Aviation News

On Monday, President Obama nominated retired Maj. Gen. Robert Harding to head up the Transportation Security Administration. Harding served 33 years in the Army, mostly as a specialist on intelligence. At his retirement in 2001, he was director of operations at the Defense Intelligence Agency. After retirement, he launched his own defense and intelligence contracting […]

In what many see as a recognition long overdue, the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) from the World War II era were honored with Congressional Medals yesterday. Dr. Peggy Chabrian, president of the Women in Aviation International said, “This intrepid group of women pilots made an invaluable contribution to the war effort. We are delighted […]

By the close of the 21st Annual Women in Aviation International (WAI) Conference on Feb. 27 in Orlando, Florida, nearly 3,000 attendees had made their presence felt. They came from all aviation disciplines, including airlines, corporate flying, the military, maintenance, research, academia, engineering, business and more (for a first-hand look at the Conference, click here […]

At a time when the word, ‘bipartisan’ might as well be part of a dead language, members of the House on both sides of the aisle have rallied behind extending the bonus depreciation incentive that expired last December. Late last month, Representatives Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) and Chris Carney (D-Pa.) sent a copies of a letter […]

Last Friday, a federal court ruled that the FAA must release its list of participants in the NBAA Blocked Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program. The program was instituted years ago when air traffic information was made public, launching third-party flight-tracking services such as FlightAware. Under the NBAA program, aircraft operators could block their tail numbers […]

A pair of industry surveys by engine-makers Honeywell and Rolls-Royce point to continued decline in the turbine rotorcraft market through next year. Long-term outlooks continue to be optimistic, though Honeywell predicts the uptick might not arrive until 2014. The declines in sales are blamed on high inventories and tight credit conditions. One bright spot in […]

At a meeting in Baltimore next month, the FAA will take a fresh look at research dedicated to softening the sonic boom of supersonic aircraft. Supersonic flight over land in the U.S. is not permitted, largely due to the impact of the loud sonic boom associated with it. But several projects delving into supersonic flight […]

CitationAir (nee CitationShares) is now a wholly owned entity of Cessna Aircraft. The manufacturer recently acquired the final 8 percent of the financial interest. The program began in 2000 as a fractional share company, half owned by Cessna and half by TAG Aviation. In the years since, the program has grown and evolved to include […]

To date, the most vehement anti-GA headline to make the Internet rounds was an AP piece headlined “Texas Plane Crash Exposes Gap in US Air Security.” It led with enumerating airline anti-terror measures since 9/11, then opined, “Yet little has been done to guard against attacks with smaller planes.” It quoted an aviation security consultant […]

The AOPA Flight Safety Foundation has released its latest Joseph T. Nall Report on general aviation safety (click here to access the report online). This year’s report covers 2008 accident data, the most recent available for complete analysis. And new for this year, the report now covers helicopters and for-hire GA operations involving aircraft weighing […]