Aviation News

(November 2011) “Safety management system” — the very name sounds intimidating. I have to admit that I was not initially excited about the idea of a safety management system. I figured it was just another complicated set of rules, procedures and acronyms that would require a lot of time while not really accomplishing anything significant. […]

The pilot of a Cirrus that crashed shortly after departure from the popular Dallas-area GA airport in Addison reported a rough running engine after takeoff for a cross country flight to Houston. The pilot asked for a return to the airport. The NTSB reported that the pilot attempted two ILS approaches but called off the […]

The FAA has begun a number of upgrades to the WAAS network that are intended to increase the system’s reliability during solar storms. One such upgrade, known as the “Iono Robustness,” will help reduce service interruptions to WAAS LPV approaches during the upcoming solar maximum (the 11-year peak in the solar cycle that will occur […]

Tempers are flaring after organizers of the Sun ‘n Fun show in Lakeland, Florida, recently sent invoices to 25 aircraft owners demanding they cover the costs associated with the clean up of airplanes damaged by a ** tornado that ripped through the fly-in grounds** last March 31. Sun ‘n Fun spokesman Jim Bernegger told Flying […]

Thomas Senkel of the German company e-volo recently became the first to pilot an interesting craft – a so-called electric multicopter with 16 rotors. With a single seat placed in the center of those blades, the 80-kilogram (176-pound), all-electric vehicle may look a bit frightening to the risk-averse eye. According to e-volo, the multicopter is […]

Investigators on Wednesday blamed pilot error and improper training for the crash of a Yak-42 on Sept. 7 that killed 44 people, including the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team. According to Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee, the jet crashed on takeoff after one of the pilots accidentally activated the brakes and then jerked the yoke back […]

Sparks and small fires broke out on Tuesday when a Boeing 767 carrying 220 passengers and 11 crewmembers made an emergency gear-up landing in Warsaw after experiencing an apparent hydraulic system failure. The pilots of the 767 circled the airport for approximately one hour after receiving a central hydraulic system failure warning. After dumping fuel, […]

After combing through more than 500 applicants, Virgin Galactic has hired a pilot to take fare-paying passengers into space aboard the company’s SpaceShipTwo. That man is Keith Colmer, a former U.S. Air Force test pilot with 12 years of flight-testing experience. Colmer has logged more than 5,000 hours in 90-plus aircraft types, experience that helped […]

The restoration process of the B-17 Memphis Belle recently reached a few notable milestones, bringing the famous warbird steps closer to returning to pristine condition. In addition to mating the wings, restoration crews at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force recently extended the landing gear of the airplane, well known as the first […]

Union strikes and bad weather made this weekend miserable for the airlines and their travelers with nearly 1,800 canceled flights within, into or out of the United States, according to FlightAware. A large number of the cancellations were Qantas Airways flights as union strikes grounded the airline’s entire fleet. By Monday, Fair Work Australia – […]