briefs

The world’s largest commercial airliner, the 555-seat Airbus A380, received joint European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and FAA Type Certification on Tuesday in a ceremony held at the Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey was there, and said it was “a great day for aviation.” It was the first-ever concurrent certification between […]

A Learjet 36 was flying off the coast of San Diego on Friday, Dec.1, when it sustained “an in-flight loss of the right elevator,” the NTSB says. In its preliminary report, the Safety Board said the flight had departed from the North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego at about 9:30 a.m. On board […]

Some owners of Columbia aircraft who were looking forward to flying through the winter with heated wings will have to put those plans on ice, at least for now. The FAA says all Thermawing (aka E-Vade) systems on Columbia airplanes must be deactivated and a placard must be installed in the cockpit that clearly says […]

COLUMNS Probable Cause #21: No Pulling OverWhen the tanks run dry, there’s no stopping on the side of the road. Yet some pilots are willing to push the limits, even when they had ample warning.

It might not be the perfect vehicle for everyone — and its usefulness is yet to be proved — but for the pilot who yearns to simply launch from the backyard and tool around for fun, the personal hot-air blimp could fit the bill. Dan Nachbar of Amherst, Mass., launched his homebuilt airship for the […]

Citing unnamed sources in government and industry, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the FAA is likely to propose a rule change to raise the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots to 65 early next year. The report said FAA Administrator Marion Blakey “is crafting the new position slowly but steadily.” Pressure for a […]

An offer to buy Raytheon Aircraft Company may reach $3 billion, Bloomberg reported on Monday. Citing an unnamed source “with knowledge of the agreement,” Bloomberg said Onex Corp., a buyout firm based in Toronto, and Goldman Sachs Group would each acquire stakes of under 50 percent in the company, with the rest being held by […]

The last scheduled event of the EAA’s Sport Pilot Tour took place this past weekend at Brown Field in sport-pilot-friendly San Diego and capped a 13-stop run that began in 2005. AVweb was there to collect a summation from industry advocate Dan Johnson, who told us enthusiasm for the category (mostly from an estimated 100,000 […]

AVMAIL AVmail: Dec. 11, 2006Reader mail this week about progress in light jet development, TFR violations and more.

COLUMNS Pelican’s Perch #81: It’s a Jungle Down ThereBrazil’s courts held two U.S. bizjet pilots for two months without charges, seemingly on the assumption they were at fault for a midair collision with a 737. AVweb’s John Deakin has flown into Brazil many times and he thinks otherwise.