Stephen Pope

The FAA is back up and running at full speed after President Barack Obama signed into law a stopgap measure ending a two-week shutdown that halted airport construction projects and tax payments by airlines and furloughed thousands of agency employees. Now the FAA is back at square one as Congress prepares to renew a contentious […]

Anybody who visited Oshkosh this year and spent more than about five minutes at the ICON Aircraft exhibit surely wasn’t surprised to learn that the would-be manufacturer of the A5 amphibian light sport aircraft – an undeniably cool LSA that looks like a winged Jetski and will sell for around $139,000 – took a ton […]

With the S-76D, Sikorsky has taken a classic helicopter and made it state of the art by incorporating a long list of technology improvements that designers say will keep the 35-year-old design fresh for years to come. Here’s a look at what’s new. Engines: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210S Incorporating the latest advances in compressor […]

PilotWorkshops.com has introduced an online proficiency training course for instrument pilots that’s intended not so much to help you pass a check ride as it is to hone your real-world IFR flying skills. The IFR proficiency series provides practical and straightforward training and tips in short Web-based segments augmented by audio and PowerPoint-like presentations. The […]

Flying at night requires an understanding of how darkness affects a pilot’s vision and what you can do to make sure you make the most of your night-limited vision. The most important aspect of night flying with respect to vision acuity is to realize that it takes 30 to 45 minutes for your eyes to […]

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner touched down at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on Friday morning for the composite-construction airliner’s highly anticipated public debut in North America. It spent the day parked on the EAA AirVenture display line, and was open to anyone who wanted to walk through. This was the first time the public was […]

Credit EAA president Rod Hightower for inspiring the idea for Women in Aviation Internatonal’s inaugural “Bring Your Daughter to the Convention Day,” to take place on March 10 at the WAI annual convention in Dallas. Asked to speak at the conference, Hightower said he would be happy to, and that he also planned to bring […]

Angelo Fiataruolo wasn’t even supposed to be in Oshkosh this week, but after Diamond Aircraft pulled out of AirVenture at the last minute – citing a need to focus its economic resources solely on the D-Jet certification program – the president of Diamond dealer KCAC in Kansas City stepped up to the plate by taking […]

Two unnamed aircraft manufacturers are said to be close to announcing the selection of the SmartDeck integrated avionics system under development by Esterline CMC Electronics of Montreal. The cockpit was originally a project begun by Goodrich in the 1990s and later transferred to L-3 Avionics Systems before being sold to CMC last year. Throughout its […]

Even if you’re not a particular fan of the bureaucracy that is the Federal Aviation Administration, you have to feel for Randy Babbitt. Since taking over as FAA Administrator a little over two years ago, bringing with him fresh ideas about ways for improving aviation’s safety record and transitioning to the satellite-based NextGen operating environment, […]