Stephen Pope

It was big news when ForeFlight recently added native support for the X-Plane PC simulator allowing armchair pilots to use their iPads with the sim software. This was a great enhancement – unless you happened to fly with Microsoft’s Flight Simulator X. Now, a pilot with a background in software development has created a simple […]

The U.S. Senate is moving to eliminate restrictions on Department of Defense research into alternative jet fuel sources, a reversal that could help speed biofuel development. The 67-32 vote removes language from the National Defense Authorization Act that would have prevented the military from purchasing biofuels if they cost more than traditional fuels – and […]

Imagine, high above you, the sleek silhouette of an airplane with a shape more like that of some futuristic spacecraft from a Hollywood blockbuster. You can clearly make out the long, lance-like nose, steeply swept wing and powerful engines as they blast this 21st-century private jet through the stratosphere at twice the speed of Concorde. […]

Embraer affirmed its commitment to become a major force in business jet manufacturing with the first flight on Tuesday of the Legacy 500, a clean-sheet midsize model that is capable of flying 3,000 nm, cruising at Mach 0.82 and climbing direct to 45,000 feet. Embraer said the fly-by-wire Legacy 500 made a “flawless” first flight, […]

We’ve been hearing talk about a looming “pilot shortage” for so long that we’ve stopped believing it. But I had dinner last night with a group of regional airline pilots, all in their mid-30s and all left-seaters on CRJ 700s, who told me they’re convinced a pilot shortage is coming. They might be right this […]

Swiss charter operator VistaJet has placed the largest Bombardier business jet order in history with a deal to acquire as many as 142 Global twinjets. The $3.1 billion firm order announced on Tuesday includes commitments for 56 Global jets, and could climb to $7.8 billion if VistaJet exercises options for 86 more Globals. “By any […]

GippsAero has selected West Coast Aviation Services in Santa Ana, California, as its authorized dealer for the Western U.S. as the company seeks to increase sales of the Australian-made GA8 Airvan utility single. West Coast Aviation will handle GA8 sales in Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Nevada, the companies said. “The […]

Citing safety concerns and privacy issues, the FAA has delayed the selection of U.S. sites for the testing of unmanned aircraft, effectively putting the brakes on a push to integrate UAVs into civil airspace. In a letter to Republican Congressman Howard McKeon of California, chairman of the House Unmanned Systems Caucus, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta […]

As pilots flying general aviation airplanes, there can be times when we have a lot on our plates — sometimes more than it seems like we can handle. And unlike many corporate pilots and all airline crews, we usually have to do everything ourselves, without a helping hand from a second crewmember. That can lead […]

Volunteers at the Connecticut Air & Space Center museum in Bridgeport have started the process of cleaning and restoring the historic Curtiss Hangar at Sikorsky Memorial Airport. Visited over the years by aviation pioneers including Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes and Igor Sikorsky, the Curtiss Hangar will become a focal point for the museum, […]