Mark Phelps

U.S. Representative Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) didn’t mince words when assessing the TSA’s Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP). After a meeting with the TSA on March 10th, the congressman said, “This is a prime example of a stupid rule. Simply put, the threat does not warrant this level of regulation.” Under provisions of LASP, passengers on […]

Selected as National Flight Instructor of the Year in 2006, Rich Stowell has resigned his membership in the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)-and demanded a refund of his dues. NAFI management has faced considerable push-back from members in recent months, leading to the establishment of a rival group known as Society of Aviation and […]

Less than a year after an insolvency debacle that left its engine supplier in ruins, Diamond has achieved European certification for its DA42 NG-powered by Diamond’s own Austro diesel engines. The 170 hp Austro engines have 20 percent more power than the Thielert engines they replace, while nevertheless claiming lower fuel burn. Certification by the […]

Grob Aerospace is now virtually out of sight as far as its SPn light jet program is concerned, but a new group of investors could resurrect the program from insolvency. Development of the composite light jet ceased last year when funding evaporated, but a report indicates the former Grob CEO is assembling a group to […]

Samuel Hynes flew Grumman TBM ‘Avenger’ torpedo bombers with the Marines in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, he became a literature professor, ultimately teaching at Princeton. At one point in the early 1950s, he lived upstairs from my parents in a small apartment in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. [My mother said he sort […]

Tensions are running high surrounding the Korean peninsula as North Korea has threatened the safety of civil aircraft in its airspace over the Sea of Japan. In a statement North Korea warned, “Security cannot be guaranteed for South Korean civil airplanes.” Fueling the tension is the upcoming joint South Korean-U.S. military exercise, which North Korea […]

This week, groups of air medical services providers from around the country are meeting in Washington, D.C., as part of their annual trade conference. The meeting this year takes on larger significance with the recent attention called to the poor safety record of medical transportation providers, specifically those operating helicopters. Today, leaders of the Association […]

Aircraft operators in Illinois are responding to reports that their state is proposing a 5 percent luxury tax on aircraft valued at $500,000 and up. The tax would be in addition to state and local use taxes already in effect. Aviation advocacy groups have been quick to respond. The National Business Aviation Association, for example, […]

Gulfstream Aerospace will lay off 1,200 employees and furlough 1,500 more for five weeks. The job losses will be spread throughout its facilities nationwide. The airframer currently employs 6,000 in Georgia (most at its Savannah headquarters) and some 4,000 more at satellite facilities around the country. Gulfstream attributed the employment reduction to shrinking order backlogs. […]

The latest version of the House FAA funding legislation-H.R. 915 (known as the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009) received a nod from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The bill does not incorporate user fees, and is supported by most in the general aviation industry. Next in line is the House Ways and Means Committee, […]