Mark Phelps

On Monday, the New York Times reported a House appropriation proposal for new aircraft had been nixed. According to an earlier Wall Street Journal report, Congress had proposed buying eight new jets to accommodate increased travel by “congressional officials.” The $550 million purchase would have added to an existing fleet of some 24 existing Gulfstreams […]

A Cessna Citation I that crashed on takeoff on March 4, 2008 was brought down by large birds, according to findings by the National Transportation Safety Board. Birdstrikes were apparently suspected when the preliminary report was written days after the accident, which killed both pilots and three passengers on departure from Wiley Post Airport in […]

Whether it involves a national TV news reporter or simply a friend looking for fast answers, all of us pilots become designated experts when a high profile accident occurs. And we need to recognize some priorities. Today’s news “industry” is extremely competitive, and there is a strong motivation to seek out headlines and quotes that […]

EAA Chairman and President Tom Poberezny admitted it strains credibility to keep saying, time after time, that this AirVenture tops them all. “But,” he said, “I’m going to say it this year-AirVenture 2009 was the best ever. It’s difficult to imagine a week that matched the highlights, enthusiasm and passion for aviation that we saw […]

Cirrus co-founder Alan Klapmeier has suspended his efforts to assemble a group of investors to take control of the Cirrus Vision single-engine jet program. In an unrelated matter, Klapmeier’s employment agreement to be Chairman of the Board of Cirrus is set to expire in mid-August. Alan will continue as a member of the board and […]

Richard Santulli, the Wall Street mathematician who left Goldman Sachs to form NetJets in 1986, stepped down Tuesday as Chairman and CEO. Santulli is credited with inventing the fractional aircraft ownership business model. Fueled by the Dotcom boom of the early 1990s, the NetJets program soared to huge success in that decade, and the company […]

Total general aviation aircraft shipments for the first half of the year were off by 46% compared with last year. The recent report from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) also showed billings down by almost 23%, an indication that the largest drops in deliveries were in the lower-priced segments. Indeed, piston aircraft shipments fell […]

When US Airways Flight 1549 splashed down on the Hudson River in January, Captain Chesley Sullenberger and Copilot Jeffrey Skiles became instant celebrities. They attended President Obama’s inauguration, made the rounds of television talk shows, and continue to be a huge draw as motivational speakers. But their best audience was probably the overflow crowds who […]

Eclipse Aerospace, headed by Eclipse 500 order holder Mason Holland and Eclipse 500 operator Mike Press, signed an asset purchase agreement July 31. Unless new bidders emerge or other complications arise, the $40 million deal to purchase the assets of the defunct manufacturer could be completed in a few weeks. Immediate goals for Eclipse Aerospace […]

Textron Chairman and CEO Lewis Campbell said in a recent report that Bell Helicopter “delivered a strong performance,” with a modest $4 million increase in profits. This was despite a decrease in revenues of $28 million. The net gain was attributed to “improved performance.” The Textron CEO is also optimistic that the recent certification of […]