Aviation News

The FAA was scheduled to supply a list of possible locations for drone testing sites by Aug. 12, but has yet to deliver. This week, politicians and industry stakeholders are putting public pressure on the agency to make good on promises to move forward with what they expect to become a multibillion-dollar industry, and a […]

The news media this week made quite a lot out of two incidents involving airplanes on the presidential campaign trail, and in the process came off looking – well, kind of dumb. The first episode happened when a charter flight between Omaha, Nebraska, and Santa Monica, California, carrying Ann Romney made an emergency landing in […]

Utah Valley University in Orem has pulled together several programs and departments from among its colleges to create the new College of Aviation and Public Services. Besides aviation degrees, students can earn degrees in fire science, emergency services, forensics and criminal justice – but the focus is on careers in aviation. UVU president Matthew Holland […]

In an apparent example of superior airmanship by an Airbus A320 crew, a Syrian Arab Airlines flight traveling from Damascus to Latakia, Syria, last week landed safely after an Mi-8 military helicopter collided with the airliner, lopping off a large section of its tail. The incident reportedly happened as the airliner was climbing through 12,000 […]

Eclipse Aerospace announced this week that it has completed the testing phase for a new anti-skid braking system (ABS) for the Eclipse 550 twin-engine very light jet (VLJ). The ABS will be optional, and can also be retrofitted to existing Eclipse jets, including Eclipse 500 airplanes with the Avio integrated flight management system (IFMS), according […]

As Piper Aircraft commemorates its 75th anniversary this year, the company on Thursday had another event to celebrate: the 500th delivery of its popular turboprop Piper Meridian to its new Florida-based owner. The Meridian has been a strong seller since Piper announced the pressurized single-engine model in 1997 as a follow-on to the piston-powered PA-46 […]

The FAA database shows the registration of an Aerospatiale AS355F-1 TwinStar that crashed in West Windsor, New Jersey, on Sept. 15 had expired on June 30. The pilot and sole occupant, a 65-year-old former New York City policeman, was killed when the helicopter, N58030, crashed in a cornfield. One witness, an engineer who was approximately […]

A new rule that will limit GA traffic at Pearson Field Airport (VUO) near Portland, Oregon, is causing frustration and even triggering protests from pilots who maintain the rule takes the wrong approach in its attempt to reduce congestion in the airspace surrounding Portland International Airport (PDX). The rule, slated to take effect Oct. 1, […]

An Italian man inspired by the film Catch Me if You Can was arrested over the weekend for impersonating an airline pilot in a ruse that allowed him to catch the jumpseat on at least one European flight. The unidentified 32-year-old man allegedly created a mock persona as Lufthansa pilot Andrea Sirlo using fake IDs […]

German research company DLR completed wind tunnel tests early this month on a unique new concept in wing-leading-edge design. Rather than slats, the new-concept wing has a leading edge that changes shape internally, “drooping” to a higher-lift airfoil configuration without the drag and noise of leading edge slats. The design uses a flexible glass-fiber reinforced […]