Aviation News

The Federal Communications Commission may study allowing cellphone use on airliners. A vote next week among FCC officials will determine whether the issue comes up for discussion. Whether passengers uncomfortable at the thought of sitting next to a cell yeller will get a vote is not known… The owner of a Washington State charter company […]

Australian authorities are investigating whether faulty GPS data contributed to an accident that killed six people near Benalla, Victoria, last July. The Piper Cheyenne involved strayed almost continuously off course and hit a mountain miles from the nearest GPS approach waypoint… The NBAA is countering all the negative press surrounding three recent high-profile crashes by […]

A 1940’s-era Convair CV-340 cargo plane sporting “EELECT (sic) GEORGE W. BUSH” down the length of its fuselage Saturday departed Opa-Locka airport in Florida, reportedly suffered engine trouble and ditched in nearby Maule lake. The crew of two avoided densely populated Miami-Dade suburbs (excepting vast expanses of open water) and escaped unhurt. The aircraft and […]

At least 31 died in Indonesia on Tuesday when a Lion Air MD-82 skidded off the runway while trying to land in heavy rain… Seven soldiers died in the crash of a Black Hawk helicopter near Fort Hood, Texas, on Monday. The helicopter hit wires supporting a television transmission tower, which was unlit, in foggy […]

An early winter storm knocked out the DME at Reno-Tahoe International Airport Saturday, canceling 69 flights and stranding 2,000 passengers. Airport spokesman Brian Kulpin said it was the second such failure of the FAA-operated equipment in a month and he described it as “inexcusable.” The FAA’s hazardous-materials enforcement process needs improvement, according to the Department […]

The Department of Defense has decided to keep its air navigation secrets … well … secret. The DoD’s National Geospatial Intelligence Agency will no longer allow the public to snoop in its aeronautical navigation publications and Web sites. The idea is to keep would-be terrorists from having “unfettered access to air facility data” and to […]

The Air National Guard has changed rules at a New Jersey firing range to avoid populated areas, after a school was accidentally hit by stray bullets… Starting this month, airports can opt to use private contractors instead of federal security screeners from the Transportation Security Administration. (Why does that sound so familiar?)… The FAA says […]

All five people on board died Sunday when a Piper Navajo crashed near an apartment complex in San Antonio, Texas. An investigator said Monday the pilot told controllers he was climbing, but radar showed the airplane in a steep descent… Cessna’s huge new Wichita Service Center is preparing for its grand opening next month. The […]

Two survivors of a Montana plane crash and the pilot who died after trying to free a passenger were awarded Medals of Valor by the state last Wednesday. Jodee Hogg, 23, now of Missoula, and Matthew Ramige, 30, of Jackson, Wyo., walked away from the crash in September near Glacier National Park. Pilot Jim Long […]

MT composite propellers are now STC’d for Aviat Husky aircraft. MT sales rep Larry Schlasinger said the composite props are lighter and offer better climb and cruise performance… You could get a real charge out of flying Korean Air if you don’t behave. The Transportation Security Administration has given the airline approval to equip crew […]