briefs

Travelers between Juneau, Skagway and Haines, Alaska, will soon have the option of “flying” without ever leaving the ground (effect). Pacific Seaflight is planning to launch its eight-passenger “wing in ground effect” vehicle in time to take passengers next summer. The Australian-designed Flightship FS8 Dragon Commuter (scroll down for English) is now being built in […]

Boston is off-limits to most GA aircraft starting today for the Democratic National Convention but if you’re headed that way, anyway, it might pay to give the 30-nm TFR more than “a few” miles berth. A writer to AVweb says the graphic depiction and written narrative of the TFR don’t line up and there’s a […]

… And we’re betting a Kentucky governor would agree that fortunately, they’re not shooting … yet. Police detained (upon landing) Arlington, Texas, pilot Del Hinton, his wife, daughter and a friend for more than an hour on Saturday before Hinton finally convinced them (with a call to Flight Services) his plane couldn’t have been the […]

_______COLUMNS Say Again? #39: ATC 204 – IFR Flight Plan IIWant another good reason to be careful how you file your flight plan? How about avoiding a midair collision? AVweb’s Don Brown is back with another in his “courses” on better ATC and pilot communication. This month he’s trying to figure out why some pilot […]

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The maiden flight of the Aerocomp Comp Air kit jet took place at Merritt Island Airport in Florida on Tuesday. Dubbed the “poor man’s jet” (for those poor enough to have about $600,000 to spend) the single-engine composite plane was apparently docile and predictable in flight on Tuesday and a second hop on Wednesday. In […]

Uncomfortable with the idea of sharing the airspace with pilotless aircraft controlled from the ground? How about drones controlled from another aircraft? Boeing recently tested a system that enables the weapons system operator on an F-15 to remotely pilot a modified T-33. During the tests, the F-15 and its pilotless wingman went through a range […]

Bombardier has announced plans to break out of the regional jet mold with a new airliner that can carry up to 135 passengers. In doing so, the Montreal-based manufacturer will go head-to-head with Boeing and Airbus for one of the most lucrative, if not glamorous, segments of the airliner market. Bombardier spokesman Gary Scott told […]