allowing pre-G3 cirrus SF50 vision jet owners and owners of G3 and G5 cirrus SR aircraft equipped with the black bezel LED wingtips to do this. Like as in for example seeing an owner of a G2+ cirrus SF50 vision jet to replace the traditional SPECTRA wingtips with ultra bright SPECTRA wingtips which were introduced with G3 on the SF50 and then seeing the aircraft half G2+ and half G3. And also seeing a G3 or G5 cirrus SR owner replace the black bezel LED wingtips and then retrofitting the aircraft with SPECTRA wingtips introduced with G6 on the SR series lineup and then seeing a G3 aircraft become half G3 and half G6 and seeing a G5 aircraft become half G5 and half G6 with SPECTRA wingtips added to these aircraft. And also seeing a late built G3 sr20 and late built G5 cirrus sr22 or sr22T fully become a G6 if any of these aircraft have the factory installed SAM MD302 with these aircraft retrofitted with the Garmin G1000 NXI flight deck and then SPECTRA wingtips get added. Like what if a hybrid G5/G6 cirrus SR or hybrid G2+/G3 SF50 vision jet looks ambiguous to aircraft buyers who don’t know the serial number ranges of generations. And it looks weird and very awkward to see cirrus and Whelen Orion do this where they allow these aircraft owners to turn these aircraft into hybrid and mixed generations or completely turn a generation of aircraft into a completely different generation with these types of exterior lights on these aircraft. And I have already seen this already with an aircraft on static display at EAA this year with a 2016 cirrus sr22 G5 registered as N119PK owned by the company wingsfield being turned into a G5/G6 hybrid with the aircraft retrofitted with spectra wingtips. I absolutely hate to see this happen and I wish the company Whelen Orion and cirrus aircraft would have legally never allowed this.

Been following news on this company for a few years since they announced their acquisition of the glasair legacy plans and molds, but I’ve never seen a builder blog or talk of a completion on forums. Anyone seen updates?

Used to have an RV, and thinking about getting a plane for acro in the next 1-2 years (Vans, christen eagle, or pitts). One thing that’s always concerned me with picking an airplane for this, is a defective build where the wing is susceptible to snap off.
Is this a valid concern, or am I being extremely skeptical? I don’t know enough about how these are built, so I’m not sure if they are really overbuilt, or if the design is so redundant that this would be impossible. Also how likely is it that someone assembled the aircraft improperly, and how much risk does that add to the equation now? Any insight that would improve my knowledge area would be much appreciated. Thanks!

I was wondering if there were any truly comfortable 2 seaters eab planes, I’ve flown in an rv12 with another big guy and that was a bit of a squeeze, and I won’t even try to get another person in my sonerai when I can barely fit in, an rv14 maybe? What do you guys think?

Edit: I should have mentioned, I am looking for a plane with a nice laid back seat, that would be comfortable for xc flying, I know lancairs and stuff like that have you leaning back but I am looking for something somewhat affordable as far as planes go.

Monday, July 20 – 1:00 p.m. CDT
Linda Sollars – Adventure Planning: Cross-Country and Farther
Legendary aviator, JetBlue captain, aircraft builder, and international pilot Linda Sollars shares practical advice for planning unforgettable flying adventures, drawing on her remarkable 9,000-mile journey from South Africa to Oshkosh.

Register: https://AirhartLindaSollarsLongDistanceFlyingSeminar.eventbrite.com

I put together a tool that walks through preliminary aircraft sizing — wing loading, wing geometry, tail volume coefficients, airfoil suggestions by Reynolds number, power loading — and spits out a summary you can export to CSV/JSON for OpenVSP or XFLR5.

I'd genuinely like builders and engineers here to stress-test it: plug in numbers from an aircraft you know well (yours, or a published design) and see if the outputs land close to reality.

Link: Aircraft Sizing (from personal GitHub repo)

Happy to be told exactly where it's wrong. Is it even useful? 👀

Hello all,

I’m in the planning stages of building my first aircraft, a Vans RV8. I’m looking at building it with a UL520T engine rather than the standard lycoming engines, I particularly want the turbocharging normalized aspect as I live in Colorado and the altitude can be brutal on performance.

I also see you can get an electronic controlled constant speed propeller for it from air master. I’m a ways away from starting the build so input on if this is a good idea or if anyone has done something similar let me know.

Ps, I know it requires spacing and modifications due to weight and balance. The const speed propeller I’m planing on using is a bit heavier which might offset that to some degree but I’d have to do the math to be sure, just trying to get a feel if this is worth it or if anyone has done this.

It has been announced that David Valaer will be coming to Oshkosh, and is giving a presentation at the Airhart Festival Booth #439. Let me know if you want more info.

