Aviation News

City officials and pilots at Watsonville Municipal Airport (KWVI) are at odds on the future of the airport’s crosswind runway. After unanimously approving the airport’s first Master Plan update in 20 years, city officials are entertaining options to shorten the crosswind runway or close it entirely in favor of development.  According to Airport Director Rayvon Williams, the FAA […]

Switchblade, the flying car concept developed over the last 14 years, flew for the first time Thursday according to a YouTube video posted by the company. The aircraft, which is powered by a hybrid electric drive system that supplies power to the pusher prop in the air and the wheels on the road, did at […]

The U.S. Army has inked a contract with Textron Aviation for Special Missions-configured aircraft, including Cessna SkyCouriers and Grand Caravans as well as Beechcraft King Air 360s and 260s. Filed under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) provision, the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract allows for up to $100 million in acquisitions over a five-year time frame. […]

Astronaut Frank Borman, commander of the first manned flight to circle the moon, died Tuesday (Nov. 7) in Billings, Montana. He was 95. Borman spent almost 20 full days in space over two missions and later served as the leader of Eastern Airlines. He was a committed general aviation pilot, very active in the effort […]

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its Preliminary Report on the runway-intersection collision between a Textron Hawker 850XP (N269AA) and a Cessna Citation Mustang (N510HM) at Houston Hobby Airport on Oct. 24 (NTSB Accident No. DCA24FA017). No one was injured among the three on board the Hawker, which was taking off for a […]

With concerns raised over whether pilots fear seeking treatment for mental health issues, the FAA announced today (Nov. 9) it will establish a Pilot Mental Health Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to address the issue. According to the announcement, the FAA “expects the committee to provide recommendations on breaking down the barriers that prevent pilots from […]

Ontario, Canada-based air ambulance service provider Ornge has placed an order for a dozen Pilatus PC-12s. The single-engine turboprops are scheduled to be delivered between 2026 and 2030. Ornge has operated PC-12s since 2009, and its current fleet of eight PC-12 NGs will be progressively phased out of service as the newer aircraft arrive. According […]

Not to be confused with fanciful speculation about toxic “chemtrails” (chemical trails), actual condensation trails—better known as contrails—have been legitimately shown to contribute to global warming. This is because, just as with any cloud, lingering contrails can trap heat and keep it from escaping the atmosphere. If the aviation industry can minimize the formation of […]

After an extensive trial, the University of North Dakota’s flight school has dropped Swift UL94 fuel and resumed use of 100LL. The school said ongoing maintenance monitoring of aircraft using UL94—almost exclusively Lycoming-powered Piper Archers and Seminoles—resulted in measurable exhaust valve recession. The school made the switch back to 100LL on Oct. 27. Partly because […]

One measure of the health of general aviation is the activity within the avionics sector—involving both forward-fit (factory installations) and retrofit sales. The Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) released its Third Quarter Market Report Monday (Nov. 6) and the results are encouraging. Overall sales for the July-September time frame were up by 9.9 percent compared with […]