Stephen Pope

The Senate has introduced a bill that scraps a House plan to privatize ATC but includes lots of other provisions, including third-class medical reform, new aircraft certification rules and a requirement that UAV pilots pass a written exam covering aviation regulations. The bill’s third-class medical reform language is being championed by AOPA and the Experimental […]

General aviation pilots must upgrade for the FAA’s ADS-B mandate by Jan. 1, 2020, but the U.S. Air Force says it won’t be able to equip all of its airplanes with the capability by the deadline. Maybe it will be fully ready by 2028. And some of its planes, Air Force officials say, might never […]

On the two-year anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, search teams in Australia continue to scour the Indian Ocean for the missing Boeing 777 as family members of the victims gather to mark the solemn date, which is still punctuated by many more questions than answers. In Beijing, some supporters held a […]

Another successful Cirrus parachute pull has been captured on video, this time when a father and daughter floated to safety after a loss of engine power over Long Island on Saturday afternoon. The pair climbed out of the SR22 and walked away unharmed after touching down in a grassy area in an industrial park in […]

A Missouri man was sentenced to six and half years in federal prison for shooting an agplane flying low near his home. According to court documents, on December 3, 2014, David Leroy Dickenson, 39, became irate that a low-flying Thrush 510 aerial application aircraft was keeping him from sleeping during the day. So he went […]

The FAA says it’s receiving more than 100 reports a month from pilots and others who spot unmanned aircraft flying close to airports or airplanes. The agency has partnered with CACI International to explore how the company’s prototype detection technology could help detect UAS in the vicinity of airports. CACI’s proof-of-concept system uses radio frequency […]

Sonex Aircraft has introduced two new airplane kits, the Sonex and Waiex B-Models. The Oshkosh, Wisconsin, plane builder says the new B models offer more room inside, more panel space, more fuel capacity, additional engine choices, and more standard features “combined with reduced build time and the same great Sonex and Waiex flight characteristics.” Sonex […]

When the Cirrus rep handed me the keys to a brand new 2016 SR22T for an evaluation flight, I could only nod my head and smile at one of the new features in the latest iteration of this sports car with wings: a key fob with remote keyless entry. Press the button just like you […]

The controversial FAA reauthorization bill now being debated in Congress includes a provision that would allow private pilots to use the Internet to connect with people who want to share the costs of a flight. The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC), could upend FAA rules that prohibit flight-sharing websites like Flytenow.com. Flytenow took […]

When the Environmental Protection Agency began phasing out leaded gasoline in the 1970s with the passage of the Clean Air Act, aviation got a pass. Because lead was needed to boost octane levels and prevent detonation (also known as “knock”) in high-­compression piston aircraft engines, leaded avgas was exempted from the law. Lead is a […]