Aviation News

A segment in President Obama’s budget proposal has opponents of general aviation user fees sounding the alarm. Page 129 of the budget “proposes repealing some aviation excise taxes and replacing these taxes with direct user charges.” The charges, generally a synonym for fees to use specific FAA services-including air traffic control-are said to total some […]

For the first time in five years general aviation airplane shipments declined with 3,969 airplanes delivered compared to 4,272 in 2007. Most of the drop occurred in the final quarter of the year, and the decline was limited to piston airplanes with both business jets and turboprops showing an increase. Piston airplane deliveries at 2,119 […]

Some might suspect sour grapes, but at an economic summit earlier this week, Senator John McCain questioned whether his rival in last November’s presidential election really needs $11.2 billion worth of new helicopters. In 2005, then-President Bush pressed for upgraded rotorcraft for the presidential mission. In light of the September 11 attacks, John Young, assistant […]

Facing the ravages of NTSB scrutiny for a rash of fatal crashes, the helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) industry could be seeing some good news. Observers are pointing to the focus on health care in the current economic stimulus package as boding well for HEMS flights. According to reports, roughly half of all EMS flights […]

In the years following the 9/11 attacks, Congress passed an accelerated depreciation tax incentive plan to boost sales of aircraft. It’s back; and the newly passed program joins some $1.1 billion in airport funding as part of the Obama administration’s economic stimulus package. The general aviation industry has lost a reported total of approximately 11,000 […]

The 2009 edition of Heli Expo, the Helicopter Association International’s annual industry tradeshow, was held in Anaheim, California, in late February. It was one of the busiest HAI conventions in terms of attendees (15,728 on the first day alone) and exhibitors — a total of 584 with more than 70 helicopters on the show floor. […]

At a time when it’s even tough to find financing to remodel your kitchen, helicopter kit maker RotorWay has secured funding to pursue a certified, turbine-powered model. The as yet unnamed two-place rotorcraft would be powered by a Rolls-Royce 300 turboshaft engine. Also from RotorWay, customers may now install enhanced vision systems in their kit […]

Late Tuesday, the final blow fell for Eclipse. In an e-mail to about 850 remaining employees, company executives Mark Borseth and Michael McConnell (CEO Roel Pieper’s name was conspicuously absent) wrote that the board of directors would support creditors who have been urging a move from Chapter 11 bankruptcy to Chapter 7. Under Chapter 11, […]

Safety was a huge issue at the Heli Expo this year. With the NTSB set to issue recommendations based largely on a terrible 2008 accident record in the rotary-wing world (helicopter emergency medical services [HEMS] in particular), the industry is struggling to find ways to make its operations a lot safer. There were many suppliers […]

In the face of declining orders and factory layoffs, selected garages around the world have become one of the most prolific aircraft production sources in the industry today. Last December, the 6,000th Van’s Aircraft homebuilt kit took flight, and new aircraft are being completed at a rate of two per day. The 6,000th Van’s product […]