The FAA has announced more specific plans to begin scaling back its commitment to VOR stations beginning in 2010. Seen as a measure of commitment to GPS as a primary source of navigation information, the move, nevertheless, has some concerned. Reliance on GPS as primary source guidance is contingent on the adoption of wide area […]
The Transportation Security Administration has issued two new documents encompassing security action items (SAIs) for FBOs and for aircraft operators. The documents amplify and restate many of the same recommendations in the originally issued documents from May 2004, including limiting or prohibiting vehicle access to ramps, locking fences and gates, installing surveillance equipment, encouraging based […]
On January 9, 2006, a Cirrus SR20 crashed at Lancaster, California, during a training flight. The airplane had apparently stalled during an attempt to turn back to the runway after a simulated power loss. The helicopter-rated private pilot and his instructor both died on impact. The Cirrus had arrived half an hour earlier from Van […]
Thai businessman Supap Puranitee ordered his Cessna Mustang on the day it was announced at NBAA 2002. He took delivery of his VLJ, the 100th Mustang off the production line, last week at the Cessna plant in Independence, Kansas. Cessna delivered 45 Mustangs in its first partial year of production last year, and expects to […]
German manufacturer Grob Aerospace has declared insolvency, placing the future of its all-composite SPn light jet in question. Company CEO Niall Olver cited delays in the certification program as creating increased funding requirements, which current financial backers are unwilling to support. Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based Alpha Flying Service, with its PlaneSense fractional program (which currently operates […]
In post-World War II years, Piper Aircraft patriarch William Piper surrendered financial control of his namesake company to creditors, and watched from an office in a hangar as expenses were shaved to bare minimums. Now, it appears Eclipse Aviation is experiencing a similar process, as new CEO Roel Pieper seeks to achieve “operational excellence” on […]
Stevens Aviation delivered the first Learjet modified under its Lear4Ever program this week. Stevens, working with several partners, transforms the classic turbofan-powered Learjet with a package of new avionics, aerodynamic modifications, plus its highly regarded new interior and paint work. Big Universal flat glass displays are among the most notable cockpit changes. The Universal system […]
Lockheed Martin, which operates the flight service briefings under contract to the government, has introduced a program designed to save time on phone briefings and when filing flight plans. Pilots can set up a personal profile that, based on the telephone number called from, will automatically populate the briefer’s screen with boilerplate information such as […]
Eclipse says it will pay back deposits with interest, and the 190 temporary employees let go last week were part of the production rampup, and such workforce reductions are “not uncommon.” Since announcing a new round of initial financing at EAA AirVenture last month, the new management at Eclipse has been in cash-conservancy mode. It […]
By FAA count, there have been more than 3,000 incursions into the Washington, D.C., Area Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) since the restricted area’s inception in 2003. As a result, the agency last week issued a final rule mandating completion of a one-hour online course for pilots who wish to fly under VFR within 60 nautical […]
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