Aviation News

The FAA has issued a nonbinding special airworthiness information bulletin (SAIB) urging aircraft operators to replace mufflers at 1,000 hours. It’s not a noise abatement move, but rather a safety of flight issue. According to a Wichita State University study, a high percentage of aging mufflers are involved in carbon-monoxide-related incidents. In 92 percent of […]

Whether you’re in the market for a new or pre-owned aircraft or are interested in upgrading an aircraft you already own, Flying Magazine’s Parade of Planes delivers. On June 11th & 12th, Flying will create a regional aviation superstore in the Atlanta Metro area [Gwinnett County Airport — KLZU] to make it easy for consumers […]

The FAA guidelines for required ADS-B equipment were released late last week, and though there are no real surprises for avionics manufacturers, general aviation advocates have little to cheer about. One of the sections of the report is even titled, “General Aviation: High Equipage Costs With Little Benefit.” Cost to equip the GA fleet is […]

According to an AP story posted on Yahoo News Tuesday, as many as 10,000 military GPS receivers were disabled earlier this year after “incompatible” new software was installed. GPS satellite signals were not jammed or scrambled, and civilian GPS services were unaffected. (According to an Air Force spokesman, Iraq tried to jam GPS signals in […]

A North Carolina man crossed the English Channel last week suspended from 54 helium-filled balloons. Jonathan Trappe flew from England to France — a distance of 22 miles — in approximately two hours drifting with the wind at altitudes as high as 7,500 feet. At times, his groundspeed reached 25 miles per hour. Trappe carries […]

Centurion, the German company controlling the former Thielert diesel aircraft engine design, announced it has received a supplemental type certificate for its Centurion 2.0s on the Cessna 172F. The 2.0s is an upgraded version of the original 2.0 — the new version has 20 more horsepower. Issued on May 21, the approval was granted by […]

Scott Miller, a Lycoming spokesman, said, “Now we don’t have to worry if there is a supplier out there to fill our needs. We can fill our own needs.” He referred to an announcement last week that the engine maker has begun to produce pistons for its engines in-house for the first time in more […]

The Air France Concorde on display at Paris Le Bourget Airport could be the first of the retired fleet to return to the sky. The French advocacy group Olympus593 has begun tests to determine if the pickled SST could be rendered airworthy. Cost of the project is estimated at $20 million and the group hopes […]

Flying into Martha’s Vineyard (KMVY) could be different this summer. A $7 million project now underway will relocate some 300 feet or pavement from one end of the main runway to the other. The purpose is to increase the overrun area to 1,000 feet from 700 feet. As part of the project, taxiways, runway end […]

Since we all know that anyone who flies a general aviation airplane must be rich, a Wall Street Journal online story published Monday might be of interest. Titled “The Meaning of Wealth Translated Around the World,” it cited a recent study by Barclay’s Wealth and Ledbury Research. Analyzing how the wealthy expend their largesse is […]