Stephen Pope

While we haven’t seen evidence of the skies being blackened by drones just yet, the FAA says it has now granted more than 1,000 exemption approvals to commercial UAV operators for everything from film production to pipeline patrol to real estate photography. As of today, the agency says it has issued 1,008 Section 333 exemptions, […]

There are many more questions than answers surrounding an in-flight low fuel emergency involving an Allegiant Air MD-80 arriving in Fargo, North Dakota, last month, with fingers variously being pointed at the pilots, the airline’s management and the Fargo Tower controller. The drama unfolded when Allegiant Air Flight 426 from Las Vegas to Fargo, being […]

Three members of Osama bin Laden’s family were killed on Friday when the Embraer Phenom 300 twinjet they were aboard crashed on approach to Blackbushe Airport west of London. UK officials confirmed those killed in the crash were Saudi nationals visiting England on vacation, as well as their pilot. The Saudi-registered Phenom reportedly crashed into […]

Airbus engineers have quietly received a patent for a 20-passenger hypersonic “ultra-rapid” business jet that would be capable of whisking the well-heeled from San Francisco to Paris in under three hours. The patent claims the ambitious aircraft would significantly reduce its sonic boom to allow flights at supersonic speed over land. Turbojets and a rocket […]

Amazon is proposing a “drone zone” in the airspace below 400 feet to facilitate high-speed delivery of packages to customers who just can’t wait to get their hands on the latest gadgets from the online retailing giant. The proposal calls for crafting new operating rules in Class G airspace below 500 feet to keep unmanned […]

Congress has all but given up trying to pass a highway spending bill before starting its long summer break this weekend, quashing hopes of third-class medical reform coming up for a vote before the fall. Even then, lawmakers who support expanding medical self-assessments from the Sport pilot ranks to most private pilots will face an […]

Investigators say part of a wing that washed up on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean came from a Boeing 777, making it appear likely that searchers have gotten their first big break in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. French investigators will check a number found on the wing part, thought to […]

We all know that we use elevator trim to reduce pressures on the yoke in flight and thereby make our airplanes easier to handle. You might reason that during an aborted landing you can leave the trim wheel alone if, say, you’re already trimmed for an approach at 70 knots and want to execute a […]

With Oshkosh behind us momentum is growing for the next major show on the aviation calendar, Flying Aviation Expo in Palm Springs, California, October 15-17. The expo at the Palm Springs Convention Center is slated to feature more than 300 brands, 75 aircraft and 50 educational seminars and tech talks. A major draw again this […]

Just when it appeared third-class medical reform might finally be within legislative reach, airline pilots have held up their hands to say not so fast. The Air Line Pilots Association is staging an 11th-hour p.r. campaign aimed at derailing the key provisions of the Pilots’ Bill of Rights 2, legislation aimed at eliminating third-class medicals […]