Aviation News

In response to the Reno Air Races tragedy and to a number of air show performer fatalities last year, the NTSB convened a one-day hearing on the safety of air races and air shows on Tuesday. The big news is that there’s no big news. At the hearing the NTSB heard from a number of […]

NTSB investigators are looking into a near collision between a Southwest Boeing 737 and a Learjet 45 that took place at Chicago Midway International Airport last month. According to investigators, the Dec. 1 incident occurred when the 737 landed on Runway 31 Center and began to taxi across Runway 31 Right, as instructed by air […]

The FAA has recently issued a clarification of what it originally intended as a clarification of its instrument currency rules and the requirements for needing to complete an instrument proficiency check (IPC) for IFR-rated pilots whose proficiency had expired. As is to be expected for the FAA (really for any bureaucracy), the regs themselves are […]

The Mexican Air Force (FAM) has sealed a deal with Hawker Beechcraft for six of the company’s new T-6C+ trainers, Beechcraft announced this week. The new trainers, equipped with Esterline CMC Cockpit 4000 avionics, HUD and an up-front control panel, among other features, will replace the FAM’s existing fleet of Pilatus PC-7s. According to Beechcraft, […]

As Boeing moves ahead with plans to leave Wichita, Learjet revealed it will expand its footprint there. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and ** Bombardier** Business Aircraft President Steve Ridolfi on Tuesday announced an expansion of the company’s Learjet production site, saying the growth will create 450 new jobs over the next seven to 10 years. […]

Could it be the first sign of a broader industry turnaround? The blossoming of a single flower signaling the end of long, hard economic winter? It’s hard to say, but the news is encouraging: Robinson Helicopter Co. just reported it more than doubled its production in 2011, building 356 helicopters last year versus 162 in […]

The engineers at Tecnam appear to be frantically pumping out new LSA designs, and now the company is focusing its attention on tailwheel lovers – a group of pilots who are ignored by most manufacturers these days. A tailwheel version of the P92 has been brought to the market on the heels of the P92 […]

Biologist and pilot Matevz Lenarcic set out in the ultra fuel-efficient Pipistrel Virus on Sunday for an around-the-world flight intended to showcase the aircraft’s green technology while also facilitating environmental research. During the flight, which is a collaborative effort between Pipistrel and Penn State, Lenarcic will cover approximately 62,000 miles as he journeys westward around […]

The Tuskegee Airmen and their historic journey are coming to the big screen in the movie Red Tails, slated to hit theaters next Friday. Directed by Anthony Hemingway and produced by George Lucas, the film chronicles the lives of the first African Americans to complete pilot training for the Army Air Forces during World War […]

After grounding the pilot of an ultralight late last month for operating an “illegal” commercial operation, FAA officials are again allowing conservationists to lead 10 young whooping cranes to their winter home in Florida using an ultralight that the cranes think is a mother bird. The FAA said in a statement Monday that it will […]