Pia Bergqvist

While the membership-based air taxi concept that promised to darken the skies with very light jets has not traditionally seen success, a new idea is taking off in southern California. Surf Air, which launched an all-you-can-fly membership-based concept in 2013, is expanding its network of destinations. After seeing a 40 percent increase in its exclusive […]

A student pilot who survived a helicopter crash in December has filed lawsuits claiming his instructor was using FaceTime, a popular video chat application, on his cell phone during the instructional flight in a Robinson R22. The lawsuits were filed by the student, Jonathan Desouza, and his lawyer against the flight school that operated the […]

Pilatus Aircraft, based in Stans, Switzerland, announced it had a record year for sales revenues in 2014. With revenues of CHF 1.174 billion (more than $1.2 billion), the company saw a 16 percent jump over 2013, which was also a strong year. Pilatus delivered 127 airplanes last year, 15 more than the previous year. The […]

The Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAFSoCal) based at the Camarillo Airport (CMA), is planning a major expansion expected to cost around $10 million. To kick off the construction of a new hangar facility, the organization has received a $1 million donation from local antenna and sensors manufacturers Si and Betty Robin, […]

First responders were not clear what type of aircraft they were searching for after several eyewitness reports indicated that a crash had occurred in the Tennessee River about 20 miles west of Florence, Alabama. Some reported seeing an airplane while others said it was a helicopter that disappeared yesterday in foggy conditions over the river. […]

As the holder of a Private Pilot certificate, you can fly any airplane with a gross weight up to 12,500 pounds. That means you can legally jump into any airplane as long as you meet the currency requirements established by the FAA. But would it be smart to simply jump in and go? The answer […]

After several years’ hard work advocating for the continued and improved use of aviation in the backcountry, the Recreational Aircraft Foundation (RAF) has made great strides in Washington toward opening access to backcountry airstrips. RAF president John McKenna and public lands director Mark Spencer have established Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) documents with the U.S. Forest […]

If you’re planning on heading to Sun ‘n Fun in your seaplane to participate in the Seabird Splash-In, you will not like this story. The annual event, which takes place at Lake Agnes, located on the Fantasy of Flight property in Polk City, Florida, has been canceled. The event, which was scheduled for April 22 […]

Bertrand Piccard, one of the two founders of Solar Impulse, has completed the fifth leg of the pioneering journey in Si2, landing early Tuesday morning at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in China. The leg from Mandalay, Myanmar, to Chongqing was a marathon of epic proportions, taking Piccard 20 hours and 29 minutes to complete. At […]

A new solar-electric aircraft has entered commercial production and is getting ready for its first delivery. Named the Silent Falcon, the UAS is produced by Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Silent Falcon UAS Technologies (SFUAS), a former subsidiary of Bye Aerospace, which specializes in alternative energies for aviation application that is also involved with Aero Electric Aircraft […]