Aviation News

The FAA issued a new document last week pertaining to the issuance of special airworthiness certificates for light-sport category airplanes. The policy statement, which becomes effective on September 12, may have a significant impact on SLSA (special light-sport aircraft) manufacturers, in particular for those SLSAs that are manufactured outside the U.S. An assessment of the […]

After receiving a special FAA permit for rocket-powered flights at the end of May, SpaceShipTwo has emerged from its nearly nine-month hiatus and quickly begun an aggressive flight-testing regimen along with its carrier vehicle, WhiteKnightTwo. Little more than a month after gaining the permit, Virgin Galactic has since completed seven test flights and three full-blown […]

European aerospace giant Airbus will build its first U.S. factory in a move aimed at making the company more competitive against archrival Boeing. The new plant in Mobile, Alabama – due to open in 2015 – will employ 1,000 people when it reaches full production capacity. Airbus said it hopes the factory will lower costs […]

The Senate on Friday unanimously passed the Pilots’ Bill of Rights first introduced by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) last summer, granting what the senator called “a big victory for general aviation pilots all across the country.” The new legislation includes a number of provisions aimed at bolstering safeguards for pilots, including one that requires the […]

Terrafugia has completed phase one of six planned phases in its flight-testing program for the single-engine, pusher prop Transition flying car. This first phase included testing of the airplane’s stability and power on and off handling. Engine-cooling and propeller settings for various flight conditions were also evaluated. “It’s a real airplane; we’re flying it whenever […]

An FAA committee that has taken on the daunting challenge of drawing up plans for the eventual switch from 100LL aviation fuel to unleaded avgas has submitted its final report. The conclusion? A “drop-in” replacement for 100LL currently doesn’t exist, and may in fact be technically infeasible, and anyway there’s little financial motive for major […]

The airplane wreckage recently found on an Alaskan glacier has been identified as likely that of a U.S. Air Force C124-A Globemaster that went down nearly six decades ago, killing all 41 passengers and 11 crew members aboard the aircraft. While military officials are not ruling out potential alternatives, they say the evidence found on […]

The FAA and EASA have signed off on Gulfstream‘s new cockpit upgrade for GIV, GIV-SP, GV, G300 and G400 airplanes. Called PlaneDeck, the new upgrade provides pilots with geo-referenced electronic charts and maps, in-flight XM weather and video displays for the six-screen Honeywell system. Pilots should notice better clarity as the previous cathode ray-tube DU-880 […]

The GE 80 turboprop engine added to its growing list of type certifications this week and further signaled its global appeal by gaining approval from both the Brazilian Civil Aviation agency and the Argentine aviation authority. The South American type certifications follow approval from the FAA in March as well as the go-ahead granted by […]

Famed Swiss pilot Yves Rossy, aka “Jetman,” once again grabbed the attention of aviation enthusiasts and daredevil admirers alike last week when he used his jet-powered wing to fly alongside a 1940’s DC-3 over the heartland of Switzerland. Passengers aboard the much-revered vintage aircraft got a front-row seat view of the feat as they watched […]