Aviation News

“In its current form, the [Department of Transportation draft plan for 2010-2015] places more emphasis on travel by bicycle than on general aviation.” So said AOPA President Craig Fuller in comments to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The draft ignores the contribution and economic importance of general aviation and its relevance to five of the six […]

The European consortium EADS has introduced a quad-electric-motor version of the 1970s French design, the single-place, aerobatic ‘Cri Cri” (Cricket). Unveiled at the Green Aviation Show in Paris, the new lithium-battery-powered Cri Cri was redesigned in composite for lower weight and is said to fly 30 minutes at 60 knots.

As soon as this fall, owners could be required to re-register their aircraft with the FAA every three years. The current policy is a one-time registration with a five-dollar fee. The fee for re-registration, if any, has yet to be announced. The re-registration strategy was first proposed two years ago as a means of updating […]

The annual NBAA/CAN Charity Benefit and Auctions will take place this year on Oct. 20 at the Murphy Ballroom, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. during the annual NBAA Convention, and benefits the Corporate Angel Network, which arranges transportation for cancer patients aboard corporate aircraft.

The Senate has confirmed the appointment of John Pistole to head the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Pistole is a 27-year FBI veteran with significant experience in counterterrorism, but has been criticized for his lack of direct experience in aviation-related security. His confirmation ends an 18-month search that saw two prior nominees rejected by Congress. The […]

Cirrus expects its SF50 single-engine jet to begin deliveries in “late 2013,” six years after work began on the project. Company CEO Brent Wouters told the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune that the project is at the halfway point, and about 100 current customers had been invited to a flyover of the prototype at the Twin […]

Aircraft owners groups such as the American Bonanza Society (ABS), the (Piper) Malibu/Mirage Owners and Pilots Association (M/MOPA) and others have asked the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association president Craig Fuller to press the FAA into action. At issue is the impending disappearance of 100-octane low-lead fuel (100LL). As the only transportation fuel still approved […]

A scientist at the National Oceanographic and Aeronautics Administration (NOAA) said recently increased solar storm activity could pose serious problems for GPS signals. The satellite transmissions that power the GPS system are relatively weak in strength and vulnerable to interference from instability on the surface of the sun. NOAA scientist Joe Kunches and other scientists […]

The world’s only flyable Boeing B-29 Superfortress is not quite airworthy — yet. It’s been four years since the Boeing last flew, and the efforts of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) to return “FIFI” to the sky are close. But a “scheduling conflict” has led the FAA to delay issuing a new airworthiness certificate. FIFI […]

Terrafugia announced the FAA has granted an exemption to its ‘Transition’ roadable aircraft. Planned for approval to Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) status, the Transition would have been limited at 1,320 pounds maximum takeoff weight. But the FAA has granted an exemption allowing another 110 pounds for elements required by federal motor vehicle safety standards for […]