Rob Mark

The Terrafugia flying car, created a decade ago by a handful of MIT grads, just made another huge leap toward becoming an actual product thanks to its new owner. The South China News reported that Geely, the company that also owns Volvo, agreed to acquire Terrafugia. Reports indicate Geely was particularly interested in the Terrafugia’s […]

Third-ranking Senate Republican John Thune of South Dakota added a proposal to the recently-introduced FAA reauthorization bill hoping to amend the 1,500-hour requirement for airline pilot hiring. The rule, enacted in July 2013, requires Part 121 airline new hires to qualify for an ATP certificate before starting work. Thune says he believes what he calls […]

Great events are known for putting even the tiniest towns on the map and this weekend the historic Piper Cub is expected to bring a touch of notoriety back to Lompoc, California — beside nearby Vandenberg AFB of course — when the airport (KLPC) hosts the 33rd West Coast Fly-In beginning this Friday. Running until […]

If you’ve flown in reduced visibility or on a clear, moonless night and wondered what was ahead, you’re not alone. Pilots flying aircraft equipped with an enhanced vision system receive increased situational awareness information delivered to the cockpit in limited-visibility situations both day and night. Manufacturers such as Max-Viz, Kollsman and Rockwell Collins produce infrared […]

Signature Flight Support’s Chicago Executive airport facility donated time and personnel support this week to sponsor a four-day event called “Ageless Aviation Dreams,” named after the parent non-profit organization. The ageless event offered Chicago-area veterans an opportunity to experience the thrill of a dream flight from the front cockpit of a 1942 PT-17 Boeing Stearman, […]

Closely following the National Transportation Safety Board’s March release of an investigative report into deficiencies in the pilot weather reporting system, the Board yesterday published a three-page safety alert – SA 064 – designed to remind aviators of the identified weaknesses in the current Pirep system while encouraging them to help create better reports because […]

While there’s been uptick in news about supersonic aircraft this year, FAR Part 91.817 is seldom mentioned. That regulation prohibits operation of a civil aircraft over the Continental United States or at a U.S. airport when the aircraft is capable of true airspeeds greater than Mach 1, the speed of sound. The regulation also represents […]

A pair of Douglas DC-3s operated by Catalina Flying Boats Air Freight Service have been a part of the Long Beach Airport landscape for nearly 30 years. Recently, the rumble of the twin radial engines that powered the venerable World War II-era transports, lovingly known as Gooney Birds, took off from LGB for the last […]

After weeks of wondering which way front line controllers might lean in the recently energized air traffic control debate, NATCA President Paul Rinaldi said this afternoon that the National Air Traffic Controllers Association stands behind the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform and Reauthorization Act originally published by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster […]

Embed from Getty Images If ever there were a time in history to look closely at an airline flying career, it’s now. CAE yesterday announced in Paris the industry will need more than a quarter of a million cockpit crewmembers over the next 10 years. The Canadian training company said 255,000 airline pilots will be […]