Aviation News

“The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering for approach to land. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s operation of the airplane above the design gross weight.” Such was the verdict of the National Transportation Safety Board as to the probable cause of the fatal crash of a Cessna 172 at St. Petersburg-Clearwater airport […]

Master Instructors LLC and its board of review announced the following two additions to the ranks of Master Instructors. Fewer than 700 of the country’s 92,000 flight instructors have been honored with this ranking. New to the ranks as of June are Tony Condon (independent flight and ground instructor, Wichita, Kansas) and Ted Matthews (president […]

LetsFly, which bills itself as “the largest aircraft cooperative in the country,” is offering quarter shares in the Legend Cub, an updated version of the classic Piper J-3, from American Legend Aircraft. Down payment on the quarter share is $2,900, which is the same as for a Cirrus or Mooney from LetsFly. Monthly payments for […]

United States airlines and business aviation will be exempt from a law limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In an 11th hour move, the House struck aviation from the requirement to cut carbon dioxide emissions by one-third as early as 2012. Reportedly, the change of heart resulted from a report from the Government Accountability Office that […]

Alan Klapmeier has begun approaching investors in an attempt to purchase the rights to develop and build the Cirrus Vision Jet. For the past two months, the current chairman of Cirrus Design has been meeting with as many as 100 potential investors. Kuwait-based Arcapita Ventures currently controls Cirrus Design and the rights to developing the […]

As of June 12, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has suspended the type certificate of the Eclipse 500. The certification was granted last November after a long delay, four months after Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Eclipse Aviation announced the removal of founder Vern Raburn from control of the company. Four days after receiving EASA approval, […]

Last week it was an electric airplane reaching 155 knots. This week, we’re reporting on Solar Impulse, a Swiss-based project aimed at launching an airplane around the world using only the power of the sun. According to team leaders, the aircraft will need to “[push] back the current technological limits in all fields.” But the […]

Last week, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association met with ASTM International, the independent organization that sets consensus standards for fuels approved for FAA type certified aircraft. The discussions included the role ASTM will play in the future of leaded, unleaded and diesel fuel specifications for GA aircraft. Among the issues raised by the pilots’ […]

Last Week, the House passed its appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) 2010 budget. As part of the bill, the DHS would require the resubmission of a new notice of proposed rulemaking by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to replace the so-called Large Aircraft Security Program or LASP. Another provision of the […]

According to a recent report from UBS Investment Research, the number of used business jets on the market has stabilized. That’s the good news. Temper it with the acknowledgement that 18 percent of the in-service fleet is on the block; a record level. A bit more good news comes from the fact that, for aircraft […]