Aviation News

The remote “pilot” of an unmanned Navy MQ-8B Fire Scout helicopter lost his datalink to the aircraft on August 2, setting the aircraft free to roam. It wandered toward Washington, D.C., from its Patuxent River base before contact was re-established and it was commanded to land at Webster Field, an element of the Naval Air […]

Referring to last week’s report on Swift Fuel’s news of achieving 102 octane (click here), reader J. Davis took the editor to task, and e-mailed: “GAMI has been claiming for some time that their fuel also does this with some advantages over Swift Fuel.” General Aviation Modifications Inc., famous for their fuel injectors, has indeed […]

Aviation groups are approaching the issue of leaded avgas from two fronts — how to remove the lead; and how much actual environmental danger does the small amount of lead in aviation fuels truly represent. The consensus on the aviation side is that unleaded avgas is an ultimate necessity. But it’s advisable to study further […]

When the U.S. Navy decommissions the 800-acre airport portion of its Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, in November, the runways, control tower and instrument landing system (ILS) are poised to revert to civilian operation. The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) has submitted its plans to the FAA and could open the day after the […]

Aviation is still buzzing over the N-number mix-up that led to a profound law enforcement blunder. It’s pretty clear that none of the Santa Barbara (Calif.) police who responded to a stolen aircraft alert last Saturday are pilots. Who among us would not have recognized John and Martha King as they deplaned from a 2009 […]

One of the victims of the economic slowdown was the Aces game studio, a Microsoft subsidiary that the software giant closed down. Aces was responsible for developing and maintaining Microsoft’s iconic Flight Simulator game — used by non-flying enthusiasts for entertainment, and pilots for helping to retain some of their flying skills. Now, Microsoft has […]

Sporty’s has relaunched its LearnToFlyHere.com website, with rich video content and a new learn-to-fly blog. Designed as an Internet resource for anyone interested in learning to fly, the redesigned site includes 20 minutes of video content, divided into four segments: Why you should learn to fly; How to go about it; A typical first lesson; […]

A 22-year-old airshow performer survived essentially unscathed after his RANS S-9 lost a wing, and he deployed his Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS) whole airplane parachute. Click here for dramatic video of the incident on YouTube. At an airshow in at El Trebol, Argentina, performer Dino Moline was making an inverted pass, pushed up, and the […]

If you’re a student pilot and think you’re a good role model for other young women who want to learn to fly, sharpen up your typing skills. An effective essay on your motivation, inspiration and future plans could win you a $1,000 scholarship from Girls With Wings. Students who have soloed but not yet earned […]

Last week, FAA tests demonstrated that a 100 low lead (100LL) alternative from Swift Enterprises can deliver the equivalent of 102 octane. The fuel is made of pure hydrocarbons and can be manufactured using biomass, natural gas or petroleum raw materials, making the new fuel substitute both clean and sustainable. According to Swift co-founder Louise […]