Business Aviation

Boeing announced the formation of a new division at the Farnborough International Airshow on Tuesday. The goal of the division, called Boeing NeXt, will be to “advance next-generation airspace management and evolve the transportation ecosystem.” According to the company, technologies NeXt will be exploring include artificial intelligence, airspace management for autonomous flight and advanced propulsion. […]

Garmin introduced a new Doppler-based, solid-state aviation weather radar on Wednesday. According to the company, the GWX 75 is intended for use in a wide range of aircraft and was designed as a direct replacement for the GWX 70. The GWX 75 features a high-definition color palette, a range of 320 nautical miles, horizontal scan […]

Flying car company Terrafugia has announced that its Transition will be getting some new features and upgrades prior to the scheduled arrival of the first production vehicles next year. The updates involve some significant alterations, including the addition of a hybrid-electric motor for use when the roadable aircraft is in drive mode. The motor uses […]

Many European operators say they won’t meet the European Aviation Safety Agency’s June 7, 2020, ADS-B mandate and EASA seems to be getting ready to cope with the patchwork of compliance that will result. “The retrofit of the complete European fleet is just impossible at this point in time to be completed in 2020,” Jurgen […]

The governor of Hawaii signed a bill removing criminal penalties for many airport violations last week. Prior to the bill’s passing, Hawaii was the only state where violations unrelated to airport security could result in criminal misdemeanor charges. Many local and national pilot groups have been working toward decriminalization legislation, with AOPA calling it the […]

A government report says a longtime FAA inspector allowed unqualified pilots to fly for the U.S.’s largest airline. The report issued by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Transportation says that the 28-year veteran “seems to have been affected by his relationship with [American Airlines].” The safety concerns—which only involved maintenance […]

After nine years of covert development and testing, California-based Opener Inc. revealed what it is calling the world’s first ultralight fixed-wing, all-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft on Thursday. According to the company, the amphibious BlackFly has already completed more than 1,000 flights and flown over 10,000 miles. As an ultralight, the single-seat aircraft […]

I’m one of those guys who believes that most people in government are trying to do a good job and trying to help the country, the state, the city or the local water board. I fear what many of them don’t understand is that they hold the common sense of the nation in their collective […]

My friend and fellow blogger Paul Berge revealed what a sheltered life he has led when he confessed in last week’s blog to not knowing the significance of Sidney, New York. At the expense of appearing a boorish know it all—as opposed to just a boor—I can say that I most certainly did know the […]

Mixed News On Refurb Trainers I think the key issue is what you said in your next to last paragraph: The cost of replacement parts is out of control. I can’t speak for Piper, but Cessna parts have skyrocketed in the past 5-6 years, making a full 172 refurb prohibitively expensive. Add to that, the […]