Stephen Pope

The FAA today issued its first ever “roadmap” outlining the steps it says will be necessary to safely integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the nation’s complex airspace. The 72-page document outlines the FAA’s approach to mixing drones into civilian airspace safely and securely while addressing privacy concerns. This will involve establishing specific certification requirements […]

The FAA’s major overhaul of training rules for airline pilots, formally adopted with a new final rule on Tuesday, came as a long-overdue reaction to the deadly Colgan Air Dash-8 Q400 crash in Buffalo, New York, almost five years ago. Earlier changes, also prompted by the Colgan disaster, have altered flight and duty time regulations […]

The stunning video of a collision between a pair of Cessna jump planes over Superior, Wisconsin, a few days ago serves as a vivid reminder to always be vigilant for traffic whenever we go flying. For some reason new pilots seem to think that a midair collision is most likely to occur in a head-on […]

It looks like something out of a movie as dramatic video captures the moment when two airplanes packed with skydivers collide in a fireball over Superior, Wisconsin. It happened this past weekend as a Cessna 185 and 182 prepared for a synchronized parachute jump. Immediately after the collision, the 182’s wing ripped away and it […]

Lockheed Martin’s famed Skunk Works has revealed plans for a new hypersonic spy plane that would be capable of flying at Mach 6, making it the fastest airplane ever and obviating the need for stealth technology because nothing on the planet would be capable of catching it. Designed as a replacement for the super-speedy SR-71 […]

The bizarre fatal crash of a Cessna 172 at Nashville International Airport (KBNA) on Tuesday that went undetected for up to six hours took another strange turn when the pilot turned out to be a convicted Canadian bank robber. The 172 apparently crashed sometime after 2:45 a.m. in dense fog with 45-year-old Michael Callan at […]

The FAA today announced that airlines may now permit the use of passengers’ personal electronic devices during all phases of flight, including takeoff and landing. The FAA said it based its decision on input from a group of experts that included representatives from the airlines, aviation manufacturers, passengers, pilots, flight attendants, and the mobile technology […]

Another sleek-looking light sport amphibian has surfaced, this time from a New Zealand company called Vickers Aircraft. With a look suspiciously close to that of the California-bred Icon A5, the Vickers Wave would be powered by a Lycoming IO-360 engine, feature folding wings and BRS parachute and even be available with optional bow thrusters for […]

After missing last year’s show because of the federal government sequestration, the Navy Blue Angels will be back to tear up the skies at the 40th annual Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In & Expo next spring at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida. “After a year of sequestration and no military participation at airshows, Sun […]

Investigators are trying to determine why a dual-control P-51 Mustang owned by the Lone Star Flight Museum crashed into the water off the coast of Galveston, Texas, last week. The 51-year-old pilot and his 66-year-old passenger, a man from the U.K. who had received the flight as a wedding anniversary gift, both were killed. The […]