Mark Phelps

As promised, Cessna delivered the first Model 162 SkyCatcher to Rose Pelton on Dec. 18. She is the wife of Cessna President and CEO Jack Pelton, and plans to use the airplane to begin flying lessons. The ceremonial delivery occurred at Wichita’s Yingling Aircraft facility, where SkyCatchers are assembled after arriving from the factory in […]

Aviation Supplier Aircraft Spruce and Specialty has announced it now offers a live online service for customers to get answers to questions about products. A ‘Live Chat’ button on the company website gains access to the service, which covers the following areas: Product Support; Avionics; International Sales; Website Support; and Customer Service. Find the company’s […]

Mission: a vacation flight to visit relatives halfway across the country. You’ve updated your navigator’s database; checked weather for winds aloft; carefully planned your fuel stops; double-checked that the FBOs are open; completed a detailed weight-and-balance calculation; etc. ‘Twas the night before flying, and you’re nestled snug in your bed knowing you have all the […]

Long-term funding authorization for the FAA will have to wait. Last week, Congress passed a bill mandating yet another short-term temporary funding strategy. This one extends through the end of March next year — a total of three months from the expiration of the current funding that expires at the end of this month. Congress […]

Last week, Gulfstream announced the first flight of its large-cabin, mid-range G250 business jet. Classed as a super mid-size, the G250 was designed in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries and the first flight departed from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. It follows the first flight of Gulfstream’s ultra-long-range, large-cabin G650 just days earlier […]

A bill inspired by the crash of Continental Flight 3407 last year would impose a minimum for an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) rating to fly commercial airliners under FAR Part 121. The ATP requires at least 1,500 hours of experience. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt told lawmakers he’d prefer to mandate situation-specific training, rather than the […]

Cessna will close three subassembly plants in Columbus, Georgia, including its McCauley Propeller factory and a new 100,000-square-foot facility opened in August 2008 at a cost of about $25 million. The closings will take place within six months to two years and will claim the jobs of some 315 workers in Georgia, whose numbers had […]

Especially in times of economic strife, new industry players live and die by news about their economic standing. That’s why it was so critical for German Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) manufacturer Remos to announce a new source of funding last week. The fresh funding came from a combination of Remos’ two main shareholders — Munich’s […]

Garmin received its holiday gift from the FAA a little early. On Dec. 9, the agency granted an approved model list supplemental type certificate (AML-STC) for the company’s TAS and TCAS I traffic systems, which include the GTS 800 ($9,995), GTS 820 ($19,995) and GTS 850 ($24,995). The list of approved aircraft includes 580 separate […]

A memorial service was held at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington on Dec. 12 for general aviation advocate Ed Stimpson. Stimpson, who devoted his career to promoting the industry, died earlier this month at the age of 75. Approximately 235 attended the Saturday ceremony, including current and former congressmen, two former cabinet […]