Mark Phelps

Fractional-ownership patriarch Richard Santulli resigned last month as head of the company he founded in 1986. Many within the industry have expressed it was because he refused to cut staff. Santulli sold NetJets several years ago to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, and with losses mounting, some believed Santulli was being pressured to lay off employees. […]

The American Bonanza Society met in Salt Lake City for its annual convention earlier this month. With its emphasis on safety and sharing information, the Bonanza owners’ group featured more than 50 hours of meetings and seminars, as well as one of the most comprehensive collections of product vendors on display. Next year’s meeting will […]

For the fifth year in a row, a Hawker Beechcraft Premier IA will perform fly-by demonstrations at this year’s Reno National Championship Air Races and Air Show in Reno, Nevada. The racing started Wednesday and continues through this weekend, ending Sept. 20. Astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson will fly the Premier IA on its demonstration passes. […]

More than 150 people and 40 Cessna Citations gathered in Aspen, Colorado, over Labor Day weekend. The occasion was the first convention of the Citation Jet Pilots Association, primarily representing owner-pilots of Cessna’s line of business jets. John Hayes, who heads the group he founded nearly one year ago, said the event was an opportunity […]

A report from the Government Accountability Office cites concerns that the National Weather Service and the FAA need a fresh interagency agreement. And consolidating weather service units is one of the possible outcomes. The existing pact expires at the end of this month. A proposed restructuring addresses the manner in which aviation weather is provided […]

Under attack in the media and on political fronts, helicopter tour operators will meet for three days next month in Las Vegas. The meetings, organized by the Helicopter Association International (HAI), will focus on the association’s Helicopter Tour Operators Committee (HTOC) and the Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS). For information on registration, go to […]

Most pilots who fly their aircraft for personal or business transportation know that their way beats the airlines on most counts. A recent story on Yahoo News indicates that truism is gaining further credibility. With business travel down, the trend toward service cuts by the major airlines is expected to continue. New capacity cuts are […]

The so-called NextGen air traffic control system is a step closer to ThisGen. On Monday, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood revealed plans to place ADS-B technology online in the Gulf of Mexico in December, covering more than 240,000 square miles of airspace where radar is unavailable. ADS-B is scheduled for implementation across the United States […]

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the National Air Transportation Association have both gone on record supporting President Obama’s choice to lead the Transportation Security Administration. Erroll Southers, who previously served as California’s deputy director of homeland security, is a former FBI agent, who currently serves as assistant chief for the Office of Homeland […]

It may be more gimmick than substance, but American Legend Aircraft Company is offering to match the government’s “cash for clunkers” program. The company will take any old aircraft in trade toward one of its Legend Cubs, and reduce the price by $4,500 – the same amount car dealers gave for gas-guzzlers in the recently […]