Mark Phelps

Prior to joining the FAA, David Boulter served as a pilot, flight instructor, check airman and chief pilot of a regional airline.

Planning the high-speed descent phase of a flight requires some judgment, especially during summer months when we like to cruise in cool comfort above the build-ups and the haze layer. That’s usually 10,000 feet or higher in summer, at least where I do most of my flying on the eastern half of the country (mountain […]

Dr. Amar Bose, founder of the Massachusetts corporation that bears his name, has died at age 83. Best known for his unique 901-series hi-fi speaker system and the Wave radio, Bose also developed the principles of electronic noise canceling headsets. He was also a revered member of the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, […]

In typical no-nonsense fashion, Van’s Aircraft has issued a special edition of its customer newsletter to inform RV-12 kit builders of new avionics options. Dynon and Garmin both recently announced touchscreen versions of their SkyView and G3X systems. Van’s laid out the price and delivery details as they currently know them, including a set of […]

The FAA has studied the roles of close to 500 general aviation airports that previously had not been placed in one of the four categories of the agency’s ASSET study. Completed in 2012, the study placed nearly 3,000 GA airports into one of four categories: national, regional, local; or basic. But 497 airports originally reviewed […]

Witnesses told the Outer Banks News that the Allegro 2000 light sport aircraft (LSA) appeared to be on approach to land at First Flight Airport at the Wright Brothers National Memorial when it crashed into trees. The pilot and passenger were able to walk away, though the pilot suffered a head injury and was airlifted […]

FAA records show that the 1996 Socata TBM 700 was registered just nine days before it left Gadsden, Alabama, on a flight to Montrose, Colorado, on Saturday. It crashed into a reservoir about 25 miles from the destination airport. The turboprop single was registered to an Alabama LLC, and made a fuel stop in Bartlesville, […]

The Dynon Avionics engineering team in Woodinville, Washington, has added touchscreen capability to its SkyView avionics suite. Available for experimental and light sport aircraft only, SkyView Touch complements the existing hard-button knob controls, including the autopilot panel, rather than replacing them. It offers pilots a choice of interface. “Touch when you want it; turbulence when […]

Phillips 66 has announced its Fly Savvy Rewards program, including a credit card that gives cash back for aviation and auto fuel purchases. For the first 90 days, the card returns 10 cents per gallon on fuel purchased at nearly 900 Phillips 66 FBOs. The offer extends to Phillips 66, Conoco and 76 auto fuel […]

The market for tablet apps is about as jammed as Starbucks at daybreak. But Bendix King has made it a bit less crowded. The company has told users it is pulling the myWingMan app from the Apple Store, and will refund all their money in full. An annual VFR subscription sold for $99, and an […]