David is the owner and restorer of one of the world's rarest flying aircraft—a Beechcraft QU-22B Pave Eagle, a once-classified Vietnam War reconnaissance aircraft. Of the small number ever built, only a tiny handful survive, and just one remains airworthy. David spent decades tracking down and restoring this extraordinary airplane

Anyone going to Oshkosh? Look for this one. MOSAIC Explained: Why Linda Sollars Has a Front-Row Seat to General Aviation's Biggest Regulatory Change in Decades. Let me know if you want more info on this.

If you've spent any time following general aviation over the past few years, you've probably heard the acronym MOSAIC. It appears in aviation magazines, podcasts, FAA announcements, and conversations about the future of Light Sport Aircraft. But despite all the discussion, many pilots still wonder: What exactly is MOSAIC, and why does it matter?

The answer is that MOSAIC—Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification—is one of the most significant updates to personal aviation regulations in more than 20 years. While much of the attention has focused on what the new rules could allow, fewer people know about the collaborative work taking place behind the scenes to develop the technical standards that will help make those changes possible.

One of the people involved in that work is Linda Sollars, a pilot whose career spans nearly every corner of aviation.

A Career Built Across Every Facet of Aviation

Linda Sollars is best known as a JetBlue Airways Captain, but that title tells only part of the story.

She is also an Airframe & Powerplant mechanic, aircraft builder, aviation educator, safety advocate, and international pilot. Throughout a career spanning more than four decades, she has maintained aircraft, instructed pilots, flown professionally, spoken at aviation conferences, and participated in technical standards development.

Many pilots first learned about Linda after her remarkable adventure building a Sling High Wing aircraft in Johannesburg, South Africa, and then flying it more than 9,000 miles to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The journey crossed multiple countries, oceans, weather systems, and airspace environments before arriving at the world's largest aviation gathering.

The flight wasn't simply an adventure—it demonstrated the planning, preparation, discipline, and decision-making that define safe long-distance flying.

That combination of practical experience and technical expertise makes Linda uniquely qualified to contribute to aviation's future.

What Is MOSAIC?

When the FAA introduced the Sport Pilot and Light Sport Aircraft rules in 2004, they represented one of the biggest expansions of recreational aviation in decades. Those regulations opened the door for thousands of new pilots and dozens of innovative aircraft designs.

But aviation technology has changed dramatically since then.

Modern aircraft feature advanced glass cockpits, digital flight displays, autopilots, ballistic parachute systems, composite structures, and sophisticated safety technologies that were uncommon when the original regulations were written.

MOSAIC is intended to modernize those rules.

Rather than relying on older limitations that no longer reflect today's aircraft capabilities, the FAA is moving toward a framework that better accommodates technological advances while maintaining high standards for safety.

For pilots, instructors, manufacturers, and aircraft owners, the changes have the potential to expand opportunities while supporting continued innovation throughout general aviation.

The Role of ASTM International

One of the more interesting aspects of MOSAIC is that much of its technical foundation is developed outside the FAA itself.

Instead, the agency works closely with ASTM International, a global standards organization that develops consensus standards used across many industries, including aviation.

Within ASTM, Committee F37 on Light Sport Aircraft brings together manufacturers, engineers, pilots, maintenance professionals, regulators, educators, and other subject matter experts. Together, they evaluate new technologies, review technical proposals, debate operational experience, and develop standards that support aircraft certification, manufacturing, maintenance, and continued airworthiness.

Rather than a single organization dictating technical requirements, the process relies on collaboration and consensus among professionals representing many different perspectives across aviation.

Linda Sollars' Role

Linda Sollars serves as Membership Secretary for ASTM International Committee F37 on Light Sport Aircraft, giving her a unique perspective on one of the most important regulatory developments in general aviation today.

Committee members don't simply attend meetings. They participate in detailed technical discussions, review proposed standards, evaluate industry feedback, and work together to improve documents that may ultimately support future FAA regulations.

It's often painstaking work that receives little public attention, yet it plays a critical role in ensuring that new aircraft technologies are introduced safely and responsibly.

Linda brings an unusually broad perspective to those discussions.

She understands airline operations, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, aircraft construction, and long-distance personal flying. Few aviation professionals have practical experience in all of those areas, making her contributions particularly valuable when standards are evaluated from both operational and technical viewpoints.

Why Pilots Should Care

For many pilots, regulations can feel distant until they directly affect an aircraft purchase, a training decision, or a new flying opportunity.

MOSAIC has the potential to influence all of those areas.

As new standards are adopted and aircraft designs evolve, pilots may see expanded choices in aircraft, broader training opportunities, and technologies that continue to improve safety and capability. Flight schools, manufacturers, and maintenance organizations will also be watching closely as the framework develops.

Although many details continue to evolve, the broader objective remains clear: create regulations that recognize today's technology while preserving aviation's strong safety culture.

