Aviation News

In 1909, the French experimenter Louis Bleriot made the first crossing of the English Channel by airplane. The aircraft he used, his Model XI, was similar in its general configuration to what we consider conventional today: engine in front, pilot close behind a monoplane wing, horizontal stabilizer and rudder at the tail end of an […]

Something told me to check the 777 simulator clipboard for a schedule change. I glanced at the name listed as the check airman for my 0945 time slot. Yup, there had been a reassignment. I smiled. Capt. Scott Meade was now in charge. In a former life, Scott was the chief pilot at my New […]

Each of us, or maybe just most of us, has a parental figure who looms large in our day-to-day lives. I know I do. My tall, imposing father held us kids to high standards, and for the most part we benefited mightily from these great expectations. As I grew up, I would project onto other […]

It was past 10 o’clock, and we were beat after eight hours grinding around Illinois and Wisconsin on check rides for a new Part 135 air-taxi company. Goldie and I were sitting in the dark, deserted terminal building at Rockford Airport while Don went back out on the ramp to see if the mechanic was […]

Tonight I am nestled in a cozy corner of Windbird’s enclosed cockpit, feet propped on her helm and a rum drink in my hands as I watch her dance to and fro across the anchor chain in the faint light of a milky half-moon. We are in the Bahamas’ Berry Islands and have tucked into […]

On a stormy afternoon in August 2015, a Cessna 310 crashed in the Indian River, near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The accident occurred as the airplane was executing a missed approach in extremely heavy rain. The pilot, who was alone in the airplane, was killed. According to his brother, who was interviewed after […]

Flying is always deeply satisfying, but for the past 30 years or so, what has made it especially so for Martha and me has been flying together as a two-pilot crew in an airplane that requires two pilots. To us, it is a graceful dance — a special way for us to enjoy intense and […]

The FAA today awarded Cirrus Aircraft the production certificate for the SF50 Vision, the world’s first single-engine “personal” jet aimed at pilots who want to fly themselves at turbine speeds in the flight levels. The approval will allow Cirrus to accelerate aircraft deliveries as Vision jets move down the production line at the company’s headquarters […]

A U.S.-registered Israeli Aircraft Industries Westwind 1124 on Friday lost the wheel from its left main landing gear during takeoff from Goldson International Airport in Belize. The crew was made aware of the problem immediately after departure, but rather than risk an emergency landing in Belize with a heavy fuel load, they decided a landing […]

After weeks of turmoil in Chino, California, and only days before the scheduled date, the Planes of Fame Air Museum [planesoffame.org] announced that its annual air show will take place May 5-6 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Chino Airport (KCNO). And with the celebration of the museum’s 60th anniversary, this show promises […]