Aviation News

When a vintage P-51C Mustang crashed in May 2004, supporters immediately launched emergency fundraising for the “Red Tail Project” in a max effort dedicated to getting the World War II fighter back into the sky. The Mustang had been painted in the colors of the Tuskegee Airmen, complete with their signature blood-red tail section, and […]

When a Beech Sierra flown by a 4,000-hour commercial pilot, accompanied by his wife and daughter, arrived at the Fulton County Airport at Wauseon, Ohio, the wind was from the west-southwest at 26 to 35 knots, with gusts as high as 43 knots. The VFR flight from Troy, Michigan, a distance of only 76 nm, […]

Just as aviation fuel prices have begun to descend below the stratosphere, new concerns are emerging about regulating lead content. With the Environmental Protection Agency citing new mandates this summer to the Clean Air Act designed to cut toxic metal content in the air, the AOPA is proactively presenting general aviation as a tiny contributor […]

Within the next few weeks, Cirrus Design will file certification paperwork with the FAA on its developmental Vision single-engine jet. Actual certification could come as early as 2010, but no later than 2012, promised Cirrus Chairman and CEO Alan Klapmeier during a December 3 Internet press conference. Of particular interest, Klapmeier told reporters Cirrus has […]

Sapphire Energy is a San Diego company that turns algae into fuel. To date, it claims to have created such a fuel that meets quality standards, is compatible with current gasoline-manufacturing infrastructure, and achieves a 91-octane rating. According to a December 7 report from McClatchy Newspapers syndicate, Sapphire CEO Jason Pyle cited opposition from proponents […]

Brazilian airframer Embraer announced it has received certification from its home country, with U.S. approval expected soon. Certification testing revealed an increase in top speed to 390 knots-10 knots higher than expected. Fuel consumption was also better than projected by some 3.6 percent. Embraer broke ground last Thursday on a new 150,000-square-foot site in Melbourne, […]

According to an article in this week’s The Economist, officials at Boeing and Airbus are not deeply concerned about their airline customers’ fate in light of the current crisis in the world credit markets. Manufacturers of general aviation aircraft are likely hoping lenders will take a similar view to customers seeking financing for personal and […]

Using a full-motion simulator and the latest in brain-wave imaging technology, a NASA biomedical engineer is studying the effects of stress and overload on pilots. Fifteen volunteer airline pilots are participating in the study, which is conducted at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. It is designed to measure the pilots’ blood-oxygen concentration and its […]

Just before the Thanksgiving long weekend, Cirrus Design told employees it was significantly reducing aircraft production for the rest of the year, and as a result of the “production pause,” there would be furloughs. A local paper in Duluth, Minnesota, home of Cirrus headquarters, reported that 335 employees would get bad news over the holidays, […]

If proponents of the benefits of business aviation were holding out hope of any defense from Ford or GM, they can officially forget about it. Ford and GM both announced Tuesday they will close their flight departments and divest of their aircraft. The move follows a stinging PR debacle involving CEOs from the Big Three […]