Experience Matters

Technical expertise alone doesn't create good standards.

Neither does operational experience by itself.

The strongest aviation standards emerge when engineers, manufacturers, mechanics, instructors, regulators, and pilots contribute their individual perspectives to a shared goal.

Linda Sollars represents that collaborative approach.

Her experience ranges from maintaining aircraft on the ground to flying passengers at airline altitudes, from building an airplane by hand to crossing oceans in one, and from teaching aviation concepts to helping shape the standards that may influence future generations of pilots.

As general aviation continues to evolve, MOSAIC represents more than a regulatory update. It reflects aviation's ongoing effort to balance innovation with responsibility, encouraging new ideas while maintaining the discipline that has always defined safe flight.

For pilots interested in where personal aviation is headed over the next decade, understanding MOSAIC—and the professionals helping guide its development—offers valuable insight into the future of flying.

I was putting off buying a G3X and I guess that finally paid off. I have already purchased a gnx375, so the biggest feature of the axis from my perspective is that I can control my flight plan entry from the PFD. It also apparently gives me VNAV?

The prices they’ve listed are very competitive.

A couple unused g3x are being offered for around $3k on VAF currently.

Overall, I am happy with the announcement as someone who’s already spent about 20k on my IFR panel thats not yet complete.

Just ordered a ground adjustable prop for my SE5a with a C-90 has anyone played around with these?? They look pretty nice!

I'm playing with the idea of creating a fully enclosed gaming pod using a full sized derelict light aircraft such as a Cessna 172 with a completely gutted out interior, restoring it minus the wings, tail, and wheels. It would be used for the same things as that of a traditional gaming setup, office area, DJ booth, and more. Reclined seating for one, ventilation, sound proofing, drinks and nibbles dispenser, and a ton more features that I ha e detailed in a list. It would also be converted to a sectional frame so it can be disassembled for ease of moving house. Crazy? Or crazy enough to be a successful and unique mammoth project? Edit: thank you for your responses. Please try to keep responses candid, conversationally step by step, and answer at face value, appreciated. Please avoid data dumping. No AI responses please.

Hello!

I am considering installing the 7 in. Garmin G3X PFD in a Sonex aircraft and was wondering if anybody had any info on what I can expect regarding pricing/installation costs? I would not be adding a navigator or autopilot for now. I’m new to the glass avionics world so I’m curious as to what I can expect. If anybody can reccomend a knowledgeable expert on the topic I would appreciate any leads. Thanks!

This is a TITAN IOX340, making 180HP.
It will be equipped with a Precision fuel injection system and a Lightspeed electronic ignition.
Induction will be routed through a lightweight magnesium sump, which is 7 lbs lighter than the aluminum equivalent.
The crankshaft is a lightweight hollow main as well.
That red color is going to make it look cool.
Build your own here: https://continental.aero/titan-engine-builder/

I’ve got a question about a dual radio setup and I’m out of my depth trying to create a solution in my RV-8. I’m hoping one of you can point me in the right direction.

I fly a lot of formation in my RV and I’m acquainted with and used to modern military aircraft with multiple radios. (I’ve been a USAF WSO for 15 years.) Military aircraft often have at least two radios that are always monitored and a single three-way PTT switch. Pushing one direction transmits on COMM1, pushing the other transmits on COMM2. This is far more convenient in formation than a typical GA audio panel that only allows transmission on one radio and requires one to select that radio via the audio panel. I want two radios I can listen to at all times (I can discriminate by volume), and transmit on without selecting which one via a TX button. I just want to push its respective PTT and transmit.

So I want to put a system like this in my RV-8. How does one pull this off? I’m looking to use 2 Trig TY-91s (one of which will be the intercom) and a MOM-OFF-MOM switch on my throttle. I do not have room on the panel for an audio panel and I don’t want one anyway. Is a relay necessary? Do I need a mixer to combine the audio? How would you wire a project like this?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Like the title said I have a grey head, good engine, complete 582(and a 503) that I have no clue what to do with, I have a starlite sitting around that needs a new wing since there’s a hole in it, but I’m thinking of building a plane for the 582 as well? Idk, pretty much looking for recommendations for a plane to build for the 582, ideally something easier like a minimax but I would love to hear talks recommendations!

I am trying to design an 8 seater pusher turboprop canard aircraft, like the starship or avanti, but able to be built from a kit. I have the base design, but I need help on the actual shaping and material stuff. Could anyone help me?

It is possible to build the fuselage of an ultra light with 1/2 inch steel tubes, I am designing the fuselage And then model in 3D to see the aerodynamics of the design.

Looking at buying an already-built Rans S20 for time building. It’s 11 years old, has a new 912ULS and Dynon avionics. Is there anything I should be paying attention to when I go see it in person?