Flying Staff

German manufacturer Grob Aerospace has declared insolvency, placing the future of its all-composite SPn light jet in question. Company CEO Niall Olver cited delays in the certification program as creating increased funding requirements, which current financial backers are unwilling to support. Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based Alpha Flying Service, with its PlaneSense fractional program (which currently operates […]

In post-World War II years, Piper Aircraft patriarch William Piper surrendered financial control of his namesake company to creditors, and watched from an office in a hangar as expenses were shaved to bare minimums. Now, it appears Eclipse Aviation is experiencing a similar process, as new CEO Roel Pieper seeks to achieve “operational excellence” on […]

Stevens Aviation delivered the first Learjet modified under its Lear4Ever program this week. Stevens, working with several partners, transforms the classic turbofan-powered Learjet with a package of new avionics, aerodynamic modifications, plus its highly regarded new interior and paint work. Big Universal flat glass displays are among the most notable cockpit changes. The Universal system […]

Lockheed Martin, which operates the flight service briefings under contract to the government, has introduced a program designed to save time on phone briefings and when filing flight plans. Pilots can set up a personal profile that, based on the telephone number called from, will automatically populate the briefer’s screen with boilerplate information such as […]

Eclipse says it will pay back deposits with interest, and the 190 temporary employees let go last week were part of the production rampup, and such workforce reductions are “not uncommon.” Since announcing a new round of initial financing at EAA AirVenture last month, the new management at Eclipse has been in cash-conservancy mode. It […]

By FAA count, there have been more than 3,000 incursions into the Washington, D.C., Area Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) since the restricted area’s inception in 2003. As a result, the agency last week issued a final rule mandating completion of a one-hour online course for pilots who wish to fly under VFR within 60 nautical […]

You can get a chance to win one of three Sporty’s Online Pilot Courses by entering our online giveaway. No purchase is necessary, and the official rules can be found below. The contest runs from August 21st through September 22nd, 2008. Sporty’s new web-based courses provide a great resource for pilots looking to get their […]

When the General Aviation Manufacturers Association released production figures last week, what first might have looked like bad news for piston manufacturers, turns out to be rosier than it might have seemed. The bad news: Total first-half shipments for piston singles and twins were down 15.7 percent compared with last year’s first-half numbers. But the […]

The FAA issued a new AD on the Eclipse 500 throttle quadrant, clarifying compliance procedures. The new AD supersedes the emergency AD issued June 12 following an incident in which an Eclipse pilot pushed the throttle levers through the stops, and the engines stuck at full power. Eclipse has issued a service bulletin advising owners […]