Aviation News

The upcoming April 8 solar eclipse is the kind of phenomenon that seems ideally suited to experiencing with the help of light-aircraft travel. While some large concentrations of the U.S. population won’t have to move to experience the eclipse, many GA pilots who aren’t so blessed have the opportunity to make a pleasant, satisfying day […]

Vero Beach, Florida flight academy Skyborne has ordered an additional 20 Piper Pilot 100i trainers. The new agreement will supplement an initial order for 11 Pilot 100is. Deliveries began in November 2023 as part of a multiyear agreement. The new deal is valued at $8 million, according to Skyborne. Skyborne CEO Lee Woodward said, “Over […]

National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy angrily testified today (March 6) during a Senate hearing that “Boeing has not provided us with the documents and information that we have requested numerous times over the past few months.” She referred to the NTSB investigation into the in-flight departure of a door plug from an Alaska […]

Garmin announced today (March 6) it has upgraded its FltPlan safety management system (SMS) by updating the system’s Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT). The new FRAT is streamlined, needing less input from pilots, and enables customizing operators’ FRATs for different pilots and aircraft within the same organization. FRAT enhancements are now simplified, according to Garmin, […]

As part of its career-development program, the FAA announced yesterday (March 5) it will dispense $13.5 million to 32 schools and colleges nationwide “to attract and train students for careers as pilots and aviation maintenance technicians.” A dozen of those institutions will share $4.5 million from the agency’s Aircraft Pilots Aviation Workforce Development Grant program, […]

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its annual safety report on Feb. 28, noting that 2023 was the safest year ever for commercial air travel. In its analysis, the trade group stated that there were no hull losses or fatal accidents involving passenger jet aircraft in 2023 despite a 17% uptick in aircraft movements compared to […]

PSI, the third-party contractor that administers all FAA tests, has been purchased by ETS, a Princeton, New Jersey nonprofit that is one of the largest language testing organizations in the world. ETS’s main business is in administering language tests for admissions requirements for universities, but it bought PSI as a diversification move to expand into […]

Five Canadians were killed in the crash of a Piper Turbo Lance next to a freeway in Nashville on Monday. Two adults and three children died after the plane crashed and caught fire next to I-40 in a commercial area about three miles south of John C. Tune Airport west of downtown Nashville. The aircraft […]

The FAA has allowed an exemption to light sport rules for the Textron/Pipistrel Velis Electro. The agency has permitted an exemption to 14 CFR Part 21.190, the special airworthiness certificate for light sport category aircraft, and that will pave the way to use it for flight training. The aircraft, which is type certified in Europe, […]

Piper says deliveries of its new flagship M700 FURY will begin “immediately” after the aircraft earned type certification on Feb. 29. It also said there will be new aircraft announced shortly. “We are thrilled to announce the U.S. certification of the Piper M700 FURY by the FAA just a month after its announcement,” said John […]