Mark Phelps

Unhappy with recent personnel decisions by the board of directors, former members of the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) have broken away to form their own organization, the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE). Members of the new group are at loggerheads with NAFI over the dismissals of JoAnn and Sandy Hill, former […]

My personal experience with bird strikes came during a night instrument training flight in a Mooney. I caught a glimpse of a feathered wing in the landing light beam, felt a slight bump, and that was it. When we landed, there were a few splotches of blood and feathers on the tail. Sorry. Not nearly […]

At least about 100 of the thousands being laid off in Wichita can expect brighter skies. HondaJet has begun recruiting specialized engineers for its Greensboro, North Carolina, headquarters. Tops of the wish list will be design and certification specialists, expected to join approximately 400 HondaJet employees already in place in Greensboro. HondaJet expects to fly […]

The general aviation manufacturing segment continues to be pummeled by the current economic crisis. Last week, Cessna announced another 2,000 pink slips will be distributed, bringing the total to 4,600 since the country’s financial downturn began. Most of the new layoffs will be in Wichita. Cessna has suffered mightily from canceled orders, with a reported […]

Torrance, California-based Robinson Helicopter continues its upward trend-in the face of a fast autorotating economy, no less. Last year, Robinson built 893 civil helicopters, surpassing its 2007 record year of 823. Fully 80 percent of the rotorcraft built last year were four-place R44s-60 percent Raven IIs and 20 percent Raven Is. The remaining 20 percent […]

Charter provider JetDirect Aviation has said it will receive an infusion of private equity capital by the end of this month that is expected to “enable us to begin bringing our client obligations more current prior to closing.” JetDirect President Jake Cartwright, who also headed TAG Aviation before that unit was acquired by JetDirect, has […]

Following four years of development, Diamond Aircraft Industries has received type certification for its Austro E4 turbodiesel aircraft engine from the European authorities. Demand for the new engine accelerated with the insolvency of Thielert Engines, sole provider of powerplants for Diamond’s DA42 Twin Star twin-engine aircraft. When Thielert engines-and parts-became unavailable from that company, many […]

If you are a “reasonable and prudent” pilot when it comes to icing, a new interpretation by the FAA should reduce stress in your winter operations. Where the FAA used to define “known ice” as any area where there were clouds and sub-zero Centigrade conditions, the new rule takes a decidedly more rational tack. True, […]

With lots of negative press in hard economic times, anyone who uses a “private” airplane (I guess we view the airlines as public transportation) is in the crosshairs. Now is the time for all segments of general aviation to support each other and find the common ground, rather than seek out differences. It’s true, most […]

It may be Super Bowl Sunday to football fans, but this weekend also marks the cessation of satellite monitoring for aircraft emergency locator transmitters that transmit only on 121.5 MHz. Search and rescue units will continue to monitor the old frequency, at least here in the United States, while also guarding the new ELTs frequency, […]