Briefing

Garmin Autoland Wins Collier Garmin’s Autoland system won the 2020 Collier Trophy as the top technological achievement in aviation. It was up against some formidable competition, including the Bell V 280 Valor, Boeing Confident Travel Initiative, Reliable Robotics Remotely Operated Aircraft System (ROAS), SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon 2, U.S. Department of the Air Force […]

BREEZE GETS OPERATING CERTIFICATE Breeze Airways got its operating certificate from the Department of Transportation but its staffing model and pay scales prompted controversy before the first revenue flight. The airline, founded by David Neeleman, who also started JetBlue and WestJet, among others, prompted criticism when it announced it will hire flight attendants exclusively from […]

APPS BETTER THAN FLIGHT SERVICE The FAA says pilots are better off getting preflight information electronically than from Flight Service briefers. Updated guidance on preflight information gathering in the new AC 91-92, says, “By self-briefing, pilots can often improve their knowledge of weather and aeronautical information,” and “Flight Service personnel are available should a pilot […]

AERION PARTNERS WITH FLIGHT SAFETY Aerion has announced plans to collaborate with Flight Safety International to develop a flight training academy for supersonic civil, commercial, and military aircraft. The announcement came as pre-orders ramp up for the company’s AS2 supersonic business jet. NetJets has taken options on 20 and the manufacturer says the deal brings […]

TERRAFUGIA LEAVES U.S. FOR CHINA Flying car maker Terrafugia laid off most of its staff at its U.S. headquarters and will move to China. The company, which makes a folding-wing vehicle designed to drive to the airport and take off and land on conventional runways, recently received Special Light Sport Aircraft airworthiness certificate from the […]

FAA CERTIFICATION CHANGES MANDATED The FAA must change portions of its existing aircraft certification process but the overall structure will stay in place following passage of the Aircraft Certification, Safety and Accountability Act. The concept of organization delegation authorization (ODA), in which the companies themselves conduct much of the certification oversight, survived the final version […]

KING AIR 260 ANNOUNCED Textron has introduced an updated 200-series King Air. The King Air 260 has Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) ThrustSense autothrottle, a new digital pressurization controller and the Collins Aerospace Multi-Scan RTA-4112 weather radar. “These investments reflect our commitment to providing superior upgrades and engineering innovation that create the best flying experience […]

ELECTRIC WINGSUIT FLOWN Electric propulsion is showing up in every corner of aviation and an Austrian skydiver has launched an electrically boosted wingsuit. Peter Salzmann and BMW collaborated on the contraption that will allow a wingsuit pilot to climb briefly and reach speeds of up to 186 mph. Salzmann leapt from a helicopter at 10,000 […]

NTSB INVESTIGATING REMOTELY The NTSB hasn’t sent staff to an accident scene since last March and it’s unlikely to start doing so anytime soon. The board issued a travel ban at the outset of the pandemic and it won’t be lifted until COVID-19 is under control. “The safety of NTSB staff is the Chairman’s and […]

OWNERS TAKE OVER MOONEY MANAGEMENT Mooney announced in August that a new management group made up of “pilots and Mooney owners” has taken over operations at the Kerrville, Texas plant. The new CEO is Jonny Pollack and he said his top priority is to ensure support for the existing fleet. “Our first and immediate focus […]