Aviation News

So far, it’s only reached the “our people will talk to your people” stage, but this summer’s AirVenture could feature Swiss native Yves Rossy and his unique jet-powered flying wing. Known as “Jetman,” Rossy has refined his folding-wing device over the past several years, and has successfully flown aerobatic maneuvers as well as in formation […]

Cirrus Aircraft today (Thursday, January 17, 2013) announced the launch of its latest SR22 models, the Generation 5 SR22 and SR22T. The new 22s features a host of quality-of-life improvements and one showstopper: a 200-pound increase in the airplanes’ maximum takeoff weight. As in past airframe updates, Cirrus calls a model a new generation only […]

Aerobatic pilot Fred Cabañas and Mexican television reporter Jorge Lopez Vives died when Cabañas’ airplane crashed on Tuesday afternoon. The crash happened at the Caribbean island of Cozumel while Cabañas and Vives were working on footage for a Mexican TV network program whose title translates as “Extreme Adrenaline,” the Associated Press reported. Cabañas, who had […]

Astronics Max-Viz infrared enhanced vision systems are now available for Cessna 172, 182 and 206 piston singles. Priced at just over $30,000 for a retrofit system ($22,145 as an option on a new aircraft), the system includes a wing-mounted infrared camera feeding a full- or split-screen black-and-white depiction on the Garmin G1000 multifunction display. The […]

The FAA FAR Part 23 Aviation Rule Making Committee (ARC) formed in the fall of 2011 met for the last time to finalize its recommendations for the overhaul of certification standards for aircraft weighing less than 19,000 pounds. More than 65 regulators and industry team members from the U.S., China, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil and […]

Yet another airport in New Jersey is shutting down, though this time there might be hope of a revival in the future. Newton Airport (3N5) has been sold to Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G), which intends to use the 96-acre site to store material and construction equipment for a new transmission line in the […]

Recognizing that pilots’ stick-and-rudder skills may be atrophying in an increasingly high-tech world, the FAA has issued a new safety alert for operators (SAFO) reminding crew members to continuously maintain and improve their hand-flying skills by switching off the autopilot every once in awhile. An analysis of flight operations data including several incidents and accidents […]

Garmin today introduced a series of VHF comm and navcom radios that redefine what the modern aviation transceiver can and should be. The GTR 225 and GNC 255 series stand-alone radios replace Garmin’s SL 30 and SL 40 units with a modern take on the trusty VHF navcom by including features like automatic frequency lookup […]

After a series of tantalizing Facebook posts Kermit Weeks announced yesterday that he has concluded a decade-long quest. The sole remaining flyable Sikorsky S-43 flying boat (of 53 built in the 1930s) is now his. Weeks also believes that the metaphysical spirit of the airplane’s former owner, Howard Hughes, himself, helped him acquire the aircraft. […]

Cessna has earned FAA approval for its Grand Caravan EX. The new model is outfitted with the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-140, which puts out 867 shp, a nearly 40 percent improvement in power and a roughly 20 percent improvement in its already good climb performance. Certain operators are excited about this fact, as the EX […]