briefs

Leaders from the nation’s largest airlines went to Congress last Thursday with hats in hand, looking for help to stem their billion-dollar losses and rising fuel costs, and came away with zip. “Congress is not going to underwrite losing airline operations,” said Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House aviation subcommittee. (Not this […]

Eleni Zeri, a 23-year-old tourist from Greece, died in March 2003 during a tandem hang-glider ride in the mountains of New Zealand after the pilot took off without properly securing her to the glider. Pilot Steve Parson, 53, of Canada, admitted that he had made a mistake, and last Friday apologized in court to the […]

This week’s International G8 Summit near Savannah, Ga., is bringing not only world leaders and restricted airspace to the region, but a new TSA presence at general aviation airports. Prior to the summit, the TSA will assign teams of Aviation Security Inspectors to about 28 GA airports located within the TFRs, Steven Calabro of the […]

After what seems like more lobs back and forth than a Ping-Pong ball, the ever-imminent sport pilot/light sport aircraft rule is out of the FAA and back in the hands of the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The FAA withdrew its proposal back in March after the OMB raised concerns about the cost/benefits […]

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___________WHAT’S NEW What’s New — Products and ServicesThis month, AVweb’s survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you a new instrument training book, GPS mapping software for PDAs, LED flashlight conversion kit and much more. If you know of a new product or service other AVweb readers should […]

Owners of a popular brand of Mode S transponder must ensure they’re running the proper software. The FAA has issued an Airworthiness Directive for Garmin GTX 330 and 330D Mode S transponders after it was discovered that, under certain circumstances, they don’t always reply to the interrogation pulse of another aircraft. “The inaccurate replies could […]

While air traffic controllers worry about who will take over when they all retire, NASA this summer is working on an alternative scenario — let those pilots control themselves. The “Autonomous Operations Planner” being tested at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., and Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., feeds collision-avoidance info directly into […]

A crew of aviation archeologists excavated a World War II airplane in London over the weekend, digging beneath a paved road near Buckingham Palace. Parts of a Hurricane’s engine and control panel were found as the airplane’s pilot, Ray Holmes, now 89, watched and live TV cameras rolled. Holmes saw the German bomber heading for […]

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certified Cirrus Design‘s SR20 for import to the European Union, Cirrus announced on Tuesday. The certificate was awarded to Cirrus officials at a private meeting in Brussels by members of the EASA. “EASA certification of Cirrus’s first production model, the SR20, will help us expedite development of market-specific […]