Pia Bergqvist

L-3 Avionics Systems has received Technical Standards Order (TSO) approval from the FAA for its newest electronic standby instrument system (ESIS), the GH-3900. The unit meets Level A hardware and software standards and was designed for installation in transport category and general aviation aircraft (though not for airplanes with a gross weight below 6,000 pounds). […]

Many parts of the country have experienced record heat this summer, and August and September can bring their share of scorching days as well. If you haven’t done so already, you may need to make some adjustments to the way you operate your airplane to keep the engine happy. During your preflight inspection, make sure […]

An NPR story this week brought some disturbing information to light about the potential for hacking the new, high-tech NextGen air traffic management system the FAA is developing. A Canadian hacker, Brad “RenderMan” Haines, claims he has found a way to transmit ADS-B signals from a simple home-based simulator that can be introduced as “ghost […]

It just so happened that my good friend Roger Tonry had both his BFR and annual inspection for his Grumman Tiger due at the end of July. Since I’m a flight instructor and have done some owner assisted annual inspections before myself, I decided I would help him out with both. Roger has owned his […]

The wild nature of heavy metal music and the structured environment of the cockpit appear to be such polar opposites that they would be nearly impossible to combine. Yet Iron Maiden’s singer Bruce Dickinson has done just that. An accomplished pilot, Dickinson has personally flown the English band and its equipment around the world on […]

GAMA recently released its second-quarter report for shipments of new airplanes, and similar to the used aircraft market information released recently by Jetnet, the market trend appears headed in a positive direction. According to the report, the first half of 2012 saw an increase in total billings for the industry of 13.2 percent compared with […]

After much publicity about international students on the TSA’s No-fly List being able to receive flight instruction in the United States, the FAA Safety Team has issued a notice to flight instructors reminding them of specific responsibilities mandated by Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Before providing instruction, certified flight instructors in the U.S. are required to […]

A preliminary report filed by the NTSB indicates that a Piaggio P.180 operated by Avantair flew two legs while missing the left side of its elevator. According to the report, the twin-engine pusher turboprop departed Camarillo, California, on July 28, flew to San Diego to pick up two passengers and then continued to Henderson Executive […]

The FAA has issued an interim notice that suspends opposite direction operations involving IFR aircraft at Part 139 airports – those that serve scheduled commercial traffic with more than nine passenger seats or unscheduled carriers with at least 31 seats. The notice is a result of “several losses of separation,” such as the most recent […]

A recent market analysis released by Jetnet, a company that has researched business aviation since 1988, shows promising trends in the business aviation market. The used bizjet market is showing improvements and business jet operations by U.S operators are slowly increasing domestically and internationally. The first six months of 2012 showed a promising up trend […]