Stephen Pope

Daher-Socata, the French maker of the TBM 850 turboprop single, plans to decide by the end of the year whether to add the Grob SPn composite business jet to its product portfolio or instead start from scratch with a bizjet design of its own. Launched in 2005, the Grob SPn was well along in certification […]

Wouldn’t it be great if you could create a flight plan using your iPad and then automatically load it into the avionics in your airplane? Aspen Avionics has created a Wi-Fi-based technology called Connected Panel that will let pilots do just that — and a whole lot more. The first software app designed for the […]

Avidyne on Monday launched a family of panel-mount avionics that is aimed squarely at owners of Garmin equipment, and in particular the popular GNS 530 GPS navcom. The flagship of the Avidyne product line is the touchscreen IFD540 WAAS navigator, a “plug-and-play” replacement for the Garmin GNS 530 that has a claimed installation time of […]

A heated battle in the House and Senate over union organizing rights is threatening to block congressional action needed to keep the FAA operating, raising the possibility of an agency shutdown as early as this week. The top issue preventing passage of a new FAA reauthorization bill are changes to National Mediation Board rules that […]

The X2 technology demonstrator has made its final flight, allowing manufacturer Sikorsky to shift its focus to the development of the S-97 Raider, a fast and agile light attack helicopter that borrows the X2’s twin-coaxial rotor design. The final flight on July 14 was the 23rd test flight of the Collier-Award-winning X2, which flew about […]

Just when it appeared as though the glare of public scrutiny had shifted away from air traffic controllers, the FAA now says it is investigating “the possibility” of a tipsy controller who failed an alcohol test six hours into his eight-hour shift at the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center on July 5. The FAA […]

Who’s psyched for Oshkosh? I know I am. This will be my first trip back to EAA AirVenture since 2004 after making many such pilgrimages with my dad as a kid. At my last job I was lucky enough to get to cover the Paris Air Show, Farnborough Air Show, Asian Aerospace in Singapore, EBACE […]

Just like boaters can be perceived as rank amateurs if they make the rookie mistake of leaving their bumpers and lines hanging in the water after they’ve pulled away from the dock, pilots can assume that same aura of cluelessness if they turn off the runway after landing and then taxi all the way to […]

If you’re headed to Oshkosh later this month, be sure to download Sporty’s free show app. The official EAA AirVenture 2011 Fly-In App is available for Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, iPod Touch) and Android phones and tablets. It includes everything show-goers need, from maps to guides to schedules, and can even help you get to […]

Honda Aircraft briefly drew back the veil of mystery surrounding its secretive HondaJet program on Tuesday, allowing members of the media to tour a gleaming, $100 million aircraft factory the company has just completed at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. HondaJet president and CEO Michimasa Fujino led the tour through the brand […]