Aviation News

Italian helicopter builder Leonardo continues to work toward FAA certification of the world’s first civilian tiltrotor, the AW609. Part of the aircraft’s certification is proving to regulators that the AW609 can successfully autorotate to a landing following a dual engine failure. The company wants the FAA to consider some flight simulator data gathered to verify […]

Anyone who has flown in to Catalina Airport (AVX), also named “Airport in the Sky” as it is situated atop a 1,602-foot mountain on Catalina Island about 20 miles off the beach-clad shores of southern California, knows the airport has long been in pretty bad shape. Potholes and pebbles make the runway best suited for […]

The FAA has certified the Thrush 510G Switchback firefighting aircraft, a GE-powered single-engine turboprop better known for crop dusting and now designated as a Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) aircraft. According to Thrush, based in Albany, Georgia, the Switchback has the ability to deliver 500 gallons of water, retardant or fire suppressant with pinpoint accuracy, […]

Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:’Tfwo0y6mT61NPOOmN-zcsg’,sig:’Cc-_MlST86F-qYPbsB4bu5YPF_TLMSOJlfN0lobKf1Y=’,w:’594px’,h:’440px’,items:’51560047′,caption: true ,tld:’com’,is360: false })}); Last week’s release of FAA Notice 8900.485 is the first of changes in designated pilot examiner policies that FSANA and other industry representatives hope will help alleviate practical tests backlog in some areas of the country. The notice was created from input received by the FAA from […]

Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) is considering moving smaller general aviation operations to other fields, according to local news sources. The idea was recently mentioned during a general aviation master plan update focused around Salt Lake City International, South Valley Regional Airport (U42) and Tooele Valley Airport (TVY). Steve Domino, a consultant with RS&H […]

Six major aviation associations yesterday jointly published, “Know Before You Go,” a number of best communications and business practices designed to make FBO pricing more transparent to customers. The KBYG list includes potential prices, fees and charges pilots might face at an airport. The awareness campaign is designed to improve the overall customer experience. “While […]

It would be tough for anyone even remotely close to the aviation industry not to realize there is a shortage of well-qualified pilots here in the United States. The effects of the age-65 retirement adjustment in 2009 really began grabbing airline pilots out of the cockpit the past few years. Adding to the problem is […]

Delta Airlines added its first Airbus A220 to its fleet Friday at a ceremony in Mirabel, Quebec making the company the first airline in North America to operate the new airliner. The A220 delivery is the most recent investment in Delta’s fleet modernization program, which aims to replace 20% of the airline’s older, and less-efficient […]

Garmin last week received an FAA supplemental type certification (STC) for installation of the GFC 500 autopilot on select Beechcraft Bonanza and Debonair aircraft including models 33, A33, B33, C33, C33A, E33, E33A, E33C. Some F33, F33C and G33 serial numbers are however, excluded from the approval list. Garmin said it’s working on a GFC […]

With the understanding that building airplanes is just one facet of its overall business, Cirrus Aircraft has launched what it calls Cirrus Services, a division “created to build lifetime relationships with customers by addressing their needs before, during and after initial aircraft ownership,” the company said. The new business unit combines flight training, service and […]