Stephen Pope

The Max-Viz infrared enhanced vision system from Astronics Corp. that has been offered for years in certified aircraft is now available for Experimental and homebuilt models after the company this month introduced a noncertified version designated X1 and priced at $6,000. The unit makes use of essentially the same technology that’s installed in certified aircraft, […]

Ladies and gentlemen, we’re about to make history. For better or worse, general aviation is on the precipice of transformative change unlike anything the industry has seen in its history. Maybe we don’t comprehend the scope of the change that is coming, or perhaps we feel there’s little as individuals we can do to affect […]

October, Palm Springs and airplanes. What could be better? Final preparations are underway for Flying Aviation Expo, the premier West Coast fly-in event for general aviation pilots and enthusiasts, with hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors anticipated at the three day show October 15-17 inside the Palm Springs Convention Center in southern California. The […]

If you could pick any era in the admittedly brief history of powered flight in which to be a pilot, what year or decade would you choose? Would you desire to be a pioneer of flight, using your unfair knowledge of aerodynamics and aircraft systems to build and pilot early machines that could fly circles […]

Reacting to complaints from pilots and general aviation groups, the FAA has rescinded a notam published at the start of this month which had cautioned that, due to “military activity” in the Southeast U.S., ADS-B and TCAS could be unreliable throughout the region for the month of September. In its place the FAA has published […]

A new Department of Transportation Inspector General report that studied the differences between ATC in the United States and countries like Canada and the UK, which have not-for-profit privatized ATC corporations, found that there are, well, differences. The political spin that’s being applied to the rather innocuous report, meanwhile, is making us dizzy. The report’s […]

Flying isn’t safe. I will admit that. But it’s less dangerous today than it ever has been. It will be safer still five years from now. We should be celebrating this victory — but cautiously. Because we never want to slip back into our old habits and return to the bad old days when flying […]

The 157 passengers and 13 crew members aboard a British Airways Boeing 777 that suffered what appears to be a catastrophic uncontained engine failure during the takeoff roll are lucky to be alive after a serious fire and billowing black smoke severely damaged the jetliner on the runway at Las Vegas International Airport yesterday. Had […]

The National Transportation Safety Board today blamed the deadly crash of a Gulfstream IV last year in Bedford, Massachusetts, on pilot error, saying the crew exhibited a “long-term pattern” of failing to complete preflight checklists that contributed directly to the accident. At a hearing in Washington, D.C., this morning, the Board said that the GIV’s […]

As the FAA gets serious about stemming the threat of UAVs mixing in airspace with general aviation and airline traffic, the agency has appointed two new executives to head its UAS Integration Office. Retired U.S. Air Force major general Marke “Hoot” Gibson has been tapped to become the senior advisor on UAS integration, reporting to […]