Search Results for: general aviation inc

While the membership-based air taxi concept that promised to darken the skies with very light jets has not traditionally seen success, a new idea is taking off in southern California. Surf Air, which launched an all-you-can-fly membership-based concept in 2013, is expanding its network of destinations. After seeing a 40 percent increase in its exclusive […]

Flight Design conducted the first flight of the C4 prototype in Germany last Thursday, officially launching the test phase for the first general aviation airplane scheduled to be certified under new rules designed to improve safety and bring down the costs of future light aircraft. Flight Design conducted the first flight at its headquarters in […]

The National Transportation Safety Board yesterday issued four new Safety Alerts for general aviation pilots and mechanics highlighting risks uncovered in a number of recent accident investigations. Three of the alerts are geared toward pilots. They address: mountain flying skills and survival equipment considerations; transition training before flying an unfamiliar aircraft with different flight characteristics […]

Pilatus Aircraft, based in Stans, Switzerland, announced it had a record year for sales revenues in 2014. With revenues of CHF 1.174 billion (more than $1.2 billion), the company saw a 16 percent jump over 2013, which was also a strong year. Pilatus delivered 127 airplanes last year, 15 more than the previous year. The […]

There have been millions of pilots and a few hundred really great ones, those whose achievements pushed the boundaries of flight. Names like Neil Armstrong, Charles Lindbergh, Chuck Yeager, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Manfred von Richtofen, and Amelia Earhart are familiar to aviators and non-fliers alike. Others, like those featured here, are known to aviation […]

The first civilian tiltrotor aircraft is now in development and could reach the market by 2017, officials from AgustaWestland announced at Helicopter Association Internationals Heli-Expo held in Orlando, Florida, in March. The nine-passenger aircraft will be capable of vertical take-offs and landings, and the engines will then swivel for level flight at speeds up to 250 knots. Airbus Helicopters presented its new clean-sheet medium-class rotorcraft design, the H160, which features the biggest-ever shrouded tail rotor and an all-new biplane stabilizer design that the company says will enhance stability. Bell Helicopter also introduced a new model, the 407GXP, an upgrade of its popular 407GX with new Rolls-Royce engines.

My friends with high-performance engines will probably stop returning my phone calls for a few months after I say this, but its finally time for the EPA to push getting the lead out of avgas. And, no, I dont believe its time because our aviation lead is poisoning the brains of squirrels and small children who live under approach paths. Lead isnt healthy for anyone, but were probably too small a source to make that much difference.

Regarding the ATC column Say More For Less in your March issue, I really enjoy reading articles like this. I take ATC very seriously and Im always interested to know exactly what they are expecting from me. I strive to be as professional as possible in the air, even though I fly just for fun. However, Im not perfect, and I can certainly be accused of wasting a lot of airtime over the years with something I cant seem to stop saying to each controller, Thanks.

Lease terms at Santa Monica Airport were at the center of discussion during a contentious Santa Monica City Council meeting this week — a topic that drew large crowds of airport supporters and opponents alike. About 125 people signed up to speak at the meeting and, as is often the case when airport business is […]

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association honored controllers who helped bring broken aircraft and struggling pilots home. Winners of this years Archie awards included a team of South Florida air traffic controllers who helped a non-pilot land a King Air after the pilot died and a Kansas City controller who helped a Frontier Airlines crew return to the airport safely after a bird strike. The live ATC tapes are available at www.natca.org/mediacenter/Archie2010_Audio.msp.