Flying August 2023

HOW TO POWER the future of flight? That question ricocheted around the Paris Air Show in June, as companies from all ends of the spectrum—from Airbus to ZeroAvia—revealed their answers with everything from concept power-plants to flying demonstrators. It was particularly encouraging to see the likes of French manufacturer Elixir discuss its planned project, a TurboTech TP-R90 regenerative turboprop engine mounted on its two-seat, low-wing airplane. Though the combination hasn’t flown yet—that’s planned for by the end of the year—it’s an exciting next step for an already certificated trainer (under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s CS 23 basis). The turboprop version has been under development in a two-part program funded by France’s Council for Civil Aeronautic Research (CORAC). “Greener” by design, the Elixir is efficiently produced from a greatly…

PARIS HIT DIFFERENT this year. I can say that with authority, even though it marked my first time attending the legendary Paris Air Show in France. Normally rotating years with Farnborough in England, “Le Bourget” last commenced in 2019, a victim in 2021 to the extended caesura of the pandemic. The break led to a much-needed evolution. What was once the exclusive territory of the commercial and military aviation sectors, held at the Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget (LFPB) in grand halls and luxurious chalets, now opens itself further—out of necessity—to the light end of general and business aviation. That’s because light aircraft have long been a source of innovation. We need that spark badly now in order to address the goals of achieving net-zero emissions across the industry. Fortunately, GA and…

WELCOME TO ISSUE 940. By the time you read this, we’ll have returned from EAA Air-Venture at Oshkosh. For those of you who joined us there at the FLYING booth, thank you for stopping by. If you didn’t make the trek to Wisconsin this year, don’t worry. We have plenty of content on our various websites that will provide information, news, and updates from the greatest show in aviation. We also made the news this year: FLYING Media Group, the parent company of FLYING magazine, is acquiring the aviation publication assets of Belvoir Media. This portfolio includes AvWeb.com, Aviation Consumer, Aviation Safety, IFR Magazine, and Kitplanes. I am very excited about the library of content and focus of those brands in serving the general aviation community. AvWeb.com is the largest…

WHETHER YOU’RE A longtime reader of FLYING, or a newer member of our audience, you may be aware that we have been building an aviation media company under our legacy brand, FLYING Media Group. The opportunity to acquire other valued aviation media brands has never been greater, thanks in part to the impact of digital media on publishers, combined with the maturing of the print media industry in general. Naturally, you may think building a family is about creating efficiency, but it is less about that and more about the compounding value of being able to reach as many prospective, new, and active pilots as possible to ensure the health and long-term success of all of our brands. We are stronger together. As we have added publications to our family, some…

X-Plane? Thanks for your recent coverage of flight simulators (Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, etc.) in a recent issue…flight simming and FLYING magazine are how I currently get my flying “fix.” One question: Aside from the interview with X-Plane’s founder [Austin Meyer, Issue 936], you provide little coverage of X-Plane 12 and the other lesser known sims like P3D, and I am wondering why? Aside from visuals, where MSFS currently wins, X-Plane is the clear leader for in-depth simulation of aircraft flight models, systems simulation, etc. Many would argue that MSFS2020 is more a game with pretty visuals, while X-Plane is a truer flight simulation from the ground up. The visuals, weather, [and] lighting are continually improving with the latest release of X-Plane 12, but Austin [Meyer] is clear that visuals…

Only one. Dwight D. Eisenhower made his first solo flight in a Stearman in the Philippines in 1937 and obtained his private pilot’s “licenses” (both Filipino and American) in 1939. Throughout 1944, George H.W. Bush flew 58 combat missions as a naval aviator off the carrier USS San Jacinto and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. But neither he nor his son, George W. Bush—a Texas Air National Guard pilot who received Air Force training and flew the F-102—applied for or received FAA pilot certificates. MARTHA LUNKEN is a lifelong pilot, former FAA inspector, and defrocked pilot examiner. She owns and flies a Cessna 180, and she loves anything with a tailwheel, from Piper Cubs to Douglas DC-3s.…