Mark Phelps

One truism holds, there will always be those who can take advantage of a down market. Fractional-share provider Avantair, based in Clearwater, Florida, is pressing that advantage, luring former jet customers to its Piaggio Avanti and Avanti II twin turboprops. With a current fleet of 53 of the unique pusher twins, Avantair expects to take […]

Every day, more than 1.5 million messages are generated as part of the FAA flight plan infrastructure. The agency is nearing rollout of a hardware update that will fully integrate the process, streamlining the flow of information. The new National Airspace Data Interchange Network covers airlines and general aviation flights, with flight plans filed through […]

After protracted delays, Bell’s Model 429 light twin helicopter has received type approval from U.S. and Canadian regulatory agencies. With letters of intent for more than 300 Model 429s, Bell expects to begin deliveries next month. Powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207DI turboshaft engines, the Bell 429 is priced at $4.87 […]

With its sights set squarely on the light sport and kit aircraft markets, Teledyne Continental Motors has announced a new, lightweight version of its legacy O200 four-cylinder piston engine. Weighing in at 199 pounds (including starter, ignition and fuel systems), the new O200 Lightweight Engine line also features a balanced crankshaft, sprocket propeller flange and […]

Russell Meyer, Jr., current chairman emeritus and past chairman and CEO of Cessna, which he led from 1975 to 2003, will be inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame. Russ Meyer is largely credited with promoting product liability legislation in 1994, which became known as the General Aviation Revitalization Act. Following passage of that […]

A pair of runway incursion incidents at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport are under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. On June 3, a Boeing 737 was cleared into position on Runway 6L at the same time an Embraer E-145 had been cleared for takeoff from the same runway. On June 26, another Embraer 145 […]

There are those who’ve been, and those who haven’t. And there are those who wouldn’t miss it for anything. The journey to EAA AirVenture at Wittman Field in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has been compared to the annual Hajj to Mecca. And for aviation zealots ranging from weekend ultralight aficionados to military or airline pilots, there is […]

Master Instructors LLC and its board of review announced the following two additions to the ranks of Master Instructors. Fewer than 700 of the country’s 92,000 flight instructors have been honored with this ranking. New to the ranks as of June are Tony Condon (independent flight and ground instructor, Wichita, Kansas) and Ted Matthews (president […]

LetsFly, which bills itself as “the largest aircraft cooperative in the country,” is offering quarter shares in the Legend Cub, an updated version of the classic Piper J-3, from American Legend Aircraft. Down payment on the quarter share is $2,900, which is the same as for a Cirrus or Mooney from LetsFly. Monthly payments for […]

United States airlines and business aviation will be exempt from a law limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In an 11th hour move, the House struck aviation from the requirement to cut carbon dioxide emissions by one-third as early as 2012. Reportedly, the change of heart resulted from a report from the Government Accountability Office that […]