Mark Phelps

Operators of Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21-equipped Hawker Beechcraft King Air 200/300-series turboprop twins are now eligible for upgrades to include Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capability. Hawker Beechcraft is currently working on a similar upgrade for Premier 1A and Hawker 400XP/Beechjet400A-series jets.

The FAA has published a Safety Alert For Operators (SAFO) urging pilots to remember to activate pilot controlled lighting (PCL) systems at non-tower airports. Apparently the agency has noted a “rising trend” of incidents in which pilots have failed to turn on the lights when landing after dark. Also as part of the SAFO, the […]

When NetJets introduced large-cabin Gulfstream jets to its fleet, it set up a separate business entity to accommodate the new level of service. Though the fractional ownership model was essentially the same as for its smaller jets, there were significant differences — for example, fractional owners could specify pilots they wanted to fly with. The […]

Late last month, the Solar Impulse project recorded its first flight from Payerne Airfield, Switzerland. With 12,000 photovoltaic solar cells on its wings, the aircraft is expected to be able to fly day and night on stored electrical energy. Launched seven years ago, the project’s ultimate goal is a solar-powered world flight, targeted for 2012.

The FAA has granted a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to Kelly Aerospace Thermal Systems to install a dual 95-amp alternator kit in Lycoming-powered Cessna 182 and Turbo 182 singles. The system provides redundant electrical power for a weight increase of only 23 pounds. For more info, go to www.kellyaerospace.com.

As an English major in college, I was saddled with an enormous reading load — sometimes four books a week. And the likes of Thomas Hardy, Hermann Hesse, Cervantes et al does not make for light reading. I have loved books since I was a kid, but during this time, if I wasn’t slogging through […]

The FAA has issued a nonbinding special airworthiness information bulletin (SAIB) urging aircraft operators to replace mufflers at 1,000 hours. It’s not a noise abatement move, but rather a safety of flight issue. According to a Wichita State University study, a high percentage of aging mufflers are involved in carbon-monoxide-related incidents. In 92 percent of […]

The FAA guidelines for required ADS-B equipment were released late last week, and though there are no real surprises for avionics manufacturers, general aviation advocates have little to cheer about. One of the sections of the report is even titled, “General Aviation: High Equipage Costs With Little Benefit.” Cost to equip the GA fleet is […]

According to an AP story posted on Yahoo News Tuesday, as many as 10,000 military GPS receivers were disabled earlier this year after “incompatible” new software was installed. GPS satellite signals were not jammed or scrambled, and civilian GPS services were unaffected. (According to an Air Force spokesman, Iraq tried to jam GPS signals in […]

A North Carolina man crossed the English Channel last week suspended from 54 helium-filled balloons. Jonathan Trappe flew from England to France — a distance of 22 miles — in approximately two hours drifting with the wind at altitudes as high as 7,500 feet. At times, his groundspeed reached 25 miles per hour. Trappe carries […]