Stephen Pope

Cirrus Aircraft celebrated the maiden flight of the second certification flight test Vision SF50 jet, dubbed C1, from the company’s headquarters in Duluth, Minnesota. C1 joins the first production test airplane, C0, in the FAA certification program, anticipated to lead to first customer deliveries of the single-engine Cirrus jet next year. C1’s first flight took […]

Through the darkness across the Hudson River, New York City’s dazzling all-night light show served as the backdrop for the Beech Baron’s descent into Teterboro Airport. For the relatively inexperienced pilot in the left seat, this was a golden opportunity to sit beside the company’s high-time training captain and soak up knowledge from the veteran […]

The FAA has launched Phase I testing of four unleaded aviation fuels at its William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, officially beginning aviation’s much heralded transition away from low lead avgas. Two fuels developed by Swift Fuels and one fuel each developed by Shell and Total are now undergoing laboratory and […]

Dr. Mark Rosekind will be leaving the National Transportation Safety Board to head the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an agency under heavy fire this year for lapses in the face of vehicle recalls and safety defects. Rosekind’s departure will leave the NTSB at its minimum three members needed to conduct normal business. Earlier this […]

Remember that record flyover of 49 Van’s RVs at last season’s Chiefs-Raiders game in Kansas City? The FAA remembers too. In the wake of that sanctioned overflight, some pilots of Experimental-category airplanes are now receiving letters of investigation from the agency for other flights that may have run afoul of regulations. Formation flights over NFL […]

Talk about sticking the landing. Flying reader Mike Reardon sent us this YouTube video of his misfortunate gear-up landing recently in his Beech Bonanza — which could have been a lot worse if not for the excellent pilot technique he exhibited. Reardon opted to perform an emergency landing in Hyannis, Massachusetts, after his nose gear […]

Trig’s TT31 ADS-B-compatible Mode S transponder is now certified under a blanket STC covering 650 additional aircraft types, the U.K.-based avionics maker announced. Billed as a “plug and play” ADS-B Out transponder that’s compatible with the Garmin GNS 400W and 500W series navigators as a replacement for BendixKing KT76A and KT78A transponders, the TT31 is […]

In the wake of a “cluster” of recent GA accidents, AOPA’s Air Safety Institute is urging pilots to take a pre-holiday “safety pause” to consider the risks of upcoming travel between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Noting that the pressure of completing holiday travel plans can increase the risk of a given flight, AOPA is […]

Headset maker Lightspeed is making the jump into the aviation flight gear market with the launch of the new Lightspeed Aviation Adventure Flight Bag collection. The company says the high-end bags, one made of full-grain South American cowhide, and another of ballistic polyester with full grain cowhide accents, are designed for the “modern pilot.” Each […]

AOPA president Mark Baker told members of Congress on Tuesday the FAA must do a better job supporting the general aviation community in three key areas: third-class medical reform, aircraft certification and the ADS-B mandate. Testifying before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on November 18 about the FAA’s upcoming Congressional reauthorization, Baker said GA […]