Aviation News

A single-engine accident in Florida recently in which two people died shortly after takeoff reminded me of another high-performance single-engine airplane accident that happened at Santa Monica airport in 2009. A SIAI-Marchetti SF-260C crashed onto the runway shortly after taking off, killing two people onboard. I’m not suggesting that the cause of the accidents were […]

When we reported that the glitch in Apple’s recent iOS update (version 5) had the potential to delete data files and even whole applications, both aviation and others, it turned out we were wrong on at least one count. Jeppesen, in a customer advisory on its web site, made it clear that its app program […]

On Tuesday Redbird Flight Simulations took the next step on its meteoric growth in the GA market by cutting the ribbon on Skyport, a hybrid aviation business based in San Marcos, Texas (KHYI). The town is roughly halfway between Austin and San Antonio. The facility, which Redbird founder Jerry Gregoire refers to as a laboratory, […]

The British Royal Air Force has halted all non-essential flights of aircraft equipped with the same type of ejection seat as the one involved in the recent death of Flight Lt. Sean Cunningham. The 35-year-old Iraq War Veteran died after being ejected from a Hawk T1, which was reportedly parked at the Red Arrows’ base […]

Cessna Aircraft Company has designated a Citation Mustang named American Patriot to fly missions for the Veterans Airlift Command (VAC) – a non-profit organization that organizes volunteer aircraft owners and pilots to provide free transportation to wounded veterans and their families. The Mustang’s first mission is being flown today [November 10], transporting two veterans from […]

Two U.S. airlines this week flew commercial flights powered by biofuel blends, continuing a trend that not only has raised the profile of renewable fuel sources but also appears to be gaining real traction with commercial carriers. United Airlines flew its first biofuel-powered commercial flight from Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport to Chicago O’Hare on Monday. […]

Cirrus Aircraft reported a modest turnaround in third quarter, announcing it built 68 new airplanes in the period, seven more than during the third quarter of 2010. Only 48 of these were included in the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s third quarter industry report, released on Monday, but Cirrus said an additional 20 uncounted aircraft rolled […]

The U.S. Senate moved to reinstate the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program last week with an appropriations bill that passed by a 69-30 vote, heating up a fight that began earlier this year after the FAA announced plans to restrict the program. The bill prohibits the appropriated funds from being used to limit participation […]

In the past month or so, some iPad users have reported deleted charts and apps when attempting to use aviation apps in flight as a result of Apple’s iOS 5 update, which manages memory overages by deleting files and apps seemingly at random. Apple is known to be working on iOS release 5.0.1, which is […]

Days after setting up a website to allow the public to report instances of lasers being pointed at aircraft in flight, the FAA is urging witnesses to contact police after someone pointed a green laser at six airliners on approach to New York LaGuardia Airport over the weekend. The laser was shined from a point […]