Aviation News

High-speed Internet service is now much more affordable for light jets. Aircell has announced its $85,000 ATG 5000 system (including all antennas, but not including installation). Tom Myers, director of marketing for Aircell, calls the new product a “sea change.” He said, “Because Aircell uses air-to-ground technology for this system, a host of benefits are […]

For those of us who donned military uniforms during the Vietnam venture — either voluntarily or reluctantly — and came home to a less than supportive populace, today’s bands, banners and parades honoring our retrurning soldiers are gratifying. We seem to have learned our lesson and now publicly show our appreciation for the sacrifices too […]

Just what is a “homebuilt” is now clearer. A long-awaited FAA advisory circular (AC-20-27G) outlines the approval basis for an aircraft to be registered in the experimental/amateur-built category. At issue was how much of the building is done by the builder, as opposed to prefabricated kit parts and/or work performed by professionals at a builder-assistance […]

In response to reduced demand for its aircraft engines, Teledyne Continental Motors has shut down its production line for this week. TCM will make other cost-cutting adjustments in the coming months. Sales, shipping and customer-support personnel remain on the job during the shutdown. Further cuts will involve four-day work weeks for salaried personnel starting with […]

Avidyne is offering “instant rebates” on several of its retrofit avionics components. Not surprisingly, the more you buy, the more you can save. For example, buying one of the eligible components will bring you a $500 rebate; two units, $1,500; three units, $3,000 and a maximum of $5,000 for buying four units. The components involved […]

With the first flight of a production Model 162 SkyCatcher last month in China, Cessna demonstrated its continued commitment to the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) market and the FAA Sport Pilot certificate. And now the company has released details on its Cessna Sport/Private Pilot Course. The Web-based training regime was developed in cooperation with King […]

In baseball, October represents the culmination of a year’s worth of sweat and effort. In like manner, this year’s series of Flying Parade of Planes events closes out next week in the Bay area of California hosted by Volo Aviation at Hayward Executive Airport (HWD). A list of exhibitors includes aircraft manufacturers, service providers and […]

When the National Business Aviation Association convenes for its 62nd annual meeting later this month, the subject of owner-flown business aircraft will have a prominent spot on the agenda. A dedicated show for light business aircraft (LBA) scheduled for last March was shelved due to the economic downturn, but this year’s main convention (Oct. 20-22 […]

Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles, the pilots of US Airways Flight 1549 – the “Miracle on the Hudson” flight – have agreed to chair EAA’s Young Eagles program. They take over from actor/pilot Harrison Ford who has chaired the program for the past five years. Previous Young Eagles chairmen have included actor/pilot Cliff Robertson […]

Starting next week, Cessna’s Corvalis 350 and 400 (nee Columbia) will share factory space with the Citation Mustang and Cessna’s other single-engine, piston-powered products. The Corvalis models were acquired by Cessna two years ago, and had been being built in the original Columbia plant in Bend, Oregon. One of Cessna’s moves in response to the […]