Aviation News

In an episode described as evidence of the worldwide pilot shortage, the FAA has proposed civil penalty fines totaling $134,475 against Puerto Rico-based carrier Vieques Air Link for allegedly conducting revenue flights crewed by unqualified pilots. The 11 flights occurred between July and August this year (2022). Vieques Air Link operates flights linking the island […]

Just in time for ski season, backcountry aircraft icon CubCrafters is showing its fiscal savvy by acquiring Summit Aircraft Skis. The manufacturer of Part 23-certified, light-sport and experimental aircraft bought the design and manufacturing assets, unique patents and related intellectual property of Sandpoint, Idaho-based Summit Aircraft Skis, which are “favored by [CubCrafters’] Carbon Cub aircraft […]

The Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) says the training pipeline is producing more than enough pilots to meet current and future needs and airlines are falsely blaming a pilot and instructor shortage for their operations problems. It’s not the first time ALPA has made the claim, and this time it used FAA stats that show that […]

Textron has sold a couple of its SkyCourier twins in passenger configuration to Mexican startup Aerus. The new airline also ordered four 14-passenger Caravan EXes to serve domestic and international routes with a hub in Monterrey in northeastern Mexico. The airline has already taken delivery of three Caravan EXes. Aerus plans to start scheduled service […]

Congress has approved an amendment to a 2020 law that will allow the FAA to certify Boeing’s 737 MAX 10 and 7 models without updating the crew alerting systems. Those systems will have to be updated eventually, but the exemption allows certification to continue in the face of a 2020 rule that gave manufacturers to […]

The FAA has told anyone who got a checkride for an instrument or instrument instructor from a well-known Alaska bush pilot that they may need to redo it to keep their ratings. According to the Anchorage Daily News, the checkrides were conducted by Don Lee between July of 2018 and June of 2022. The FAA […]

Just a day after 36 were injured by severe turbulence on a flight to Hawaii, United Flight 128 encountered unexpected turbulence on its 10.5-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro to Houston. After landing, two passengers and three flight crew members were taken to the hospital with what United described as “minor injuries.” The flight departed […]

The National Business Aviation Association has added a new safety-centric module to its Small Operators Learning Series. The module, “Continuing the Road to Safer Flight Operation,” builds on the first such safety module in the series, “Speaking with Your Principal—Expectations of Safety.” In the new module, panelists discuss three keystones of a safe flight department: […]

Just in time for last-minute holiday shopping, EAA announced today (Dec. 20) that tickets are now on sale for the 70th anniversary edition of the AirVenture Oshkosh (Wisconsin) fly-in convention. AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 opens its turnstiles on July 24 at Wittman Regional Airport and closes out on July 30. The mammoth fly-in typically hosts more […]

The FAA has posted a notice alerting operators that Garmin has issued Service Alert 22109 Revision A regarding its very popular GFC 500 digital autopilots. The notice only affects those autopilots with the optional GSA 28 pitch trim system installed, associated with Garmin’s Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SA01866W. That configuration, approved for certified, experimental and […]