SpaceX says it’s ready to launch its Starship rocket for a second attempt as soon as an environmental review of its new launch system is complete. On Oct. 31, the FAA wrapped up a safety review of the first Starship launch in April. That attempt resulted in the destruction of the rocket and massive damage […]
The city council in Torrance, California, is trying to ban touch and goes at its airport despite warnings from aviation groups and the FAA that it’s blatantly illegal. Zamperini Field is home to 10 flight schools and the Robinson Helicopter factory. After decades of noise complaints and numerous attempts to whittle down access to the […]
An NTSB final report into the fatal crash at an impromptu STOL competition in Nebraska in May of 2022 suggests the FAA inspectors onsite could have prevented the tragedy by enforcing rules already established for the STOL drag race that was supposed to be going on. The accident occurred during an unofficial STOL competition that […]
The pilot whose in-flight medical crisis prompted a non-pilot passenger to land their Cessna Caravan now has his medical back. Kenneth Allen was flying two passengers from the Bahamas to Florida on May 10, 2022, when his aortic artery tore. One of the passengers, Darren Harrison, who had no flight experience, took the controls and, […]
The Canadian crew of a scheduled helicopter passenger flight is being hailed for a successful emergency landing after lightning almost blew off the tail rotor of the aircraft they were flying. The Helijet Sikorsky S-76 was on its way from downtown Vancouver to Victoria, on Vancouver Island, when it was struck. The lightning took off […]
IEEE Spectrum is reporting the FAA has issued a special airworthiness certificate to allow Google founder Sergey Brin’s LTA Research to flight test a 400-foot-long hybrid-electric airship, Pathfinder 1, at Moffett Field near San Francisco. LTA has been building the massive aircraft, the largest since the Hindenburg, since 2015. A second larger airship, which is […]
Textron Aviation reported revenue of $1.3 billion—a 14.7 percent increase from the same period last year, according to results released last week. The manufacturer says the increase is a combination of higher volume and higher pricing. In Q3, Textron delivered 39 jets, on par with deliveries last year, and 38 turboprops—up five from the same […]
Modern autopilot upgrades usually come with built-in altitude preselect and airspeed hold. Used properly, this automation is a useful tool in the bag of IFR utilities. It can reduce altitude busts and deviations, but with great power comes great responsibility. But it can be serious trouble—especially in the approach environment—if it’s misused. Once sold as […]
According to company memos obtained by CNBC, Spirit Airlines will suspend pilot and flight attendant hiring next month following a disappointing third-quarter performance. Despite a busy travel season, the low-cost carrier reported its third-quarter earnings on Oct. 26 showing a loss of nearly $158 million, which the company attributes to soft demand, slower growth and […]
Van’s Aircraft is curtailing normal business functions for two weeks as staff and management focus on saving the company from a serious cash crunch. As reported by KITPLANES Editor Marc Cook, Van’s founder Richard VanGrunsven announced Oct. 27 that the process, to be aided by a business crisis consulting company, will address “serious cash flow issues, […]
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