Rob Mark

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) had mixed news on the aircraft market thus far in 2020: “Piston airplane deliveries increased slightly, while turboprop, business jet and helicopter deliveries declined through the first nine months of 2020 when compared to the same period of 2019.” The data is part of GAMA’s third quarter report published […]

All too often, pilots think air traffic controllers are just voices in their headset handing out instructions designed to keep them separated from other nearby aircraft—and also to annoy them, some pilots might add. But when pilots fly themselves into danger, or find themselves in charge of a malfunctioning airplane, grabbing the mic and calling […]

Early yesterday morning, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson signed an official “Recission of Emergency Order of Prohibition.” In lay terms, that meant operators of the Boeing 737 Max may again begin flying the aircraft subject to the conditions laid out by the agency related to maintenance and pilot training. Max aircraft around the world have been […]

In late September, the mainstream media was alive with headlines detailing the tens of thousands of airline employees who would be furloughed October 1, 2020, without further government payroll assistance, all because of the corrosive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. When no fresh funding appeared, some of the airlines—such as United—worked hard to keep as […]

Recent data from the National Transportation Safety Board says, over the past decade, the trend in general aviation accidents has been headed in a positive direction—down. In 2012, the board recorded 1,471 GA accidents, 273 of which were fatal. Those accidents claimed the lives of 440 people. The NTSB data available from 2017 lists 1,233 […]

The US Government Accountability Office recently published a report about the methodology used by the FAA’s Office of Aviation Safety to assess the competency of its engineer and inspector force. The GAO says there’s a need to respond to workforce changes brought on by retiring personnel, as well as the host of new technologies needed […]

Piper Aircraft and the University of North Dakota (UND) John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences have launched a new brand ambassador program to increase awareness of the university’s programs and showcase the 120 Piper training aircraft in use at the school. The goal of the ambassador program is to “create a community of like-minded […]

With the pandemic still raging in the US, pilots have been focused on how long layoffs from their individual airline might last. If a new CAE Pilot Demand Outlook 2020/2029 published on November 8, 2020, holds up to the reality of an uncertain economy, many of those pilots may find themselves back in the cockpit […]

Englewood, Colorado-based Bye Aerospace said last week in a news release that it entered an agreement with Seoul, Korea-based Aerospace9 for the Asian company to make not only a significant stock investment in Bye, but to also submit a substantial 300-aircraft order for Bye Aerospace aircraft. Aerospace9′s purchase agreement includes 150 eFlyer 2s, 148 eFlyer […]

It is no surprise that the airline industry has been hit hard by the plunge in passenger traffic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the industry losses recently reported are staggering by any measure. According to StockApps, a UK-based investment newsletter, year-to-date, “Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Lufthansa Group, United Airlines, Air France, and the […]