Aviation News

Remember when we made a big deal last month about the FAA permitting more training time in flight simulators to count toward the instrument rating? Well forget about it. The FAA formally withdrew that policy today, and then reinstated the mind-boggling requirement that instrument students wear Foggles or other view-limiting devices while flying on instruments […]

Canada’s Bombardier said today it is halting its Learjet 85 development program amid weak business jet demand and will lay off about 1,000 employees at its sites in Querétaro, Mexico, and Wichita, Kansas. The Lear 85 is the first all-composite business jet from Bombardier, and was to become the new flagship of the Learjet division […]

The Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology has entered into an agreement with Aero Electric Aircraft Corp., reserving the first 20 production slots for the Sun Flyer solar-electric training aircraft. “This agreement signifies our commitment to innovation and to serving the next generation of pilots,” said Peter Harris, CEO of Spartan College based in Tulsa, […]

After three long years marked by a series of unexplained delays, AOPA President Mark Baker sent a blistering letter to the head of the Department of Transportation this week to tell him pilots are fed up with the government’s foot dragging over 3rd class medical reform. Writing to DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx that it is […]

Crop dusters and firefighter pilots in Europe now have a new airplane option as Thrush Aircraft Company has received the sign off from the European Aviation Safety Agency for its Thrush 510G. With a price tag of around $900,000, the turboprop single received FAA certification in 2012 and has also been approved in Canada, Argentina […]

An experimental Lancair 320 crashed around 1:15 p.m. on Friday shortly after departing from Van Nuys Airport in Southern California, an FAA spokesman said. The Lancair ended its short journey at the busy intersection of Hayvenhurst Ave. and Vanowen St., at the departure end of Runway 16R. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the […]

The National Transportation Safety Board today released its 2015 list of “Most Wanted” transportation safety improvements, and at the top of the list cited loss of control in general aviation as among the most pressing dangers demanding urgent attention. “While airline accidents have become relatively rare in the U.S., pilots and passengers involved in general […]

The massive search in the Java Sea for AirAsia flight QZ8501 has at last borne fruit that takes the investigation a large step closer to solving the questions behind the crash of the Airbus A320-200 on December 28. The cockpit voice recorder, which contains the last two hours of conversation between the pilot and copilot, […]

The U.S. Sport Aviation Expo kicks off tomorrow in Sebring, Florida, with a renewed emphasis on showcasing dozens of affordable light aircraft including LSAs, Experimentals and even refurbished airplanes. On display for the first time at the Expo will be AOPA’s “Reimagined 152,” a partnership with Aviat to build and sell fully refurbed Cessna 152s […]

CNN has become the first news organization in the United States approved to use UAVs for reporting after the FAA granted the cable news network a special flight exemption. CNN is partnering with the Georgia Tech Research Institute to test camera-equipped drones for newsgathering and reporting. The FAA will analyze data from the tests to […]