Mark Phelps

A scenic birthday flight over rural Utah went sour after suspected carburetor ice caused a loss of power. Pilot Lynn Goodsell offered to bring Kayla Fielding, her husband Jonathan and infant son for a ride in his 1960 Cessna 175B to help celebrate her birthday. Jonathan Fielding switched on his telephone video camera after Goodsell […]

Yesterday, the FAA signed a declaration of cooperation with the Spanish Aviation and Security Agency (AESA) to help develop sustainable alternative aviation fuels in the two countries. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari attended the signing and said, “Spain…has an ambitious and innovative alternative jet fuels R&D program, the involvement of all the key […]

Yves Rossy, known as “Jetman” for his jet-powered backpack-wing flights, has introduced an unpowered version of his wing apparatus. In a video released on his website last week, Rossy not only flies a heart-stopping routine among the mountains of his native Switzerland, but also discusses the new glider version. He points out that all the […]

Warbird pilot and restorer Bob Odegaard captured the hearts of many who knew him, and his death in the crash of his Super Corsair (Race Plane 74) on September 7 left many of his friends with deeply empty feelings. Odegaard was known for his playful, positive nature and his penchant for pithy quotes, such as […]

As the rise of pilotless drones in U.S. airspace becomes more prevalent, some local and state governments are adopting measures to curtail their use. On Monday, the Charlottesville, Virginia, city council became the latest to do so, voting 3-2 in favor of a resolution that “calls on the United States Congress and the General Assembly […]

There’s good news and bad news about general aviation safety. An analysis by Robert E. Breiling & Associates notes that last year there were a total of 19 business jet accidents, including five fatal accidents that killed a total of 21. This represents an increase of five accidents compared with the 14 in 2011, when […]

The widows of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor have been ordered to pay Cirrus Design more than $80,000 in court costs related to their unsuccessful lawsuit against the company. On October 11, 2006, Lidle and his former flight instructor from the West Coast, Tyler Stanger (who was on his first […]

Since adopting new standards of categorizing aircraft for their wake turbulence, Memphis International Airport has increased its operational capacity by an estimated 15 percent. Under a new FAA system called Recat (for “re-categorization”), the new standards refine how aircraft wake turbulence levels are categorized. This makes for significant differences in determining following distances on landing […]

If you practice the other kind of “IFR” flying (as in “I Follow Roads”) then you may have to start paying extra attention — and look out below. The Federal Highway Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation have joined to study using drones to enhance highway safety. The pilotless vehicles would perform duties such […]

As related in the accompanying video, Gram Hill thought it would be fun to take his girlfriend for a flight last New Year’s Eve and watch the local fireworks from 1,200 feet. At around 11:15 p.m. local time, they took off from Craig Airport in his rented Cessna Skyhawk, circling his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. […]