Aviation News

At a recent dinner gathering, a few days after the wonderfully well-omened US Airways ditching in the Hudson, when several guests had been grilling me about bird strikes and ditching procedures, someone commented that her worst nightmare was being in an airplane when the pilot had a heart attack. “How often,” another guest asked me, […]

“The industry is trying to stimulate interest in flying, but the data suggest that more needs to be done.” That may be an understatement, but the FAA’s annual aviation forecast, released last week, included this bit of wisdom. What’s encouraging is that the tone of the statement-and the attitude apparent throughout the rest of the […]

More than 100 Cessna Corvalis 400 TTs are now equipped with TKS ice protection as a factory option or retrofit. Now, owners of Corvalis 300/350s can have the system installed. CAV Aerospace, which holds the patent for the “weeping wing” TKS system, announced last week it has received an amended FAA Supplemental Type Certificate to […]

Everyone’s hoping for signs of a turnaround, and last week’s Aviation Electronics Association trade show in Dallas looks like it was just the ticket. The prevailing wisdom seemed to be that, while sales of big-ticket new aircraft may be stalled, owners of older airplanes could be having their day. Glass avionics suites finally trickled down […]

Billing its XL2 as “the most economical certified aircraft” on the IFR market, Liberty Aerospace has nevertheless seen its workforce dwindle to some 32 employees-down from a high of 180. Company president Keith Markley reports the company has no intention of shutting down, and he hopes to continue production with the current staffing at Liberty’s […]

Operating a TBM 850 from Daher-Socata has just gotten more financially viable. The company announced last week it is launching a co-ownership program called “Fly And Share Your TBM” or, F.A.S.T. The plan is said to be ideally suited to a pair of owners; one with two-thirds ownership and the second with one-third. Each share […]

The most recent AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s Joseph T. Nall Report on general aviation safety was released late last week, and the message is mixed. In statistics analyzed from 2007, the report shows that overall accidents increased, despite declining flight hours, but fatalities declined. The rate of fatal accidents was also lower, evidence that pilots […]

Two of aviation’s biggest heroes will hold court at EAA’s Theatre in the Woods the evening of July 31. Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles will attend various other events during the annual EAA AirVenture extravaganza at Oshkosh’s Wittman Field (July 27 to August 2). Along with the rest of their crew, […]

Sir Richard Branson calls her “EVE” and his Virgin Galactic space venture is relying heavily on the fruits of her performance envelope. That envelope expanded recently with a third test flight taking EVE to a speed of 140 knots and an altitude of 18,000 feet. The more official name is WhiteKnightTwo (aka WK2) and the […]