Aviation News

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 […]

Ironically, the latest in a long series of short-term FAA funding extensions will expire on Independence Day. A bill passed in March is expected to end a stint in budget limbo that goes back to 2007 — but the House and Senate versions differ in one key aspect that has yet to be resolved. The […]

Reports poured in from as far away as Australia, declaring the May 15, first ever International Learn to Fly Day a huge success. Across North America, close to 450 events focused on the mission of exposing non-pilots to the joys and usefulness of general aviation. The primary goal was to conduct as many demonstration flights […]

It’s hard to imagine a less scientific look, but my regular review of FAA preliminary accident reports has shown an apparent trend. Numbers of accidents seem to be down significantly over the past several months; and fatal accidents have also seemed to be significantly on the wane. Over the past two weeks, the Monday reports […]

Three aviation-oriented colleges — the University of North Dakota (UND), the University of Alaska and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) — are co-opting on a research project aimed at clarifying pilots’ needs for in-cockpit weather. The study also hopes to gain insight into how best to educate pilots in using the available weather data. Dubbed […]

The recent animated film Up featured the story of a man who lifted his entire house aloft with a cluster of toy balloons. Total fantasy. But believe it or not, there is an FAA category for flying with clusters of individual balloons, and that category landed one pilot on the cover of the June issue […]

Without any hesitation, the aviation apps have started coming for the Apple iPad. Sporty’s Pilot Shop recently announced an E6B computer application compatible with the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and the large-screen iPad. The app costs $4.95 and is available at sportys.com.

The May/June edition of FAA Safety Briefing includes an introduction to the Next Generation Air Transportation System — aka NextGen. While most reports focus on how the upgraded ATC system will benefit airlines’ bottom line, the FAA publication zooms in on NextGen’s benefits for general aviation pilots. The issue includes articles on Automatic Dependent Surveillance […]

Fractional operator Flight Options, based in Cleveland, has accepted the first of 100 Embraer Phenom 300s ordered in 2007. The Brazilian light jet is destined to be the mainstay of the Flight Options fleet. See the June issue of Flying for a full report on the Phenom 300 by senior editor Robert Goyer.