Aviation News

Piper Aircraft yesterday launched a diesel version of the Archer at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany powered by a Continental/Centurion 2.0S jet-A compression-ignition engine. Piper and Continental have already completed flight testing of the prototype in Germany, leading to an EASA STC in Europe and clearing the way for deliveries to start early next […]

It has been widely recognized that pilots with a sense of community are more likely to continue the path to becoming licensed pilots or to carry on the pursuit of aviation for fun or as a career. Now two of the most recognizable faces within the aviation community, John and Martha King, have launched an […]

At the Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-In last week, the National Association of Flight Instructors inducted the latest flight instructor into the National Flight Instructor Hall of Fame at its annual members’ dinner on Thursday night. This year’s inductee is Kirby Ortega, who was previously honored as the NAFI Flight Instructor of the Year in […]

The FAA has made a small but significant change to its controversial sleep apnea policy that has quelled some of the anger by overweight pilots over the proposal — but certainly not all of it. According to a draft revision of the policy, pilots who are identified by an aviation medical examiner as being at […]

Last week at Sun ‘n Fun ForeFlight co-founder and CEO Tyson Weihs gave Robert Goyer and me a preview of the latest enhancements and upgrades available for the popular mobile app. The first thing we noticed was how much crisper the VFR sectional chart on Tyson’s iPad mini looked — and it wasn’t due to […]

The United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST), a group made up of FAA and industry representatives, shared some good news this week regarding helicopter accident statistics. The group analyzed accident data during two three-year periods and found that the accident record has improved by 21 percent. USHST compared accidents that occurred during the three-year period […]

Ever wished you could rent your airplane to strangers? OpenAirplane, the creator of a Zipcar-style aircraft rental network, announced a new service called Collaborative Aircraft Rental that aims to let aircraft owners rent their personal airplanes to qualified OpenAirplane members. The idea is to broaden the OpenAirplane network of available aircraft while allowing owners to […]

Beechcraft celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the King Air Model 90 with cake at the company’s Sun ‘n Fun exhibit and a fly-over at the Beech factory in Wichita, Kansas. The first flight of the King Air on January 20, 1964, started a remarkable production run for a remarkable airplane that […]

Here’s an idea for a reality TV show we’d be sure to DVR: A pilot, a chef and a treasure hunter head off in an airplane to visit the coolest small airports across the country, sampling the food at the airport restaurants, meeting interesting airport characters and discovering the incredible airplanes and historic items inside […]

Embry-Riddle flight students will continue training in Cessna 172s for years to come after the university signed a long-term purchase agreement for 57 Skyhawks as part of a multi-year agreement. Cessna said 29 aircraft will be delivered to ERAU this year and the remaining 28 next year. The fleet will replace the Cessna 172s currently […]